How to Decorate Your Home When You’re on a Tight Budget

Even if you’re pinching pennies, there are still things you can do to create a beautiful and cozy home! Here are some ways you can decorate your home on a budget.

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I believe we all want a cozy home that’s stylish and inviting. But I also know how much some of those “stylish” pieces can cost.

Believe it or not, you can have those magazine picture-worthy rooms in your home even if you’re on a tight budget. There’s still plenty you can do to create an inviting and cozy home even if you’re trying to save money.

The first step (no matter where you live) to having a cozy and inviting home is to clean your home and get everything organized. These two things will drastically improve the quality of your space. Once you have a nice clean and organized home, you can move on to the fun part – decorating.

Keep reading to see my best tips on how to decorate your home on a budget.

Tips to Decorate Your Home on a Budget

Make and hang your own artwork.

I love making my own signs and artwork to hang around my home. If you have a printer, you can print out fun sayings and frame them to hang in certain rooms. Also, you can create simple pieces of art from things you can find at Dollar Tree.

Here are some of my favorite Dollar Tree DIYs I’ve created for my walls over the years:

• Faux Vintage Wall Decor
• Upcycled Thrift Store Art (uses a wall sticker from Dollar Tree)
• Reverse Canvas Bathroom Signs (seen below)

Paint an accent wall.

Painting your own walls is one of the most cost-effective decorating updates you can do to your home. Painting one wall a different color can really make a room stand out.

Here are some great tips to keep in mind when painting an accent wall in your home:

1. Don’t be afraid to choose a bold color.
2. Play around with stripes, chevrons, or other shapes.
3. Think about the artwork, pictures, and decor you’ll be hanging on the wall as well as what is going to be in front of it.

If you need some ideas for accent wall colors, Pinterest has lots of inspiration.

Give old furniture new life.

Instead of rushing out to buy a new dresser, coffee table, or nightstand, try repairing the furniture you have and then give it a new coat of paint. It will save you a lot of money and give you a sense of pride.

See also: How to Get Free Furniture to Fill Your Home When You’re on a Budget

The desk in the picture below is one that my husband painted years ago. We found it at a thrift store for only $10!

Cover a dated sofa with a slipcover.

Sofas can be super expensive, not to mention the wait time if you have to order one. Instead of forking over a bunch of money on a new sofa, just purchase a slipcover to make it look brand new again! Slipcovers are inexpensive ways to give old sofas new life.

You can find slipcovers at Target for as low as $60. That’s definitely better than $1000 on a brand new sofa!

DIY your own home decor.

Another inexpensive way to decorate your home on a budget is to make your own home decor. I love making things for my home when I can to save money. Here are a few ideas of things you can make:

• Shabby Chic Lamp
• Hurricane Candle Holder
• No-Sew Pillows
• Kirkland’s Knockoff Chipped Candle Holder
• Rae Dunn Inspired Soap & Lotion Dispensers

Paint your kitchen cabinets.

Kitchen cabinets can get pretty worn out over time. A great way to makeover a kitchen on a budget is to paint the cabinets. While it may be a little time-consuming, painting kitchen cabinets is fairly easy. Google “how to paint kitchen cabinets” and you can find thousands of tips, tutorials, and videos.

Paint bathroom cabinets.

Just like with the kitchen, bathroom cabinets can be painted to give a new look to an outdated bathroom. If you have more than one bathroom that needs updating, you can paint all the cabinets the same color to cut down on paint costs. For an easy tutorial on how to paint bathroom cabinets, check out this post. It’s one of my favorite bathroom makeovers!

Update cabinet hardware.

Even if your kitchen and bathroom cabinets don’t need a new coat of paint, you can always update their look with brand new hardware. Purchasing and installing new hardware is a quick and affordable way to make your kitchen and/or bathroom feel brand new. Check sites like Target and Amazon, and be sure to check your local hardware stores for deals. I’ve also been successful at finding knobs at thrift sales, but you have to make sure you have enough hardware for all the cabinets if you want them to match.

Change your lampshades.

Changing your lampshades might seem like such a small detail but it can really make a huge difference. Look for a bold color that matches your decor to brighten up the room, or go for something more neutral that will match anything!

To get the high-end look without the high-end price tag, check out Target and Walmart’s lampshade selections.

If you want to save even more money, try making your own lampshade instead of purchasing one. Or update an old lampshade by painting it.

Reorganize your bookshelf.

Something as simple as reorganizing your bookshelf can make an entire room feel different. If your bookshelf has become a place to hold just about anything and everything, it may be time to purge. Remove anything from your bookshelf that doesn’t belong to get rid of the clutter. Then remove everything you want to keep on your shelves so it makes them easier to clean. After a thorough cleaning, start putting items back on the shelves in an organized way. Maybe try stacking some books against standing ones to use as makeshift bookends. Or organize books by color. Just do whatever feels right to you.

Need some books for your bookshelf? Visit thrift stores and yard sales and thrift sites such as ThriftBooks.com. Also, if you’re an Amazon Prime Member, you can enjoy one free book every month with Prime Reading. (Not a member? Sign up here to get Prime free for 30 days!)

See also: How to Get Books Free or Cheap

Lay down a rug.

Laying a rug in a room can make a room look and feel completely different. While adding a rug may seem like a big investment, if you search hard enough you can find cheaper options hiding at retail stores like Target, Walmart, and sometimes Amazon.

Tip: Layering an area rug over carpet makes a room feel cozy!

Use what you have to decorate your home on a budget.

I’m sure some of your collected items have ended up in storage over the years. Go through those boxes and dust off your old items. Your home should reflect who you are so proudly display items you’ve had hidden for years. For example, the red truck on my bookshelf is a truck that I played with as a little girl. My grandparents saved it, then my mom saved it, and eventually, it returned to me.

In the picture below you can see how I decorated an old dresser that we got cheap at an auction. The doughbowl came from a craft sale my mom and I visited years ago and I made the rag balls that sit inside the bowl. The small candle holder came from a thrift store for 75 cents and the books I found in an antique store years ago for only 50 cents each. The white jar was a glass milk jug from Dollar Tree that I painted, which you can see here.

Put out fresh flowers.

If you have a flower garden, cut and bring some flowers inside to decorate your home with. Fresh flowers will bring your home to life with their fragrant scents and vibrant colors. If you don’t have a flower garden, search the markdown section in the floral department at your local grocery store for a cheap bunch of flowers. If you have allergies, visit your local dollar store for fake flowers instead of fresh ones.

Frame and hang family photos.

If you’re like me you probably have a box full of family photos. Instead of hiding those photos away in a box, put them in frames and hang them or display them on tables or shelves around your home. Consider creating a fun gallery wall full of your favorite personal memories. You can get picture frames for only $1 apiece at Dollar Tree.

Rearange the furniture.

Rearanging the furniture in a room won’t cost you a dime! This budget-friendly decorating idea only requires a little bit of time and creativity. (And strong muscles, of course.) Pick a room and rearrange the furniture in a new layout. Don’t forget to make sure the room is still functional and cozy.

Refresh your throw pillows.

Don’t rush out and buy new throw pillows for different seasons or when you want a new look. Save money by making your own throw pillow covers or by purchasing throw pillow covers.

Hang a new shower curtain.

Believe it or not, the shower curtain is probably the most decorative item in most bathrooms. Swapping out your shower curtain and hanging a new one will update your bathroom quickly and cheaply.

How do you decorate your home on a budget? I’d love to know your best tips when it comes to decorating rooms in your home.

Be sure to check out these money-saving posts next:

• 65 Places to Get Free Food for Your Birthday
• 19 Best Items to Buy at Dollar Tree
• How to Reduce Your Heating Bill During Winter