Decorating on a Strict Budget

No matter how much you want a fresh, trendy or inventive new look, making changes and transforming your home can sometimes be a costly endeavour. However, a newly decorated living space is not an impossible dream and with an imaginative approach a little money can go a long way. Put some thought, creativity and planning into a place and it is certainly possible to implement some elegant, effective and inexpensive changes to your property.

Planning and Preparation
Firstly, ensure you’ve taken care of the security of your home. Once you’ve arranged reliable buildings and contents insurance such as house insurance from Privilege you’ll be able to focus completely on the look and feel of your home.

Secondly, make sure you have a clear idea about how much money you can and are willing to spend. For every planned change, write down an estimated cost on a list and keep a record of how much money you will have left.

Ensure you measure spaces you plan to change or add to properly with a tape measure and keep a notepad with you for recording measurements, making sketches and keeping colour and fabric swatches. These provisions will prevent mistakes and save you the cost of re-doing anything that doesn’t fit or measure up.

When you’re looking for furnishings and furniture, don’t shop in just one or two places. Look around and make a note of the different prices on offer. Markets can often be a rewarding place to shop for home goods and provide the opportunity of bargaining for a good price.

Perfect Purchasing

Mix and match cheaper goods with more expensive ones. By looking closely and taking a few notes you can train your eye to recognise a quality piece of furniture or a vintage home accessory even when hunting in local flea markets and charity shops.

Plan ahead and budget to spend some extra money on a key piece for your home, making sure that all other purchases are less costly and can if necessary be altered or added to.

For a more complete and dramatic way to decorate a room on a budget, consider the idea of re-painting. Paint is often much cheaper than wallpaper, especially if bought in bulk and it can make a huge difference to a tight budget.

Painting or spraying cheaper home accessories, such as vases, picture frames and candle holders, with a bright, bold and glossy paint can help add colour and fun to a room. This approach is known as ‘up-cycling’ and can be used to maintain and develop a set theme or motif throughout a living space.

Another option is to simply wait until the sales. Time your decorating projects to coincide with the January or summer Sales and you could pick up some excellent bargains. Although home furnishing sales are great for kitting out a room, remember you don’t have to buy everything just because you are getting money off. Take a list with you and only buy what you need.

Avoiding mass-produced artwork is one of the best ways to save money when decorating. Instead, use wrapping paper, photos, postcards or your children’s artwork to bring colour, interest and fun to a room.

Once you’ve finished making your own art, you might want to try making and decorating your own cushions, table decorations or even giving some furniture a new coat of paint.