Furnishing your home on a Low Budget

Furnishing your home on a Low Budget can be tedious but great on the pockets. And fun if you are relaxed about it.

Furniture and other home artifacts can be quite expensive, and whether you are renting or a homeowner, there are so many other things you need your extra money for, like rent, bills, taxes, etc.

I am currently a renter who enjoys decorating my home to bring in each season.  Hence, I’ve had to learn how to decorate and furnish my home on a budget to make sure I am spending as little as possible on the task.

Some of these tips will require putting aside your pride. And as with any budget, practicing self-control is a key part of sticking to it.

Here are 9 Tips to make furnishing your home on a low budget possible.

1-

Choose a color scheme

Choosing a color scheme will help you to be more specific about what you buy. Instead of buying random things and then bringing them home only to find out that they do not compliment each other.

Additionally, try to choose a color pallet that can last the test of time. Choose something you do not mind waking up to every day and that can adapt to the changes that come with each season or holiday if you are someone who prefers a change of scene in those times.

2-

Use something you already own to kick off your design

When my partner and I moved from our one-bedroom apartment, we hardly had anything. Obviously, because there is only so much a one-bedroom can hold. However, we had one brown leather couch that was waring away. We repeatedly said that we will buy a new couch and get rid of it when we moved but quite frankly, we did not afford to do that. We brought that leather couch to our new home. We fixed it up and choose a color pallet that would suit the caramel brown leather. Now I love the look of that couch so much.

Similarly, if you have a piece of essential furniture that you want to keep around, (and you should if you are looking to furnish your home on a budget), make it the center of attention by choosing a color pallet that you like but that would also work well with it and start from there.

3-

Shop at thrift stores

Shopping at thrift stores is becoming more talked about these days. Personally, I find it an incredibly fun and cool thing to do. So much, that I think I do it every weekend that I am off. Not always to buy stuff but simply to look around.

Thrift stores can often hold the most unique items and in such wonderful condition. You do not have to be into vintage items to shop for furniture and artifacts at a thrift store. Lots of modern items can be found there as well. Personally, I enjoy shopping at thrift stores that are in hidden spots, away from shopping centers. These are the ones where you will find items at a shockingly low cost and that are especially one of a kind.

4-

Keep an eye out for pieces being thrown out by others

Ever heard the idiom, “one mans poison is another mans treasure”?

Yeah, in this case, somebody’s waste can turn out to be exactly what you need. This is one of those things that requires you to put aside your pride. I used to be so ashamed of picking up things from the street but when my partner did it and I see what good it can do; I began caring less. I have saved a lot of money by switching to ‘don’t give a f**k’.

Obviously, I am not telling you to pick up something that is absolute trash. If you are driving by something that looks interesting. Come out, look at it, see if it is fixable and take it home. Otherwise, leave it behind. I have saved money on TV stands, Bedframes, tables, small cupboards, and even a whole bicycle. Things I would not pick up include, clothes, shoes, mattress or box springs, or kitchen items like plates and spoons, etc. I do have some pride…ha-ha.

One thing to note is to not place items into your home right away. Leave it out or even spray it down with alcohol in case there is bugs or roach. You do not want to take those into your new home.

5-

Shop at discount stores like Ross, Burlington, and T.J. Maxx

Discount stores are not always cheap. Therefore, it is important to be selective about what you wish to have in your home. Discount stores can have so many unique and most times affordable things that you want to buy it all. But the reality is that you cannot.  Shop for little pieces like:

• wall arts
• vases
• fake plants
• sheets, and blankets,
• small mats and rugs
• towels
• kitchen and eating utensils
• cookware, etc.

You can save a ton of money by shopping at discount stores for items that will be otherwise expensive in its original stores. Just be sure to set a budget before you get there and DO NOT go over that budget by any means. A good way to stick to a budget is to shop with Cash and only take into the store with you, the money that covers the budget you have set for yourself.

6-

Buy sheer white curtains

The sheer white curtain is a universal item that suits every season and compliments every space and color theme. Of course, colored curtains are fun but sheer white curtains are affordable and a good way to start off your curtain collection.

Since sheer curtains allow for outsiders to see it, I would suggest you purchase roller blinds for windows that are in bedrooms or any room where you would prefer more privacy. You can add the sheer curtains over the blinds for the times when the blinds are up, or you can eliminate them completely.

7-

Avoid trying to do all the furnishing at once

If you are trying to furnish your entire home in a set time, chances are that you will be blinded into paying more money for at item that may be cheap at another time of the year. Simply because you want to furnish your home and you want it to be done now..

A better idea is to shop for large items when there is a major sale happening in stores, for example on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, President’s Day, etc. There is so many sales period happening throughout the year. Search online for ideas you’d like to recreate in your home and visit your local stores to see where you can find those items to buy. Whenever the sales events are happening, revisit those same stores to purchase the items you needed. In this case, discount stores would be out of the questions since those stores don’t specialize in selling any particular item repeatedly.

A good rule of thumb to manage the furnishing process better is to focus on furnishing one room at a time.

8-

Keep accessories that go unnoticed at its lowest cost

Not all accessories need to be top-notched. Items such as small bins, soap and toothbrush holders, and towels and napkins hanger can be bought at the dollar store or stores of a similar nature.

There is absolutely no need to buy a glittery garbage bin.  I did it and ended up using the bins as plant pots instead. The soap dispenser that came with it couldn’t handle pumping out some hand soap and the bar soap holder is accumulating soap residue because nobody really uses the bar soap and it’s just sitting there melting away on its own. So really, just find a low-price set that matches your color scheme and it will be enough.

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