Shopping Less for Home Decors: Your Budget Game Plan for a Stylish Home

Sprucing up and styling your home is a good way to let out your creative side, exploring and creating beauty while giving your home a facelift. Much like accessorizing your outfit to create a stylish look, you can easily glam up your house by incorporating some chic accents and decors. You can complement your existing furnishings with new ones as you highlight the parts and spaces that give your home its unique character.

If you fear that giving your home a much-needed revamp will cost you an arm and leg, this article will show you why you shouldn’t. Making your home looking good and polished does not necessarily have to be expensive. The internet has a stream of ideas on DIY and cheap ways of beautifying homes. All you need is budgeting, research and scouting skills, a little creativity, and the energy to do all these as you do a home decorating project that is topnotch but low in cost. And others will not even think that you did it on a tight budget.

Here are some tips on how to make your home decorating project easy and pretty:

Take a good look at your home’s existing furnishings and decors, and envision how you want its new look to be. To avoid making unnecessary changes and purchases, make sure to carefully check the pieces in your home first. Those that still look good and function just fine can be kept. Some may just need some polishing or repainting.

After assessing the current look of your home, you can then proceed to making a list, based on your budget, of the items you need to refurbish or buy. All items for shopping must complement the existing ones to create a seamless change that is both refreshing and easy on the eye. For example, if your existing couch’s color is brown, and you are keeping it because you can’t afford to buy a new one: simply buy a cloth that you can drape over your old couch—pick a color that goes well with brown as well the new theme of your home. Old couch, new look, less cost.

It’s always best to set a budget for your project to avoid overspending. Having a fixed amount of money you can spend forces you to just get the really important stuff. This way, you don’t impulsively buy the first lovely floor lamp you see; instead, you keep scouring around for something as nice looking but better fits your budget. You wouldn’t want to spend half your budget on just one piece of furniture, do you? Otherwise, the picture you have in mind for the new look of your home will not materialize like you originally wanted it to. Although it’s okay to be open to some spontaneous changes in your plan or list as you shop, keeping close to it will prove to be a good move especially if your budget is limited.

Other than malls or decoration shops going on sale, you might want to consider thrift shops that sell pre-owned pieces. Most of the items sold there were formerly owned by affluent families who decided to sell their furnishings to make a home decor upgrade. There you can find really good quality items, even antique and rare pieces, for a fraction of their original price.

If you want to give your home a distinct eclectic vibe or an old-world charm look, then thrift shops are the way to go. You can also try buying from craft shops of up and coming artists who sell their wares online or in bazaars; you can do a search online to find them. Since there are no middlemen between the maker and the buyer, the prices are most likely lower compared to other shops around.

Go green and glam! Look around your house for some items that are beginning to bore or annoy you then recreate them. Give them a new look and accentuate your home with them. Those empty wine bottles gathering dust in your dirty kitchen? Tie them with some ribbons or hemp ropes and use them as vases. Have old fabrics or scarves in your cabinet? Sew them together and use them as an interesting bohemian-style curtain or wall décor. Remember that there is always beauty around you just waiting to be discovered.

In the end, your home should mirror your personality in a way so feel free to integrate your personal taste and interests in your home interiors. Whether you like the classic or contemporary look, minimalist or flamboyant, keep your home’s design close to the person that you are. After all, it is your home. You can give it the look you want, without pretentions—a home that’s true to your heart, and budget.