Do It Yourself Ideas For Affordable Home Decorating

SAVING MONEY ON DECORATING

Let’s face it.....decorating costs money.

If you don’t have a lot of money, can you still decorate and have your home decked out the way you want to? Of course you can!

By using a little ingenuity and perhaps some elbow grease, there are many ways that you can save money….AND have your house look like a million bucks.

Let’s look at some great ways to decorate that don’t cost a fortune.

PAINTING

Painting a house, whether it’s outside or inside, is the cheapest decorating method of all.

You can turn a house from 'blah' into 'ah' in just hours by picking out colors that warm and enhance living areas.

All you have to do is throw down some drop cloths and spend some time painting. It costs next to nothing except time to give a room, a house, or an apartment a brand new look.

Look at decorating magazines if you have trouble deciding on colors that enhance each other or check out the most up to date decorating schemes for colors.

Visit any number of paint departments and ask for a small amount of a color as a sample if you’re having trouble deciding if it’s the right color for you.

FLOORING

• You can do many styles of flooring yourself. You might want to take a free class at Home Depot or Lowe’s or even get a book or DVD on how to lay tile for instance, but it’s totally doable.
• The money you save is incredible since floor coverings is one part of the cost to get a new floor while labor is the kicker that will break your pocketbook.
• Don’t be shy about asking a professional for advice. They usually give it freely because they’re hoping that you fail and have to call them back!
• Research what types of flooring you’re considering putting in, then do your homework and most importantly shop around to get the best possible price.

CABINETS AND CLOSETS

• If you have dull and dreary cabinets and want to give them a facelift, check into refinishing them or possibly painting them for a different look.

• They have paints that go on over previously painted surfaces without any stripping or sanding necessary.

• Check out interior/exterior oil finish paints.
• You can go for a particular color or you can go for a ‘distressed’ wood look which is quite beautiful.
• If you are doing a total remodel, replace the cabinet front doors, paint the sides and rest of the cabinet and then put on the new front doors.....voila....new cabinets!

WINDOW TREATMENTS

Putting up window treatments can cost you a fortune if you’re not careful. The highest ticket items are custom-made blinds and draperies. That’s great if you can afford it but most of us can’t. What to do instead?

Check out do-it-yourself stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s for huge savings on blinds, curtain rods and shades.

Consider putting in your own blinds....they will cut them to your measurements for free.

Consider making your own curtains if you know how to sew....or buy on-line to save money and buy discontinued styles to save big bucks on curtains and drapes.

Check out stores like TJMaxx and Ross for steals on curtains and draperies.

Keep it simple and you’ll be able to cover more windows. Even regular sheets can be used for dramatic swags as window treatments for a few bucks!

RUGS, BLANKETS, PILLOWS AND ACCENTS

• Check online for great bargains in home accents.
• Check out clearance items at all major department stores and bargain basement offerings. Don’t forget the great sources like TJ Maxx or Ross. I find the most incredible things there for under $10.
• Always buy on sale and you can’t go wrong.
• If you’re handy with a sewing machine, make accent pillows.....from huge bed pillows to small accent pillows for couches.
  
• You can find incredible fabric deals at places like JoAnn Fabrics or Hancock Fabrics. For about $3 per pillow insert and the cost of on-sale fabric, you can make all the pillows you could ever need. Vow only to buy on sale or have a coupon and you’ll save money and decorate for pennies instead of hundreds of dollars.

FURNITURE AND ART

• Check outlet stores for great prices on furniture. If you have an open mind about décor and how you can mix and match, you’ll end up further ahead moneywise. If you have certain styles or colors in mind, then it might take you longer and you might have to pay more money to find everything that matches.
• Consider the space you have and buy accordingly. Less is actually more....less cluttered always looks better and having a few beautiful pieces is always better than having many mediocre pieces.
• Check garage sales, ads in the paper, Craigslist and even eBay for great buys in furniture.
• Check TJ Maxx and Ross for smaller pieces of furniture. Buy unfinished furniture and stain it or paint it!
• Same goes for art or pictures. Consider framing posters. Pick up used frames at the Goodwill or Salvation Army and use them to reframe posters or even photos that you’ve enlarged.
• Consider using a beautiful blanket like a Pendleton that you got on super sale as a wall hanging.

Refinish ‘not-so-perfect’ pieces or repaint them to make them new again – you’d be surprised what beautiful furniture you can create from ‘throwaways’.

Consider reupholstering something that has good structure and could be brand new with new fabric. Buy the fabric yourself at the fabric store and then have someone recover the piece for you....or learn to upholster yourself at a class!

PLACEMATS, NAPKINS, TABLECLOTHS, FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS AND MORE

Bed, Bath and Beyond sells beautiful round placemats for $1.99 each. I’ve also picked up these wonderful round placemats at TJ Maxx for $4 for a set of 4. They have many colors to choose from or if round isn’t what you want, consider making your own.

There are patterns out there for all kinds of tablecloths, placemats and other accent pieces for your dining room and living room.

Make your own designer napkins. Buy yards of material at the fabric store for $1.99 per yard and merely measure out the size napkin you want, hem them and voila.....you can have 8 dinner napkins for pennies in any color or fabric you want.

Make your own aprons by making your own pattern (or buying a pattern).

Pick up accent pieces like vases or plates for display at garage sales, bargain basement stores, or TJ Maxx and Ross. If you have a good eye for color and know your décor, it’s amazing the little things you can pick up for colorful accents.

Go down to the river and cut cattails yourself and used dried cattails to make a flower arrangement.

Frequent Michaels or other craft stores and pick up silk flowers on sale and make your own arrangements or wreaths. It’s amazing how little you can spend to make the most beautiful pieces.

SAVING MONEY ON HOME DECORATING

As you can see, there are many ways to decorate your home on a budget. Most importantly, don’t go into debt to finance your home decorating projects....and don’t take on more than you can do in a reasonable amount of time.

The best decorating plan is to start with one room and work that room until it's completed, and then move on to the next room and so on.

Not overwhelming yourself is the most important thing in decorating. It also assures that you will complete the first project before moving onto the second.

Have an overall picture of what you want but also consider that once you do one room and see how it turns out, you might change your mind about what you want for the next room.

Having not made your purchases ahead of time, you’re always in a better position to ‘start fresh’ on another room!

There are many other little things that you can do for pennies to decorate your home and make it warm and inviting.

Think of things that you want and what makes you feel good when you’re in a room. That will give you an idea of what direction your desires are pulling you in to shape that room.

Then go for it and make a pact with yourself to save money while making your home your dream home!

Check out Costco for great savings on flooring, furniture, blankets, rugs, pillows and decorator items, too.

If you have more suggestions for decorating on a budget, please share them with all of us to enrich this article.