Redecorating on a Budget

Hi Melodee,

First of all let me say that in my opinion it takes a long time to decorate a house. Years. That is the only way to do it affordably so don't get frustrated if it doesn't look different tomorrow!

Three suggestions
Paint
re configuring
yard sales

For the living you could paint the walls a pretty gold color and make maroon/burgundy pillows for the couch. Those are the colors I think! You could also find inexpensive lamps with neutral shades and glue maroon/burgundy beads to the edge. Find a 49ers throw and put it on the couch. It doesn't have to be sports memorabilia (sp) it could just be the colors with a few sports accessories thrown in for fun.

For the nursery I would get creative with paint. You could paint the walls a pretty blue and stencil butterflies. For inexpensive curtains look at shower curtains. They always go on sale and one will make two curtains.

Be creative and look in unexpected places. I collect roosters and one of the best places to find them is in the yard decoration section of many stores! Don't forget garage sales and second hand stores. Most of all have fun!

you might want to check out
craigslist
freecycle (on yahoo)
goodwill and other thrift stores, swap meets
yard sales

it will take time to find what you are looking for this way, but you will

I love Shiya's suggestions, a small suggestion to add is don't forget the dollar store, they always have plenty of picture frames! Craigs list and e-bay may be good places to look for deals as well.

Hi Melodee,

Ross is my favorite store for my home! Every week is something different and the stuff is very reasonable. I found butterfly themed items for my daughter's room (granted a few months back) all for under 20.00 and the stuff was really cute! I would also say that if larger pieces of furniture are needed you should try Terri's Consignment. We found our entertainment center at one for $69.00 and my daughter's dresser for $94.00 (large pieces for under 100.00...you can not beat it!). Paint is a very inexpensive way (if you do it yourself) to drastically change the look of a room. If you buy your paint around holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, sometimes Christmas) Home Depot and Lowes almost always have heavily rebated paint specials going on (5.00-15.00 back per gallon bought). That is when we always buy our paint. Have fun!

a cheap way to make large artwork for the walls is to frame printed fabric that matches the color scheme of your rooms. IKEA has cheap frames and you can remove the glass and glue the fabric to the back board. This would work in any of your rooms. Hit up garage sales, thrift stores (Goodwill, Savers etc...) Someone elses trash is can be your treasures. Often it just takes a little creative vision and time to clean something up to match your decor. Paint can add dramatic change for a small cost. You can get creative in your rooms by doing different finishes, painting stripes, or even doing faux paneling. JoAnn Fabrics often has a 50% or 60% sale on their home dec fabrics. You can reupolster chairs, recover couch or bed pillows, find fabric for the walls for really cheap. Craigs list is also good for finding someone elses "trash"

Have fun redecorating!