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:

There are some days I go out looking for treasures discarded on the side of the road. Then, there are other days where I am driving somewhere with a purpose and decide I am going to have to be late to that destination so I can pick up a gem. (My dentist will understand, right?) The latter is exactly what was happening when I stopped to claim a bright yellow dresser. It was perfect for my youngest son’s room, except it was yellow (not the look we were going for.) After sitting in my basement for several months, it’s time this curbside dresser gets a new look.

The first step to this makeover was to give the bright yellow exterior a good coat of primer.

Next, the dresser received two coats of gray paint. I had the hardware store color match the paint to Restoration Hardware’s paint color, Charcoal. It’s mostly grey with a hint of blue. I love this color! You may recognize this color from our

how to mix your own chalkboard paint post.

Then, using a bowl as my guide, I painted a large circle white. This spot will mimic a race cars numbering.

After that, it was time to give this baby a few details to go with my son’s vintage car themed bedroom. Using painters tape, I sectioned off racing stripes that I painted white and red.

I love the look of the number 5, so I printed the digit out on regular ol’ computer paper. Then, I traced it onto freezer paper to make a stencil. I used the exact technique Erin did on her Halloween Trick or Treat Bags.

This method worked perfectly! I taped my homemade stencil to the dresser and used a spouncer and a little red paint add the numeral.

Finally, I exchanged the cheap plastic hardware for these beautiful antique bronze ones.

My son LOVES his new to him dresser! This dresser has come a long way from it’s golden days.

_____________________________________________

You may also like:

(This is a re-post from Oct. 25, 2013.)

This is a post for all of you procrastinators out there. You know who you are. In fact, you and I are not so different. I save most things for the last minute. This is something about myself I am working on, but I can always do that later. Right?

This past weekend, my family and I made an 8 hour journey to Ohio where Erin and I grew up. This was the first time, since starting our blog, that Erin and I had a chance to see each other. (More on that later.) While we were there, we visited our uncle’s farm and picked out a few pumpkins to decorate.

Here are a few of our favorite, no-carve, last minute pumpkin decorating ideas:

1. This pumpkin has a black mesh covering. We love the look and better yet, it took all of two minutes.

<

2. All dressed up and no place to go; this pretty little package was decoupaged with wrapping paper and tied with a bow. Popcorn anyone?

3. Tangled in a web of yarn, this pumpkin is the victim. Beware of mini spider pumpkins!

4. Change things up and instead of spooky, try a nautical theme! This pumpkin was painted white. Then we traced a starfish on it, applied glue with a paint brush, and added sand to finish the look. Ahoy!

5. Boo! I know, scary right? (Okay, not really.) Using yarn and dressmaker pins, we created this 3D work of art.

We love our simple no-carve pumpkins. How do you decorate yours?