9 Decorator Secrets to More Style With Less Money

For the past couple years, I have been retraining my home spending habits.  I found myself mindlessly spending on things to fill shelves, things I didn’t really love, and just to spend money.  I used to justify little amounts to spend here and there on my “mommy breaks”, where my hubby would watch the kids, so I could have some peace and quiet (aka retail therapy).  Invariably, I would end up at one of three places; HomeGoods, Target, or Michaels.

Twenty bucks here and there didn’t seem like that big of a deal.  Until I actually tallied it up.  I was groaning that we couldn’t afford carpet for the basement remodel, meanwhile I had spent hundreds of dollars over a few months on meaningless stuff.  All I had to show for my spending were things all around my house that had far less value than additional livable square footage.

EYES OPENED.

I took a month-long home spending hiatus, where I didn’t buy a single thing for the house.  Not a vase, not hand soap, not even a screw.  Nothing.

Since then, I have refocused my spending energy in my home more purposefully.

I do believe you have to spend money on your home.  Money doesn’t grow on trees, but neither do sofas and chairs.  The trick is to spend money wisely.  Tweet that!

As a decorator, I always get asked where to splurge and where to save.  I make those decisions for my clients all the time.  But, as a general question the only answer I can give is, “it depends.”  It depends on the room, the goal, the budget.  But regardless of all that, what I think matters more is you overall home spending habits.  The 9 tips in this post will have you well on your way to a home you love with out the guilt of over-spending.

Ever notice how most articles on saving money only talk about how to save money at the point you are about to spend money?  This is not one of those articles.  I want to give you some real tips to save money on decorating and home goods before the point of sale.

Coupons, discounts, free shipping, and buy one get one free are all great ways to save money at the point of sale…when you are already committed to spending money, and you just want to spend a little bit less.  Real money-savings comes when you have strategies that minimize or eliminate the desire to spend money.

The real secret to having more style with less money is knowing what to do with what you’ve already got and getting stuff you’ll know what to do with.  Plus, knowing what is even smarter than buying something new.

Buy Right the First Time

If you are going to spend money, start with the good stuff.  I don’t mean good stuff as in expensive, I mean good stuff as in works it’s buns off for you.  Good stuff has staying power in your home and will be useful and/or beautiful for years to come.

1.  Splurge on Water Glasses, not Champagne Flutes 

The point is if you want to spend money on decorating and home goods, splurge on yourself by investing in good quality beautiful everyday pieces, not the special occasion pieces you will rarely use.

2.  Never Look at the Price Tag

I know that seems contradictory in a post about spending less money, but hear me out.  You must fall in love with the piece before you fall in love with the price tag.

3.  It Should Be So Good, You Don’t Know Where to Put It

Stretch every dollar you spend on your home by buying versatile pieces. Only buy the piece that is soooooooo good, you can’t decide what room to use it in, because it would look great in all of them.  Whenever I am considering a piece, I run through all the places I could use it in my head.  If I can’t name 3 rooms it would work in, then I pass.  It’s a sign that it’s not a versatile piece or that it really isn’t a good fit for my style.

How to Leverage What You Already Have

When you crave change, you may overlook everything you already have in favor of something new.  A new look doesn’t have mean new things.  In fact, I think you can get more joy out of reworking what you already have.  A new look for no money is a win-win.

4.  Make a Power Play

Everything is more powerful in multiples.  When it comes to using color, you can hardly ever have too much of a good thing.  Try using a new accent color in multiple places for greater impact.

5.  Stock Up and Rotate

When you spot things you love, buy them.  It sounds wrong to say in a post about spending less, but I promise it will save you money later.  Because if you don’t, then the next time you are entertaining, throwing a party, or expecting your Mother-In-Law, you will feel under pressure to buy something new to freshen up the place.  And, Murphy’s Law, you won’t find anything you love, but you will buy anyway (your under pressure, remember).

6.  Shop Your House for Holiday Decorating

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite hobbies.  You would be amazed what holiday decorating you can pull off without spending anything.

Forget the Pinterest pressure.  Ignore the retail pressure to buy a few new things each season. This one tip will save you oodles of cash.

Don’t buy new things for every holiday.  Instead, shop your entire house for items in that holiday’s dominant colors.  See this in action on my “use what you’ve got” Valentine’s mantel.  It’s become a tradition. Every year, I gather up every bit of pink and red around my house to creative a festive and FREE mantel for V-day.

I also like to make “evergreen” holiday decor that I can use year after year.  For Christmas, one year the boys and I gilded some plastic animals for a mantel menagerie we can display year after year.  I framed a pair of the boys mittens for winter art I will look forward to putting out again and again.   See also: It’s okay to use last years ornaments.

In my book Free Decorating I dedicated two chapters to buying right the first time and leveraging what you already have. Click here to check it out.

What’s Smarter Than Buying New

When you just absolutely must-have something new, take a quick minute to think about what you could do instead.  Going straight to the store shelves isn’t always the best answer.

7.  Get Over Yourself and Learn to Sew

One of the things I am most thankful my mom taught me is how to sew.  I learned at a very young age.  I think I could hardly reach the foot pedal.  But, I loved it.  There is such an instant gratification in transforming a piece of fabric into something useful. I also learned at a young age to get friendly with a seam ripper.  Mistakes will happen, but it’s just thread.  The seam ripper will erase the mistake and you can try again.

Besides making my own home decor, I made my own wedding dress.  No, I am not a master seamstress.  I just worked slowly and confidently :)  Patience and practice is all you need to master sewing.  It is far easier than it looks.

Learning to sew is the biggest home decorating money saver-ever and that is after factoring in a $100 to buy a decent sewing machine.  It pays for itself after a couple pillows or a pair of curtain panels.  (No-sew is okay, but fusible tape costs way more than thread.)

Why is sewing so awesome?  Well, you can make two designer decorative throw pillow covers for under $15!  Make a curtain panel from designer fabric for under $45, plus you can precisely customize the length.  (And, if you learn basic sewing skills you can easily whip up some pretty rad halloween costumes for the kiddos).

What are you afraid of?  I know it’s a machine and it makes loud noises and has a piercing sharp needle going up and down, but it really won’t hurt you.  Go to a fabric store and see a demo…once you see one in action it is less scary.  My pillow making video tutorial is the perfect beginner project.

8.  Find Vintage From People That Don’t Know Vintage

The hubby and I love mid-century modern furniture, but we don’t like to pay mid-century modern furniture prices.

With a little patience and research, it can pay to look around before buying at the vintage store.  The great folks at the vintage store know the value of what they are selling.  If they refurbish the furniture, the price will be even higher.  Check to see if they have any furniture as-is.  That’s how we got out great classmate chairs.  All we had to do was give them a good cleaning.

If you really want a deal, you need to find that same piece at the source…the garage sale, the thrift store, or Craigslister that doesn’t know what the value of what they are selling. You need to find the guy that is just trying to get rid of all grandma’s old stuff.  And, whatever you do, don’t tell them what they are sitting on.  Just run off into the sunset with your steal of a deal and let the dude be happy with the $20 he pocketed.

On that note, check with your family.  Are your grandparents, aunts, uncles downsizing and looking to get rid of some furniture?  Go check it out.  You might be surprised by the great pieces they have and the amazing condition they are in.

9.  Host a Decor Swap

I haven’t done this yet, but it is on my bucket list.  First of all, it just sounds really fun.  And second of all, you get to get rid of stuff you do’t want while picking out a fe new things.  No money involved.

It’s the free way to freshen up you decor and that of a few friends (minus the cost of a few bottles of wine).  It’s like a cookie swap, but you bring home a new table lamp and pillow instead of chocolate macaroons and a recipe you’ll never use (oh and you don’t have to bake any cookies to participate).  Get the girlfriends together for a night of gabbing and go home with some new decor.  Here’s how it works: Invite guests who have similar styles to you.  Each guest brings over home decor that is in good condition, but they don’t want anymore.  For each item they bring, they get a ticket to exchange for a new-to-them item to take home.

To recap, spend wisely on the right things up front, leverage what you already have, and do what’s smarter than buying new.

For more tips on smart home decor, check out 6 Ways to Make Sure You Love It Before You Buy It.