Spice up your home for cheap

Everyone has a dream home, the one with an endless budget and creativity has no bounds.

Realistically, many of us cannot spend a couple grand on a new couch or a beautiful coffee table made of sandalwood. We decorate our homes with what we have and accept its appearance. But what if it could look like something out of a magazine? Something along the lines of a professionally designed house. With only a few resources, you can turn your house into a home.

First, find inspiration for the look you want in your house or room. We all have our own favorite styles, colors, patterns, and overall mood that we wish to accentuate through our homes. This is the baseline you want to follow when looking for new furniture and household items.

One can start drawing inspiration by looking through magazines or searching the internet for photos of decorated rooms. We can tend to go off track when shopping, so try to keep it within the same theme.

Take into consideration the items you already have. Say your couch isn’t in the best condition, instead of looking for a new one, you can spice it up with new throw pillows or blankets.

Or, for instance, maybe you love the shape of your coffee table but something about it does not match the rest of your furniture. Painting it or oiling up the wood for a new color could be a game-changer.

Your room or house may have all the furniture it needs but is lacking character and creativity. Thrift stores in your area carry all sorts of gems that will look great if paired correctly in your house. Thrift stores are great resources because they have affordable prices as well as a wide range of options to choose from.

When looking for something specific such as new chairs or side tables, Facebook Marketplace is a great tool to use. People who live in your area sell items from their homes that they don’t need anymore for great prices. Furniture is always up for sale and is constantly changing. If you are active enough on the website, something will catch your eye and could make your whole room come together. This tactic is also an amazing resource to help recycle old furniture people don’t need instead of taking it to the dump. By reusing old couches and chairs, we can keep old furniture out of the landfills, and it will always be cheaper for you in the long run.

Sami Live, a local resident, is a perfect example of someone who spices up their home for cheap.

Live only shops on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and thrift stores. Her entire living room, kitchen, art room and bedroom were created by scouting out what she needs to make her own unique abode while staying on a budget.

“Right off the bat, there are so many options on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace when I was looking for a couch and chair,” she said. “I found my dream couch on Craigslist, and although it was out of my budget, the perfect chair I found was only $15 so it all evened out.

An effective tip she says she uses for staying within budget is going to the store with only cash to set a limit.

“Something may be way over my price range and in that case, it’s not worth buying for such a high price,” she said. “I could probably find something like it for cheaper somewhere else. The hardest part is making everything match your style, but as long as you keep a consistent color scheme, it will all come together.”

Spicing up your home is not an easy thing to do on a budget, but it is achievable. With the help from Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and thrift shopping, one can always find a great deal on household items and furniture.