Sunday, 7 June 2009

Decorating On A Budget

By Alexandra Vrugt

Whether it's a first apartment or a new empty nest, furniture and decorations are keys to making a house a home. Lamps, rugs, lots of interesting pictures can give a space definition and appeal. Stylish home accents cost money and if you are not budget conscious, the cost of making your home a personal haven can quickly get out of hand. While you want your home to look the best that it can, does it require everything to be brand new off of the showroom floor? Probably not. In fact, some of the best home decor and furniture can be found right at a local second hand or consignment shop. For a mere pittance when compared to the retail price, you may be able to get some really high end pieces, or possibly antiques, for your home.

Not only can people buy for cheap home furnishings and household wares, but they can also find loads of unique art work for pennies on the dollar. Check out these places for low- to no-cost household decor and items that can make your home feel like a castle:

1. Find tons of treasures at your local thrift store. At thrift stores, shoppers can buy for cheap all types of home decorations and other household wares. Often these fab finds are the ultimate score for frugal fashionistas that don't want to skimp on quality just because they can't afford to buy in the regular retail stores. Shoppers can expect to find lots of furniture and art in nearly perfect if not perfect condition that is usually brought to the thrift store as a result of a family's relocation or death of a loved one. In addition to the perfect pieces, frugal fashionistas can find some items that could be a wonderful home addition with the simple addition of a slipcover or a professional cleaning.

2. Seek out garage and yard sales. With people constantly relocating and cleaning house, there are tons and tons of opportunity to buy for cheap all types of household decor. Any frugal fashionista can find listing after listing in their local newspaper for yard and garage sales. Plus, you can always find signs posted pointing you in their direction. Just remember to show up early for the best selection and be prepared to move big items that same day.

3. Go online for a world of decorating deals. Websites such as Craigslist.org, EBay, and Freecycle have more home decor deals available than you could ever imagine. The best thing about websites like Craigslist.org or Freecycle is that you could actually find exceptional home decor pieces that are 100% FREE! Keep in mind that if you do find a free deal or really, really cheap deal during this economy crisis, jump on the deal and be prepared to make immediate preparations to pick-up the item. You could use a cheap truck rental service like U-Haul should you need a larger vehicle to pick up what would be a "big ticket" item in a store like a chair or sofa.

Furnishing your home doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. In fact, you may be able to get some really chic arms and legs on all of those low and no cost chairs and tables that you'll find!

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