Home Decorating on a Budget
By Betsy Burlingame

I love looking through the beautiful home interiors in magazines like House Beautiful, Elle Decor and Home, but I inevitably end up saying "get real" when I see $5,000 shower heads, $10,000 rugs and $25,000 artwork. These rooms are gorgeous, but their pricetags border on offensive when you're living on a budget.

There are many ways to achieve designer looks for much, much less without sacrificing quality and character. Use your favorite design magazines to find looks that you like and then find ways to buy the items for less. Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel and Restoration Hardware are probably the most popular furniture stores today. Because they are inexpensive in comparison to many other stores, it's easy to find many basics there. Try to mix it up a bit and avoid buying all of your furnishings from these ever popular spots. Here are some discount shopping suggestions:

Sale Shopping

Every store and catalog has several sales during the year. By waiting for certain items you like to go on sale, you can really save! If you find a piece that you like, ask the store if it will be going on sale sometime during the year. Usually, they'll know in advance and be able to tell you when to buy.

Discount Shopping

Target, Kmart, IKEA, HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx and other discount stores sell inexpensive furniture, lamps, framed pictures, mirrors, outdoor furniture and much more.

Comparison Shopping

The Internet is the perfect place to comparison shop for home furnishings. Yahoo! Shopping, mySimon and Dealtime are good Websites for comparison shopping.

Tag Sales

Yes, many tag sales are really glorified junk sales, but some tag sales are really worth the visit. Check your local paper for upcoming tag sales. A quick drive by can usually tell you whether to park and browse or keep on driving. Wooden tables, chairs, mirrors, lamps and shelves are some of the easiest pieces to fix up. By painting or stripping and refinishing, you can make a world of difference.

Do it Yourself

Creating your own artwork can bring you real savings and be a lot of fun. Photography is one of the easiest ways to do it yourself. Black and white photos of children, dogs and family members can be enlarged and placed in black picture frames. Dress up a bedroom by placing four or six large canvases covered with beautiful fabric to match your decor. Small postcard sized prints from your favorite museum can be placed in much larger frames with wide matting. Finally, don't be afraid to don your smock and give painting a try. You don't have to paint like Chagall or Pollock to create something perfect for your home. Modern, minimalist painting is a great place to start.


First Published: Jun 06, 2006