This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CORT. All opinions are 100% mine.
With the farmhouse remodel, there are some rooms where the budget is teeny-tiny and by teeny-tiny, I mean practically non-existent. #truth
The whole thing didn’t have a big budget to start with and then when we realized that we really needed to replumb the entire house, had to have a new hot water heater and replumb the kitchen and bathroom, and then that the garage door was about to cave in on itself, the budget shrunk even more. Needless to say, we have gotten creative when it comes to furnishing the farmhouse. I don’t have photos of the entire house makeover just yet, but I did want to share some of the ways I’ve been furnishing and decorating the farmhouse on a teeny-tiny practically non-existent budget.
Ways to Decorate Your Entire Home on a Tiny Budget
1. Sell or Trade What You Don’t Like or Need to Get What You Do
This by far has been the biggest thing I’ve done to pad the budget and get the pieces we need and want for the farmhouse. I’ve literally sold a garage and guest room full of stuff. Some of it I had always planned on selling at some point and some of it was stuff I had held onto just in case I wanted to use it in the future. Well, it was time for it all to go! I’ve sold probably no less than 20 different pieces of furniture in the past few months. With that money, I’ve turned around and bought the things we needed for the farmhouse. We also held a yard sale to sell all the smaller items such as decorative accessories, clothing, housewares, etc. that we didn’t need or want.
I actually wrote a post about how I sold our clutter to make $2K over two months time.
If you see something you like that someone else is selling, you could also ask them if they might be interested in a trade for one or more of your items – one man’s trash is always another man’s treasure. 😉
2. Be the Community Picker-Upper.
Ok, that sounds weird, but here’s how it works. Many of your family and friends probably have lamps, furniture, etc. that they no longer use but that you might like to have. Put out a call on Facebook asking if anyone has anything you might need. Tell them you will come pick it up yourself and pick-up any other junk they might need hauled off. This gets you what you want and helps them clear out some clutter! You might even find some other diamonds in the rough among that junk they want you to haul off!
My dining room table is living proof that this method works. That table was in a house that Nicky’s dad, Wayne (who I love to death because he will tell us how to build or make anything and get us started on it too) bought. He didn’t want it and lots of other things in the house, so I had Grunt Labor and Nicky bring the table to me and also haul back over some other stuff he didn’t want. Win-win for everyone! Well, except maybe for Grunt and Nicky who were forced to haul stuff for me. hehehehehe.
3. DIY the Look You Want
When I painted the black and white gallery wall in my previous living room, I wanted a pair of brass sconces to flank either side of the television on the wall. However, all the brass sconces I liked were waaaaayyyy out of my budget. Instead, I bought silver sconces, then spray painted them with brass spray paint.
They looked so good and the finish was just like the higher-end ones that I had originally wanted. When you see a lamp, light fixture, side table, etc., that you want but can’t afford, shop for something similar in scale and lines, then paint it to make it like the one you do want, but on a budget! There are more DIY ideas for decorating your home in this blog post, Expert Tips for Decorating on a Budget and Outfitting Your Entire Home from CORT as well!
4. Shop Your Own Space
Now, this does take away from decorating another space in your house, but if you’re focusing on say the living room where you and your family will spend a lot of time as will guests, then it might be worth it to move something from a bedroom to the living room. This is especially true of things that aren’t often used in certain areas of your house.
We have a floor lamp in our master bedroom sitting area that I love, but honestly we just haven’t used it that much since we got it, so I’m taking it over to the farmhouse to be used there.
5. Dominate the Thrift Stores
This one definitely isn’t new, but you simply can’t forget just how many bargains you can find for your home in secondhand shops. The key though to getting the good stuff at these places is to drop in often. I try to visit some of my favorite thrift stores at least twice a week. And really, anytime that I’m driving by one and have 10 minutes or so to spare, I just drop in and take a gander. Ask the clerks there when they put out new items as well. Most stores put out new items throughout the day, but some have a certain schedule when they put new items out. If they do, try to be sure and visit the store on that day.
Both that dresser and lamp that are in our master bedroom are secondhand finds!
And of course, don’t forget the one universal-will-never-date tip for decorating your home – if you don’t like it as is, throw some paint on it!
You can find more Expert Tips for Decorating on a Budget and Outfitting Your Entire Home on the CORT blog.
You might also find these posts helpful…
How to Make a Moodboard – easy way to create design boards to plan out your next room makeover.
How I Made $2K+ in Two Months Selling Our Clutter – clear out the clutter and make some money doing it!
The Best Yard Sale Tips for Getting Rid of All Your Crap – once you’ve got the clutter cleared, here are tips for selling it at a yard sale!
