Guest Author - Donna Coogan
Are you wondering how you can decorate and furnish your home on a budget? It’s really not that hard if you know where to shop and what to buy. Read on for some of my favorite places to shop for inexpensive decor.
There is a plethora of used furniture and home accents to be found at yard sales, thrift shops, antique stores as well as local auctions.
Craigslist.org and Freecycle.org are treasure troves for finding furniture. To get the best deals you need to be actively “window-shopping” on a regular basis because listings don’t last long.
I tend to avoid eBay if I’m looking for furniture because of shipping costs. But, if you can find a seller offering free shipping or free delivery or if it’s a local pickup, then it may be worth the price. On the other hand, eBay has been a fantastic place for me to find great pieces of art or accents for my home.
Good Will and the Salvation Army offer incredible finds at very cheap prices. They have a large turnover rate, so you need to frequent these places on a regular basis if you are looking for something specific. Inquire what day they receive new inventory and shop early. Be sure to have a truck or van to carry home large purchases because they won’t always hold items for you.
For new furniture pieces, shop at stores that offer deep discounts or are going out of business. End-of-season sales are a great time to shop furniture stores because they need to make room for new inventory.
Ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture is another option to furnish your home with inexpensive pieces. These are found in many discount department stores like Walmart or online. You can paint RTA furniture, too, so don’t worry if the color isn't your favorite.
Stores like Tuesday Morning, Marshalls, T.J. Max, Pier 1, IKEA, Bed and Bath, and HomeGoods are some of my favorite places to shop for inexpensive accessories. Look for lamps, decorative containers, paintings, clocks, dishes, bedding, throw pillows, slipcovers, vases, frames, candles, etc.
Home improvement stores like Lowes and Home Depot offer reasonably priced items like window curtains, decorative trash cans, display shelves, framed mirrors, lamps and area rugs. Look also in their garden departments for plants, wicker chairs and iron benches.
If you are crafty, Hobby Lobby and Michaels offer a multitude of ideas to decorate your home. They also have ready-made items like drawer knobs and pulls, photo frames, art prints, baskets and artificial flowers.
Remember most of all to only buy things that you really love in order to transform your home into a place that you really love.
