5 Things to Remember when Decorating on a Budget

What’s more exciting than your own place? You can do whatever you want like wear pants or leave the dishes in the sink (I wouldn’t suggest that but yeah…). It’s your own little heaven because you can do whatever you want to it. If you’re renting, get all the necessary permissions before doing anything crazy. But, my point is that you can decorate, improve, and live the way you want to live because it’s your place.

Tell me that’s not something to be excited about.

You’re on your own and if you’re like most of out here, you don’t have a fully furnished apartment, house, or townhouse. If you do and it’s upgraded to your liking then you’re killing the game.

Believe it or not, furniture is expensive. Yeah, you have many options but it adds up. And, home improvement adds up, too. Those cute DIY things we see on Pinterest are going to add up if you’re trying to replicate things in the same exact way.

That’s why you need to budget. Your place can be bomb and affordable — you’re talking to an expert at this game.

When it comes to your place you want it to stand-out and you want your friends to compliment it. You want to be trendy but make it your own. What’s the point of it being your spot if you don’t make it your own, ya know? All of your ideas might seem farfetched but if you budget correctly, your dream home can come to life.

Repurpose old things

Have you seen how many Ikea hacks there are out there? If you bought Ikea furniture in the past and don’t know what to do with it or it’s not gelling with your vibe, spruce it up! It’s not just Ikea furniture that you can fix up, it’s any furniture. Find an old wooden table at the thrift store? Sand it and paint it. Or, add pallets on top and you have your own Farmhouse table without having to pay $500+. You have to get creative when you’re trying to save money. And, do-it-yourself projects always seem to find a way to come out cute. You can spray paint something gold or rose gold to go with the theme you want. You aren’t bound to a look because you found it that way — let your mind and hands get to work on a piece, it might just be the best piece in the house. There is nothing wrong with old because you can make it into your own treasure.

Shop the clearance rack

Please, be a pro at this. You can find so many great things on the clearance rack. There might be a small crack or something that can be hidden but you can get a deal for it. Nothing is wrong with a bargain especially when you’re saving a good 50% or more on a piece of furniture. That’s how I got my dining room table! There’s a crack in it so I got 60% off. That’s a huge deal! Most people that ignore the clearance rack are missing out on great deals. Target happens to be one of those places where you can find treasures in their home section. You’ll end up leaving with a shelf and new outlet covers that are bejeweled because they’re $7.98. Hardware stores are usually really good at having deals especially on flooring — you can find a great deal on tiles that are going out of stock or not being remade. Ask my mom, she’s good at hunting down tiles. Don’t sleep on the clearance aisle, you might find a winner.

Space out your projects in your timeline

This is very important! You do not want to do everything right away. Well, you might want to do everything right away but the way your account is set-up, you probably need to take a step back and wait. Don’t blow all your money, trying to get everything done. Speaking from experience here… you want to save so you can have your funds at all times. Certain things can wait. You do not want to rip up the flooring in every room and have to pay all that. That’s a wad of money coming out of your bank account. You want to take things step by step and tackle what you can manage. Home improvement does not mean improve your home in 30 days or less. It’s your home, improve it when you have the time and won’t see your funds diminishing.

But first, do the easy improvements.

The best way to save money and stick to your budget is to take care of the easy things. You don’t like how bland your walls are? Buy some paint and brighten up the place! A gallon of paint will cover your 400×400 sq. foot room and if you’re looking at Lowe’s or Home Depot, that’s $25 for a gallon of paint. Or you could throw up some window treatments that have a design and give your room a focal point. It’s not as hard as you would think it is. You can take care of the easy things first and save for the big improvements. A fresh coat of paint, wall décor, and window treatments will go a long way when you are trying to fix up your spot. It might not seem like you’re doing a lot but trust and believe, the finish will change your mind. The easy improvements give you time to decide what your next moves are. If you want to redo the kitchen and bathroom, focus on the easier room. A bathroom shouldn’t run you too much if you’re trying to replace a floor and sink. The cost of the bathroom should be less than the kitchen if there are no underlying issues. Always take on the easy part and finish off with the hard part.

Compare pricing, you’ll always find a deal

Always, always compare pricing. The best way I’ve been able to do this is by installing Honey to price check among the internet or copying and pasting the product into Google. You will always find a better deal somewhere. If it’s on Wayfair, there is going to be another place you can find it like Wayfair Supply which is a few dollars less for some reason. Those baskets you see everyone splurging on at some home décor store? You can probably find them cheaper somewhere else and if you have your phone, you can google right then and there so you know. Not only that but you want to shop around for the price that fits your budget. For instance, there are paint companies that are double what other companies charge — see if the cheaper option can make a replicate.

At the end of the day, you can be trendy and budget-friendly. Don’t ever think you have to drop stacks of money to fix up your place because you don’t. Not when you have the internet at your fingertips. Just think about how useful technology is and save your money,

If you want to splurge, don’t say I didn’t warn you because it gets tempting in those stores when you see a gorgeous picture or pretty vanity that you want in your home at that moment.

Save and budget for the big things because the little things can be done right away. In this matter, go big or go home does not apply because I recommend you go home — go home and do the things that are in your budget and feasible.

Good luck on your improvement and decorating! It’s fun and you should always switch it up when you can.