Hi guys! Since we all have been biting our nails over current costs, and the ever-raising inflation, some people ask me “how do I do it?”
How do I decorate on a budget?
I have had people say a lot of unkind things about my decorating. It’s okay. That’s the harm with making assumptions and judging people, right? Certain people couldn’t believe I would spend money to decorate while renting, in college, as a newlywed, or as a young family (still renting, lol). And honestly, people are really unkind. People close to me have said “you just waste all your husband’s hard-earned money.”
“You need to save your money till you have a house.”
These people couldn’t be more incorrect in their assumptions. First of all, my business and my readers help fund my decorating. It might be quite a bit smaller than many big bloggers out there, but I am not quitting anytime soon. My hobby pays for itself because I make and sell many items, or receive commissions.
And secondly, I have found so much joy in sharing cost-saving tips to other friends and mommas who want to decorate their homes too. That alone has brought me some purpose in continually rearranging decor and seeing how I could stretch a budget and make things work on a dime.
I have so many friends who say, “oh, it’s just not in the budget.”
It has been so fun to share ideas with friends. Much more often than not, friends have discovered that you don’t have to buy everything at once. Just buy items slowly (with a purpose in mind and a few ground rules) and adding decor to your collection is quite affordable.
Let’s debunk the theory that we will just “buy decorations when I buy a house.”
When I buy a house, the LAST thing I will be buying will be small seasonal decor. I will need furniture and larger decor items to fill gaps and walls in my new space (Think large mirrors, entry tables, functional/trendy dressers, rugs, family pictures, portraits, etc.). I can guarantee I won’t be buying a single Fourth of July decoration after buying a house that year. Definitely will be at the lower end of the list 🙂
And, to be perfectly honest, I don’t buy very many decorations. I buy a few each season, if that! I make a lot of them. I also reuse, repurpose, and I purchase them with a plan of using them for more than one season. All of these things cut costs.
So below are a few tips to still have a house decorated without breaking the bank. Both are possible! Been doing it for 3 years of my young married life and it does work! Whether you already own your house, or you are renting, this list is for anyone on a budget. Even if your monthly or seasonal budget is much higher, or lower, this list will help you keep a few things in perspective when you see the gorgeous seasonal decor displays.
- Make sure you have a few classic decor items for the season.
- This would be items that are not on a super small one-year trend. Classic items that you could keep using if you had to.
- Keep in mind color scheme. For instance, we all went through the aqua blue phase, and for the most part it is dwindling out. Try to stick with some classic colored decor that can mix with the more modern/newer decor without having to buy all new stuff!
- Pitchers, vases, old farm trucks, tiered tray, flowers, signs with colors classic to the season are a great place to start!
- Create a limit on how much you are spending for the season.
- In the past I have spent on average $25 per season (some more, some less) to buy a few items that are on the current year’s trend. Are you wanting the new on trend decor too? You’re not alone on that one!
- $25 can actually go a long ways! You’d be surprised. There are many seasons where I only spend a few dollars because it’s not in the budget. You wouldn’t know though!
- As cute as ALL the decor is, you don’t have to buy every item in the collection. Stores like Hobby Lobby will have a few options of collections for each season. Select decor items that will match what you already have. You can always incorporate modern pieces with the farmhouse decor you already have. And then you’re slowly switching out of farmhouse without a sudden cost!
- Christmas is usually my big spender. I have spent $50-80 for this season. (but it’s also my husband’s favorite, and I decorate my whole house. Multiple trees and all.)
- Keep a color scheme.
- For instance, for the Fourth of July, I keep my decor in the “true” red, white, blue colors. The classic ones. This way when I shop if the red is too bright or light, etc, I know it won’t match my stuff, and I can pass on by. I don’t want to buy a whole set each year just because the colors are different or clash with each other. Hobby Lobby will keep “color schemes” for a couple years for each season. Trust me, I know 🙂
- Take a note of the sizes of signs and decor you already have. Make sure you are adding variety with your $ allowance.
- I keep pictures on my phone of my seasonal display, or just the decor all on a table or something. This will help you save money! So many decor items are so similar they will seem like a duplicate, and you don’t want that on a budget or a small space.
- If all your signs are just for the table, you might want to add some height, or maybe a bigger sign for the wall, etc.
- If you have items for a tiered tray and want a few new things, take note of the sizes. Do you need tall/skinny items, or shorter/mini items to add to your tiered tray.
- You don’t want 10 4×4 signs! You need variety of sizes to add the height and depth and still enjoy a balance to your decor 🙂
- You can always buy a flower arranged for less than $8 and put in a pitcher or milk can you already have. This adds height, and saves money too!
- Take it slow. Don’t buy every new set, every year.
- Rotate old decor according to your budget. You don’t want decorating to be a huge burden on your monthly budget.
- Don’t worry about keeping up with the Joneses! Things I remind myself are:
- Do I have what I need for the main living/kitchen spaces? (or do I have plenty of decor right now)
- It’s totally okay to skip a couple seasons at Hobby Lobby and just add some flowers in a vase for height. I do it all the time. I spent $25 on Valentines this year for tiered trays, and I bought one thing (a pack of fabric carrots for for spring…$2.99) I needed a door mat instead, so I chose a classy one that will last through all the seasons, and that costed me $11.49. So with that my $15 was spent 🙂
- At Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago, I actually found the same Fourth of July decorations I already have. So really- don’t try to keep up with the Joneses, more likely than not your decor is still “in” and may only need 2-3 small “refreshes”.
My Fourth of July Decor is classy and functional for small apartment living. Will it fill a house someday? No, but when I have a house someday, I can use it to decor an entry table, as well as a tiered tray in my kitchen that first year. Then I will continue to slowly build up my decor over time, for each season. That’s the beauty of decorating on a dime. Someday I will be able to afford more at a time. But until then, I will enjoy the small wins.
I refuse to “wait to enjoy the decor and my home until I own a home.” I choose to enjoy life right now! And you can too. Even in a little apartment, or an old rental house. I am decorating on a dime and still loving it. It brings me joy to be creative! And if anything, decorating on a budget has allowed me to broaden my skill set and find new ways to be creative.
So, wherever you are right now, don’t feel overwhelmed with squeezing decor into your budget. You don’t have to. You can make it all work for just a few dollars a month. And you can reuse what you have for much longer than you’d think 🙂
Happy Decorating!
XOXO,
Kelsie Ann
