Photo: Immy and Indi

Create a Budget

Unless you’re Daddy Warbucks then you’ll need to start your decorating project by creating a budget for yourself. While it might not sound like much fun, if money is tight, in fact even if it’s not, you should always start any home renovation project (even small redecorating projects) with a budget. The amount of money you have in mind for this project should indicate how much time you should spend on your budget. The bigger the project, the more time you should spend sitting down to nail down a budget. Once you have decided what you can safely spend on your needs and wants, you should practically carve it in stone.

Stick to Your Budget

Yep. Actually stick your budget. Sounds like a no brainer right? It is, but it’s incredibly tempting to forego your budget that you carved in stone earlier to make room for that gorgeous new couch, or that expensive rug. If you’ve found a piece you absolutely can’t live without then instead of changing the number of your overall spend, you can switch some numbers out. If you’ve found the perfect end table, reduce your spend across other areas, like furnishings and home décor to put more money in your furniture kitty. This will help you stick to your original budget but this is the kind of thing you can only do once, or you’ll end up blowing it.

Photo: Home Goods

Buy Second-Hand

Instead of buying everything new, you can drastically cut costs and stay within any budget by buying second-hand furniture instead of new catalogue pieces. There are a number of ways you can purchase high quality second-hand homewares. Online used and second-hand shops will cater to your every need but if you’re more of an in-person shopper, then there’s bound to be a bunch of used shops in your area. Don’t overlook charity and op shops, there are often great bargains to be had, especially for good quality used furniture. Antique stores often have bargains as well, so it’s always a good idea to check even the more pricey stores. And of course don’t forget your local pawn shops as well.

Photo: The ZHush Blogspot

Redecorate Over Time

One of the best ways to decorate is to do it over time. Of course this is only possible if you are “re”decorating. If you’re starting from scratch then you will at least need to purchase the basics right away. Otherwise, redecorating over time can help you stick to your budget and get pieces you really love for your home. Start by giving yourself an overall budget for the entire year for your redecorating project. Then, leisurely shop on the weekends until you find those furniture pieces and décor items that you can’t possibly do without. Not only will this help you stay on budget, you’ll end up with a cohesively designed home that’s truly unique and you.