Beautifully decorated homes don’t have to cost a fortune! I believe that you can make a space beautiful on any budget… you may just have to get a bit creative sometimes. Today, I’m sharing 5 “tips” for how to

1. Always Be Looking For A Great Deal

Sometimes, you find exactly what you’re looking for in the most random of places. I’ve bought decor items at dollar stores, thrift stores, big name retailers, and even grocery stores! But who says, it’s got to come from a store? I’ve picked up items on the road! At the moment, I’ve got a chest of drawers and four chairs that I found on the side of the road with someone’s garbage. They need a little TLC and some paint, but I know they’ll be good as new in not time! And if I hadn’t been paying attention, I would have missed out on them!

(Here’s one of the chairs! Someone threw them out with their garbage! Can you believe that?!)

2. Head For The Clearance Rack

Ok, this may sound cheap, but let’s be real… everyone is on a budget these days, so why pay $20 for a shirt when you can pay $5 for one off the 75% off wrack? Plus, I love the “thrill of the hunt!”

These three bottles came from Michael’s clearance section a few months ago. It was under $3 for all of them!

3. Look for the “Non-Seasonal” Seasonal Decor

I’m all about this one, and, if you follow me on Instagram, I mentioned this a bit right after Christmas. There are tons items that are retailed as “seasonal” but are actually good for anytime of year! For example, there often solid color decor items such as plates, chargers, table runner, table cloths, candle holders, etc. that are considered “seasonal” for whatever holiday, but you can actually use those year round! (We have black platters, chargers, and bowls that were “Halloween” items that we bought on clearance, but no would ever know!)

For example, that sheet music banner I have across my case opening was part of Target’s dollar spot Christmas items!

4. Be Willing To Dig/Hunt

If you want a great deal, you’ve got to be willing to dig through piles of junk to get the good stuff. One of my favorite stores is Bargain Hunt, and one reason it’s my favorite is because they have HUGE bins where everything that they dump into it (which is all kinds of stuff) is only 50 cents! Now these bins are about 4′ wide, 4′ tall, and 4′ deep (and I’m only 5′ 4″,) but I jump in and dig to the bottom of those to get a good deal! People may think it’s kind of crazy, and not the “normal shopping experience” where you simply pick up an item off the shelf, but I think it’s SO MUCH FUN to dig into those bins! #HollaForADolla 😀

5. Have Patience

This is another rule of bargain shopping. You have to be willing to wait and to take a chance on missing out on something you really want. (Before I finish this, let me remind you that I am a poor, college student that only works part-time at a non-for-profit!) We know that at some point, pretty much everything will go on sale, which is why sometimes you have to tell yourself to wait on purchasing something that you don’t NEED at full price.

As a home blogger, this is sometimes a struggle for me because I see so many others grabbing brand new items as soon as they hit the shelf. For example, there are lots of items in the Spring “Hearth & Hand” Collection that I REALLY want (you can read more about that here!) , but there’s nothing that can’t wait for clearance pricing.

Also, sometimes you set out searching for one particular item, and you can’t find exactly what you want. Wait. Keep searching until you find something that speaks to you, that you really want. William Morris said…

So, it’s worth it to hunt for the treasures that make your home.

Hope you find some of these tips/tricks helpful in your shopping adventures! If you run up on any great deals, please share them and use the hashtag #HollaForADolla (and feel free to tag me! Links to all my social media profiles can be found at the bottom of the site! 😀 )

Have a great day, friends! And Happy Decorating!!!

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