A lot of people are on a tight budget and I know it is true. So that being said, it is even more critical then to be very careful in how you spend your interior design money. If for example you only have $100 to spend on a room this season, I would think of how I could spend that $100 to get the most impact.
(If you like anything in the post, click on the photo to see if it is available for purchase.)
I know I used to have a rule that if the item was less than $20 I didn’t have to think too much about buying it, I would just buy it. But a hundred dollar item was something I did not think I could afford. So I almost never spent $100 on one item. I did spend $20 over and over again on small cheap things that I really didn’t like, but could afford. Soon I spent my $100 without even thinking about it. let’s say I spent $20 each on 5 so-so things. Now fast forward a year.
A year later, how do I feel about those 5 things? Do I still like the stuff I bought? No. I only liked them marginally to begin with and now, not so much. Then I get rid of those things, and I probably just gave them away because they now feel dated. Now let’s summarize. I’m out $100 and I have nothing to show for it. Had I just spent the $100 on one thing I loved, I would still have it and still be happy with it. Or maybe I could buy 3 things. The point is, buy what you really love, not what is the best bargain.
Here are my tips:
Find a swap buddy
I know we all have different budgets. Some have zero decorating dollars. It that is the case, then find a friend and maybe you can swap things out with each other. Maybe form a group and you can rotate accessories. Maybe one of you is good with paint and another is good with a sewing machine. Maybe you can trade some service in exchange for someone else’s services.
Shop your curb
Find things people are getting rid of and make it work for you. I know on Next Door people in my neighborhood are often alerting the neighbors when they are setting something out for free. I know some people have successful blogs that are basically about finding free stuff and redoing it.
If you have champagne taste on a beer budget, that’s difficult, but not impossible. You just have to be creative.
Only buy the stuff you truly, truly love.
This keeps you from buying that stuff that is on sale and is a good value, but is something you don’t care much for. These candlesticks were not cheap, but they are so gorgeous, so I splurged on them. They will be in style for a long time. (They are available in my shop and you get free shipping with the code freeship2 .)
Get one big item that truly speaks to you for a room, then go thrifty on the small things.
I love using something like this silver tea set on a table, then I can add in less expensive items in the room.
The botanical prints above I would consider a splurge, but they are classics and I don’t need anything else for that entire wall.
Then you could add some less expensive items to the room like this charming birdhouse.
Go for classic items that won’t look dated a few years down the road.
Trays are great items that usually stand the test of time.
Vintage bottles, baskets, and even the birds’ nests are all classics and don’t look like they are from a particular design era.
Staffordshire whether real or reproduction stands the test of time.
Buy dated or unattractive looking furniture at the thrift store, then update with paint.
The chair in front of the fireplace was I think $20 at the thrift store. It had a broken seat so I had to deal with that, make a seat cover and paint it, but I’m thrilled with the end result.
The good news is that often the best design ideas come when someone is on a limited budget and is forced to be creative.
If you have a design tip for those on a limited budget I would welcome you to leave your suggestions in the comment section.
These are the best tips. I recently bought a very expensive tray at Sur La Table, on sale but still expensive. I don’t regret it one bit. It looks expensive and I know I will get a lot of use from it for many years.
That’s fantastic Debra!
Anita,
Totally great advice, dear friend!
My main continual mistake is that I wait to “think” about the item. . .
when I go back, someone else didn’t hesitate!
Would l o v e to see more of your gorgeous home decor in the near future!
Fondly,
Pat
It’s that the way it is Pat? Especially when the item is vintage. Someone else just swoops in and snatches it right up.
Yes, buy one nice item over a bunch of small inexpensive things. It looks better and you’ll like it longer!
I completely are with you and have made mistakes in the past with purchasing items because of one reason or the other. In our new home I only buy what I love.
If we don’t want to spend the money and have to wait and it’s not there, I figure it wasn’t meant to be.
Cindy
I know it’s hard to wait, but worth it in the end Cindy.
All so true. My budget is often very tight so I tend to think that a few, cheap, small things will help a room (and sometimes they do) but I am learning too that even if I see something I love and can’t afford it at the time, I just make a mental note of it. I may be able to save the money (and sometimes I have and then thought, nah . . . don’t really want that) and buy it OR I may find something similar for less or even free on a curb!
How many times have I spend money on stuff to fill a space and then gave the stuff away because I didn’t really like it. Bravo Lauren?
Great tips. You’re absolutely spot on. But I’ve spent so many quarters and dimes decorating my house through the years – and many, many of those things are still favorites – that I don’t know how to spend real money! It’s a curse and a blessing, I suppose. I tend to think if I wait, I’ll find something I love just as much for a fraction of the cost. I need to readjust that thinking. Life is short and I’m getting older. I might run out of time! :-0 I’m trying to gradually go through and get rid of things I don’t love or that don’t have a special memory or give me the warm fuzzies. Sadly – or not? – I don’t let go of much.
Thanks Wanda. Glad you hear you still like what you bought. That’s fabulous!
Your words are spot on. And we can feel so compelled to buy the “$20” item because of so many “sales” & “coupon events” luring us to buy. But I take the time to do what i call pre-shop to see what catches my eye with thoughts of where I could use it and for how long. Then knowing the sale cycles of stores, hoping to catch it then. If I see something and find myself still thinking about it later in the week about where I could use it, I go back and buy it. Thanks for sharing a great top.
Yes if you are still thinking about it, then it’s something that speaks to you.
This is so true! I just got done posting my son’s bedroom. In it I splurged on his rug, an antique pennant and a painting. Because of those items all my other $30 or under items look so much more expensive! Great advice!
I guess I need to go see your son’s room. Sounds wonderful.
I totally agree. I’ve also learned this lesson the hard way. Nice things I really like and enjoy never bore me and are worth the money. I do try to look at lots of inspiration and take notes on what I love the most about a room or design. When I’m out shopping these days, I pop into all diff stores with those things in mind (I used to never have time to do that until my nest was emptied :)) and if I spot it and love it– I enjoy it so much more with a little pre planning.. If I am out of foo-foo money– I really try to stay out of stores– cause that’s when I find the most awesome things I never really need.
Planning is critical if the budget is tight, I agree. Then you can wait until that thing you want is at a great price point.
I learned that lesson years ago and still think of the beautiful upholstery material I dearly loved but didn’t purchase because of the price. I chose another material and have always regretted it!
I tend to splurge now from time to time and never am disappointed years later.
So true Irene.
My mother and I used to keep a written “wish list” and take it yard “saling” with us. More often than not, we would find many items on that list each week – it was quite surprising!
I “shopped” for a kitchen makeover for almost 3 years and have stockpiled the finds – glass french doors for my pantry($20), a beautiful high end wooden range hood cover($40 at a Restore), a cabinet I will need ($10), high end carved wooden handles for my pantry doors ($4), carvings to add to my cabinets before I paint, and the list goes on. Most were amazingly inexpensive for quality items. Point being, I was willing to wait to get the look I wanted instead of rushing into a cheap looking redo. Now I am almost ready to get started. I did spend $30 each for 2 carved wooden brackets for the range hood cover..a lot for my budget, but it will end up a focal point and everyone will assume I spent the original price of $127(tag is still on the wrappers) each! I have planned on painting the cabinets, so everything will all match in the end. Instead of thousands of dollars, I have spent only several hundred and can splurge on countertops and a fabulous sink.
Karen, you are a smart shopper! Excellent!!!
Hello Anita,
No matter how much money I do or do not have, I have always been a frugal shopper. Your suggestion to not buy something unless you really, really love it is spot on! Also, never let a friend or sales person talk you into something because it is “really in style”. Styles change. If you don’t love it now, you are not going to love it when styles change again.
Craigslist, ReStore, Consignment stores and Salvation Army are favorites. Don’t buy often but when I do, it’s always a great score! I also browse antique shops, design magazines and high-end websites to learn how things were made (hinges, wood, upholstery, etc.) Knowledge is power. I recently bought a reproduction Louis XVI chaise for $150. The frame, springs and stuffing are in perfection condition. All it needs is new upholstery which I can do myself and splurge on high quality fabric. The entire project will cost about $500. An identical chaise, right down to the carvings, on One Kings Lane was $2,750.
I keep files of sources to buy replacement parts. There are several notebooks of things I would have bought on eBay or Craigslist if it was geographically feasible and several more for inspirations for things I would like to build or buy when the price is right. It is amazing what people sell or give away because it is dirty, missing a part or because they simply don’t know the real value of what they have.
Sorry for the long response but this is a topic about which I am very passionate!
Smiles from Charlotte Des Fleurs
Oh I am so glad you shared so much Charlotte. I think this will be helpful to others. Thanks!!
PAnita – Point well made – cheap isn’t always best. We are in the middle of downsizing and needless to say a number of my “$20 purchases” no longer will have a space. This will be our 4th home build and things will no longer be moved from home to box to home – time to break the cycle. I would really like to purchase some new furniture for our new space so something really needs to speak to me to want it. I hate to pass up on a good sale but I have reached the hallelujah point where sometimes you just need to say NO and it’s been a painful process but it feels good. I look at everything as #1 – a piece and #2 – it needs a box. With so many great blogs and pinetrest there are plenty of fabulous ideas to spark the imagination. I told my husband my imagination is only limited by my budget not for lack of ideas! Thank you for your fabulous blog and sharing your never ending talent.
Such wisdom Pamela!!
As I go through my things to prepare for downsizing in the future, I find I treasure the pieces that were a bit more on the pricey side and I saved and saved for those things that I loved and still do. Classic pieces that stand the test of time. Great post Anita.