Good Things Come to Those Who Wait…
10 tips for saving money on your home decorating.
…like this blog post that is now two days late. Now let’s talk cents. Not sense, but that pesky thing we have to worry about every month when the bills come and we have to pay the mortgage and electricity, and then spend the rest on food and diapers when we’d rather be buying cute shoes and other fun stuff. You may look at all the pins you’ve saved on Pinterest, or Houzz, and wish you were independently wealthy so you can execute all the ideas you’ve got floating around in your head and do them right now. But 99% of us aren’t (independently wealthy), so we have to go about it another way.
When my husband and I were fairly newly married and poor as church mice, we lived on an air force base with one child. All the houses in our neighborhood were exactly the same and they were built as temporary housing after WWII. Apparently 1993 was still considered temporary 50 or so years later and those houses were so old and decrepit they actually paid us to live in them. I quit working as a kindergarten teacher when my daughter was born, so we only had one income, but even then I felt a compulsion to beautify my surroundings. I got pretty adept at figuring out how to do things by myself. This was before the internet, so I had to learn from other people or go to the library and actually read books. Now all I have to do is Google it and I can learn how to do anything.
Our living room had a gently used sofa we bought from some friends, a rocking chair my parents bought me when my daughter was born, and an entertainment center that we bought unfinished and assembled and finished ourselves. (We still have the chair and the entertainment center, which has been refurbished a couple of times and used as various things.) We had a strict policy about debt, so if we wanted something we saved for it or waited till we could afford it, or we did without it. This forced me to find creative ways to decorate and still get the things I wanted, but I still managed to have one of the cutest houses in our neighborhood (according to my neighbors) even though we all lived in exactly the same house, on roughly the same income, except we only had one income because I no longer worked.
For example, when we first moved into our house on base, there was no overhead light fixture in the living room so lamps were a necessity. On my limited budget I couldn’t afford the lamps I really wanted (or lamps at all for that matter), so I bought a couple of really cheap ones at a yard sale, because we had to have light, and then I waited. One of the things we started early on in our marriage was that we gave each other an allowance, even if it was just a little bit, that was just for us to spend on things we wanted without having to answer to the other person. It prevented any feelings of guilt if we spent it on something the other person felt was frivolous. I saved a little of my allowance every month toward the lamps and anything else I wanted for decor and then one day I stopped at the store and those lamps were on clearance for 75% off and I had more than enough money saved. I was able to buy the lamps and some fabric from another store to make curtains (which are super easy if you can sew a straight line). I have found over the years that this has happened over and over again. If there is something I want, eventually it goes on sale, I can find a way to get it cheaper or something similar for a lot less, or I can make it myself. I don’t just save a little bit on the things I want, I can usually get them for a fraction of the cost. Today I thought I’d pass on some tips and some of my tricks.
Be patient. We’ve all seen the Wayfair commercial where someone just clicks here and there and over there and an entire, perfect living room is delivered to their door, accessories and all. Unfortunately, most of us can’t afford to do that and we have to do it one step at a time. Keep in mind that it can be a process, and collecting things is half the fun. Just start with a design in mind and then watch and wait.
Work with what you have. When I moved into my new house, I would have loved to do a whole remodel and update the stairs, get rid of the popcorn ceilings, replace the carpet in the bedrooms upstairs, put in a pool, remodel the master bathroom and the kitchen, etc. and buy all new furniture. But, I had just bought a new house and there are expenses that always come along with that, so I had to prioritize and decide what was most important to me. In my case it was a new master bathroom vanity, paint, a fenced backyard and remodel the kitchen. I only had so much money to work with so as far as the kitchen went I decided what was most important on my list and what I could do without and still get the most bang for my buck. That meant keeping the same layout and existing appliances so I could have all new cabinets and countertops. It also meant keeping the existing tile floor since going over the top of it with LVT was not an option in my case and tearing it out would have cost thousands. So to stay within my budget I chose a simple cabinet style so I could have 42” cabinets and a tile backsplash and spend a little more on a statement island. I was also selective about my hardware choices, making sure I got something I liked that was good quality, but wasn’t overly expensive. This also meant I can’t ignore the tile, but have to incorporate it into my color scheme so that it doesn’t jump out at me and scream “I don’t belong here!” Maybe for someone else, a kitchen makeover means painting their existing cabinets instead of getting new ones to save even more money.
Buy it on sale. Like I already said, if there is something you want, just watch it. Most things eventually go on sale. Holidays are always a good excuse for sales. Check the ads on bank holidays, like Memorial day, Labor day, Veteran’s day, and of course Black Friday sales. Just be aware that sometimes, if you don’t watch it closely enough, it goes on clearance and then it’s gone forever. I have several things I want for my house pinned in my Pinterest account, which I check every week or so and watch the prices so that I am aware when any of them go on sale, or if they are about to be discontinued. I also put things in my carts on Wayfair and Overstock so I get an email notification reminding me that it’s there if the price changes, or if they are about to run out.
Shop around. Try scratch and dent, outlet stores, ebay, amazon. Shopping online can be scary since you can’t see it and touch it so read the reviews. Often the reviews can tell you more about the color or the quality. If you find something that you think is a good deal, google it, then look under shopping. You may find the exact same product on another website for less. Just be careful that you check out the website if you aren’t familiar with it. I google websites to make sure they are legitimate if I haven’t heard of them. Sometimes I have to wait a few days longer for things, but I can sometimes save a lot of money that way. Look for coupon codes on the internet, sometimes you can find even more percentages off of certain websites. I shopped high and low for the perfect coffee table until I found one I loved for my living room. The catch was that I didn’t want to spend $799 right then because I had other priorities, so I was willing to do without until I either had the money to spend or I found it cheaper somewhere else. One day I got a notification from Wayfair that I was about to miss out because it had gone on sale for $551 and was almost gone, so I googled it and it was on sale everywhere else too. I was able to find it somewhere else for $492, plus that website had a 10% off coupon, bringing it down to $442, a whole $357 off the original price.
My $800 marble coffee table I got for $442. It was worth the wait.
5. If you find something you really like, but it is way out of your price range, find something similar to achieve the same look. Some things you can make do with a cheaper version and no one will be the wiser, or even care. One trick I’ve learned is that if I pin something on Pinterest and then click on it, below it there will be a whole slew of similar products that pop up, and I can usually find something that comes close for a lot less money. When I started remodeling my kitchen, I found some Feiss Thayer pendant lights that were perfect for my island, except that I didn’t want to kill my budget and spend $340 for each of them. I pinned them on Pinterest and found some similar ones made by Minka Lavery that I was able to get with a 20% off coupon code from 1800Lighting for about half as much. I didn’t like them quite as much, but they were nice enough for the money, and they look great in my new kitchen.
On the other hand I wanted a schoolhouse style light for my laundry room. Most of them only have one bulb, which wasn’t enough, and the one I found was $225, by Birch Lane and way more than I wanted to spend on my laundry room. The alternative I found was only $80 at Home Depot and is almost just like it, except it isnt. The bulbs are at an odd angle and the proportions just don’t look quite right to me. The one I wanted is dark bronze and the alternate is black. Just little things that I decided would have to do because it is just the laundry room after all. The ballast on my old fluorescent light was going out which forced me replace the fixture a few weeks ago and it just so happened that the light I really wanted happened to be on sale for $113. I was willing to pay $33 more for the nicer light, but not $140 more.
6. DIY or Recycle. I saved hundreds, maybe thousands and still got what I wanted by painting my own baseboards and stair moldings. Is it something you can make yourself for less, or buy a simpler version and fix it up? One of my friends fell in love with a $5000 modern light fixture she wanted for her new dining room, so she bought a much cheaper, simple fixture and ordered some crystals from Brazil and created her own for $400. I did the same thing with a ceiling fan I wanted for my French Country bedroom. The antiqued fan with a mini chandelier I wanted was $600. Instead I bought a cheaper off-white fan, antiqued it myself and bought a mini chandelier light kit, all for $180. Maybe you have something already that you can recycle with a little paint. Remember my first entertainment center? It held our tv for years, then I painted it black, replaced the knobs, and it became a wardrobe for a teenage girl’s bedroom. At one point I cut the panels out of the doors and put curtains behind them. Now it’s in my teenage son’s room, where I industrialized it by replacing the curtains with decorative sheet metal from Home Depot.
The cabinet with 9 lives. It started out as Country Pine 30 years ago. Please ignore my son’s stuff stacked on and around it. He happens to be living in Brazil at the moment. Maybe he can get me some crystals.
7. Learn some new skills. You can learn to do almost anything on YouTube in this day and age. Thirteen years ago I wanted a tile backsplash but couldn’t afford the $1000 it was going to cost for the tile and installation. So I learned how to do it online, rented a tile saw and with my husband’s help we installed it ourselves for $180. Learn how to sew straight lines on a sewing machine. Over time you will save thousands making your own custom drapes and throw pillows, and do your research to find home decor fabric online for less.
8. Have a wish list, either in the back of your mind or write it down somewhere. Then when you come across a fantastic deal on something on your list, buy it while it’s a deal. I like to go to yard sales and flea markets, but I have one rule I like to stick to. I only buy something if it’s on my wish list. That way I don’t end up with a garage full of junk I don’t need, or projects I’m never going to finish. Recently I came across a set of 8 solid wood ladder back dining chairs in excellent condition at a yard sale for $150. They just need new upholstery fabric because I don’t like the fabric and I want to paint them because I don’t like the color. I’ve wanted ladder back chairs for a couple years now, but didn’t want to pay $200-300 a piece for them, so they were in the back of my mind as something I would buy one day. In the meantime, I had cheap chairs as place holders until I could afford them. Now for $150, a can of paint, and some fabric I already have stashed away somewhere, I will have a whole new set of good quality, gorgeous chairs because I was willing to wait.
One of my chairs waiting to be refinished. When I get them done I’ll post an “after” shot.
9. Trade with a friend. I know how to sew, I have a friend who does floral design. I sew curtains for her, she helps me with floral arrangements. It’s a win-win.
10. Last but not least - NEVER pay full price for anything. Everything goes on sale eventually. Ok, almost everything. Maybe I already mentioned this one. I probably did. But it’s worth mentioning again. Just wait for it.
Here are a few more of my steals:
An end table I found at a yard sale recently for $15, on it is one of a set of lamps I got on clearance for $20 each. I just need to put a protective finish on the table.
A yard sale mirror I got for $5 twenty years ago. It used to be aged brass. I recycled it by painting it a more updated matte gold color with a $1.25 bottle of acrylic paint, then I turned it sideways.
Accent chairs I got from Pier 1 Imports on clearance when they sold all their inventory and closed their stores last year.
An antique cane chair from a yard sale for $10
Another $5 chair from a yard sale. (And a free cat from my sister.) Obviously the people at the yard sale didn’t realize what a super cool distressed chair this was, and my sister didn’t know what a super cool cat that kitten would become or they wouldn’t have let them go so cheaply. I put this at my kids computer desk. (The chair, not the cat.)
Lastly, a $2500 Serta sectional I got at an outlet store for $480. (Yes, I do know that the room it is currently in has not been put together yet and there are packing boxes and mattresses in the background, but this was such a steal I had to swallow my pride and show you anyway.)
As I finish up this post, which is late because I have been quite busy the last few days, I’ve been thinking. One of the things I have been doing is gathering up some clothes for some children of a Romanian family I recently befriended who are living with relatives and basically have nothing. It kind of makes me rethink my life and all of this concern over light fixtures and tile floors. I’ve decided I’m grateful for my popcorn ceilings. At least I have ceilings. And lights. And floors.