How to Decorate when you don't have Money
As much as I would love to have an endless supply of money to invest in my home and decor, reality usually sets in and I have to think of ways to decorate my space without breaking the bank.
This was my particular challenge as I have been recently working on decorating the last room in our house to receive any attention, the guest room. I have come up with some pretty creative ways to finish the space. I thought I would share with you my tips and tricks on how I was able to accomplish decorating an entire room without spending ANY money!
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Shop your house
This is absolutely my favorite way to start decorating a space. Not only does it prevent me from filling my home with "stuff" that I don't necessarily need, but it also helps me visualize and see exactly what I need and would like to get for the space. I decorated our home office shelves and entryway this way and I found that I had a lot more stuff to fill the shelves around my home than I ever imagined. Check out these posts below on how I did it:
Free Printables
If you have been following me for a while you already know that one of my favorite ways to decorate as the seasons change is by using free printables. There are tons of wonderful bloggers who provide free printables on their sites. A simple search on Pinterest will lead you to plenty of inspiration and free decor if you have a printer at home. Check out some of the ways I have used free printables around my home:
Give old items a new life
There are items in my home that have sentimental value and others that I just simply love but don't currently go my decor. I tend to not part with these pieces in hopes that one day I will think of something to do with them. A perfect example is this painting from my Grandmother. As much as I love that she painted it, the colors and style really didn't go with my current decor. But I found the perfect way to incorporate it into our lanai area. Take a look at some other items that I have modified to make them fit my current decor:
These watercolors were my mom's who was going to get rid of them. I saved them in a closet until I found the perfect spot for them in my home.
Instead of replacing these lamp shades to match out decor, I simply painted them red to match!
Get Crafty
A simple way of decorating with what you got is by re-purposing items to make them work with your current decor and/or purpose. I truly enjoy doing this because I love seeing how simple changes gives some pieces a new look and feel. One of my best moments was using this leftover piece of wood from our home office. After storing it in my garage for a few months, I decided to use it as an entryway table. I absolutely love how open the entryway looks now!
Use flowers and plants
This is the absolutely easiest way to give your space a little sprucing up. Simply go outside and see what peaks your interest. I love using tree branches inside. It adds so much color and life. You can either simply put them on a vase, or you could get creative and make pressed flowers decor with some old frames.
Chalk Art
It seems that everyone these days has a wall or door painted with chalk paint. A great way to put these spaces to use when updating your decor is by getting creative with the chalk art. Check out some of the ways that I have used chalk art to give my kitchen pantry door a little update with the seasons.
Decor Exchange buddy
One of the best ways to decorate for free is by exchanging decor items and pieces with someone else. I do this a lot with my mom. We are both home decor addicts and she has excellent taste. She recently relocated to Florida from Boston and I have been lucky to receive a few hand me downs that have made themselves prominent pieces in my current home decor. We also exchange Christmas decorations, that way we get more use of our stuff without getting bored of them too fast.
Reorganize Furniture
Whenever I am in a design rut or bored with how a space looks one of the first things that I start brainstorming is how can I rearrange the furniture. I love taking pieces out to different areas in the house. Check out how I have used this Ikea table in 3 different rooms in my house!
Make your bed a different way
Whenever I feel that my bedroom needs a new look or a little lift me up, I always start with the bed. Something as simple as how your style the bed can make a big difference. I life to change up my bedding with the seasons to give the room an updated look. Check out some of my favorites below:
Restyle your Shelves
Restyling your shelves and swapping out decor pieces from different rooms is a great way to update a space and give it new life. I tend to restyle the shelves in our home office whenever I feel that the room needs an update. It is amazing how by just changing the location of an item or by grouping certain items together can do to update the space. Check out some of my favorites below:
I hope you enjoyed these tips! Leave me a comment below and tell me your favorite way to update your home decor?