Many of us have been there. You are strapped for cash, but still want to have a space that you can be proud of. When you don’t have a lot of extra money to throw into beautifying your home, never fear! We are sharing our top 10 ways to decorate when you are pretty much broke. (Or in our case, when you really just love to save money!)

1. Change Things Up With Paint
Whether you are trying to give a room an updated look or makeover an old piece of furniture, paint is probably our favorite (and the easiest) way to make a big impact without spending a ton. And if you are really strapped for dough, check out the mis-tinted paint section of your local home improvement store for a bargain.

Scoop Chair Makeover

2. Thrift
This is kind of a given, but there are so many amazing items waiting to be found at thrift stores. The prices are cheap and many times you can find furniture items, lamps and decor which you can easily updated by using tip #1.

Glazed Herb Planter

3. Use A Pallet
There are probably 750 million ways to use a pallet when decorating. The possibilities are endless, pallets are free, and you could end up with a cool piece of furniture or some fun wall art with just a little time and energy.

Pallet Coffee Table

4. Upcycle
Sometimes there are items that end up sitting around our houses just waiting to be used and upcycling is a great way to breath life into an unused piece by giving it a new purpose.

File Cabinet Turned Garage Storage

5. Use Paper
Using paper ranks up there close to paint, especially because it is sooooo cheap. There are so many fun decorations you can make using paper, such as wreaths, banners and even silhouettes.

Simple Silhouettes

6. Get Creative With Storage
Storage boxes and baskets can get pretty pricey. Make your own on the cheap using boxes covered in fabric or wrapped in jute rope.

Boxes Into Baskets

7. Shop Your Own Home
Sometimes items can be moved from one area and end up working better in another part of the house. If you happen to have art work or furniture pieces that maybe just don’t quite go with what you have going on in one room, test it out in another to see if it goes better.

Entertainment Stand Dresser

8. Embrace Garbage
One man’s trash is another’s treasure, so don’t be afraid to grab that cool looking end table or chair that someone else has thrown out to the curb. (Check out the ultimate garbage picking kit!)

Reupholstered Curbside Chair

9. Host a Swap Party
This is a fun, free way to get rid of things you no longer want or need and get a few new treasures for yourself.

Host a Swap Party

10. Utilize the Dollar Store
Your local dollar store is a great place to look when hunting down ideas for home decor. Plus, if you aren’t a huge fan of their existing items, many pieces can be DIYed into some beautiful.

Budget Friendly Glass Hurricane

____________________________________________________________________

You may also like:

I’m so happy to be participating in the 2015 Fall-oween Home Tour Hop. There are a total of 16 participants, so that means lots of fall/Halloween home decor eye candy for your viewing pleasure! After checking out my home tour (this is the first time I’ve shared my living room, friends!), make sure to head over and view all of the other amazing homes in the tour! Seriously, these ladies have a lot of talent and so many fun decorating ideas!

This year, we decided to forego the over-the-top Halloween decorations and stuck with just pumpkins. Can you really go wrong with pumpkins in the fall? I found a bunch of great natural and neutral options at Trader Joe’s and mixed those with some store bought decor pumpkins that I painted white/black/gray.

Welcome to our home! To dress up the foyer, I added a simple herringbone pattern to the gray door with chalk, in addition to the old book page wreath that has been hanging around here for years. (It has held up wonderfully, by the way!)

Just inside the door is an old dresser we found on Craigslist for just $30! I added some greenery and a few pumpkins to dress it up a bit, but obviously, the cable spool clock is the main star of this area.

Can I just say that I love our Ikea Ektorp sofa and chair in our living room? Seriously, this couch and chair are the best things ever. (No, we have not been compensated by Ikea in any way for saying this.) They are comfortable for sitting/sleeping and have washable slip covers that can easily be cleaned up when our puppy decides to jump all over them with muddy paws.

Nevermind the wrinkles. That is just a side effect of frequent washing and laziness.

This piano was our mother’s childhood piano and I inherited it from my grandparent’s home several years ago. I remember playing Chopsticks and other simple songs on it as a kid and I love that our children can now do the same.

Simple Silhouette Tutorial/Faux Topiary Tutorial

Our kitchen hasn’t changed much since the last time I shared an update.

We would eventually like to add some shaker style fronts to our cabinets and hardware to dress things up a bit.

We installed these open shelves last year and absolutely love them! Yes, some of the items get dusty (the stuff on top), but it takes just a few seconds to wipe them off.

And being able to grab regularly used dishes and mugs easily has been great. I’m much more likely to make a cup of coffee these days (with sugar and cream, thank you very much!)

Our breakfast nook also hasn’t changed much. We love this little space and hopefully, one of these days, we will get around to updating the chairs.

So that’s it! Our home all decked out for fall, that is, if you consider decked out to be very simple and neutral. But it is just the way we like it!

Now, head on over to check out the other homes in the Fall-oween Home Tour Hop! So many amazing ideas!

1. Farmhouse 40
2. Around the Watts House
3. Domicile 37
4. Our House Now a Home
5. Hobnail Salvaged Goods
6. The House Down The Lane
7. Pocketful of Posies
8. Average But Inspired
9. Karen’s Up On The Hill
10. Beauteeful Living
11. Casa Watkins
12. What Rose Knows
13. Shabby Grace Blog
14. The Deans List
15. Green With Decor
16. Elizabeth Joan Designs