Make a DIY headboard.
Anyone who's ever moved knows how quickly costs add up when you're setting up a new home — especially if you're starting from scratch. Here are 10 places where you can get a chic or custom look without spending too much cash.
- Headboard: Put off having to buy a new bed for a little longer by pairing a plain old bed frame with a DIY headboard. Use a screen, some framed fabric, a strip of wallpaper, or just paint a headboard on the wall.
- Dining and Accent Chairs: Well-made side chairs are frequent thrift store finds, especially if you're willing to mix and match. If you want inexpensive new chairs in a matching set, shop at a big box store like IKEA and customize your chairs with paint or new fabric seats.
- Lamps: Flea markets are great places to scout for lamps on a budget. If you prefer a newer, more contemporary look, we like the choices at all the regular suspects: IKEA, CB2, etc, etc...you've heard it before :)
- Rugs: You can save a lot of money on a rug by purchasing a remnant. Many carpet stores keep them on hand to sell at deep discounts — just be prepared to find sizes that are slightly odd or off. If you need a standard size, check out this post for places to buy rugs on a budget.
- Dishes and Silverware: Budget-friendly stores like World Market or CB2 are great places to stock up on cheap, basic dishes for a first apartment. If your tastes are more eclectic, build a collection of mixed-and-matched dishes by shopping at thrift stores and flea markets.
- Dressers and Case Pieces: Plentiful at thrift stores, all a dresser needs is a coat of paint and maybe some new hardware to give it new life.
- Framing: Save money on framing by buying inexpensive frames (we like these, these, and these). If your artwork's not a standard size, don't worry — just visit an art or craft supply store and have a custom mat cut to make your artwork look like it's been professionally framed.
- Curtains: Basic white cotton curtains or sheers go well in almost any home, and it's not hard to find cheap but decent versions at stores like World Market, IKEA, or Target.
- Decorative Accessories: There are tons of places to shop for little details that add a final layer to a room, whether you want to hit up the stores in your local Chinatown or even try scouring the Dollar Store for a couple of carefully chosen knick-knacks. We also frequently try Urban Outfitters for inexpensive and colorful pillows, hooks, and accessories.
- Patio or Deck Furniture: It always goes on sale at the end of the summer, and you can find great deals at stores trying to move overstock off the floor. Used patio furniture also shows up frequently on craigslist and in thrift stores — update it with a coat of spraypaint.
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Photos: Sarah Rainwater (1), Sarah Coffey (2), Maxwell Gillingham Ryan (3), Filz Felt (4), World Market (5), Sarah Coffey (6), Pottery Barn (7), World Market (8), Stalagmite Vase from Urban Outfitters (9), Mulberry Street (10)
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soooo... all you're saying is to save money to go to IKEA, thrift stores or DIY? ... kinda redundant ain't it?
(not trying to be a b*tch, I love you Sarah... but you have to admit this post is kinda... meh)
That's some pretty common sense information. I guess I was expecting something a little different. Also: Urban Outfitters is inexpensive? Really? Since when?
Only thing I don't agree with is IKEA chairs - unless you go into the $60+ range they're not very sturdy and have tiny seats, which can be a bit embarrassing if you have guests over who aren't slim.
I'd just wait the chairs out until you can grab a cheap set on craigslist - sets of 6 seem to go up all the time. I'm doing that myself at the moment - in the meantime until I find the right chairs I'm just using a couple folding chairs that can be thrown in a closet later and only brought out when a big party needs more seating.
If you're looking for unique lighting, HomeGoods and TJ Maxx often have awesome lamps at unbelievable prices. I currently have a set that I paid $30 each for which included the shades!
How about this tip - live minimally and resist acquiring excess junk (esp from thrift stores and the like) unless you REALLY NEED IT or REALLY LOVE IT.
This will save you pennies, effort, gas, bus fare and ultimately save you headaches later (less stuff for moving, less guilt of throwing out crap even though it's "still good").
It doesn't mean you can't be stylish - it just means you should be more discerning (DO NOT ACCEPT STUFF JUST BECAUSE IT IS FREE). This way you will enjoy your belongings for longer, and not have to buy them twice (when you want a 'nicer' version!)
Like the Indian man in the rug shop once said to me
'go without until you can afford something you truly love that is quality otherwise you are just contributing to the waste of the world'
So he didn't get a sale cause I couldn't afford the rug I really wanted and he knew that would happen but he believed in what he was saying. (I still don't have that rug, but I want it more than ever).
IKEA thinks it's doing the world a favour, but it's not! everything ends up in the tip after a few years, the steel is sub-par, the timber is not timber and the DIY instructions have broken up marriages I'm sure. Do yourself and the world a favour and buy quality second hand goods, the craftsmanship and materials are unmatched in todays 'made in China' market.
You really don't need anything other than a few kitchen basics, a mattress, a fridge and a towel.
And like my dad always said 'if you can't afford to pay cash for it, then you can't afford it!' Interest free terms are a one way ticket to dept city unless you are sensible and disciplined (but you're not are you ;)
Plus I totally agree with the above comment, if you've recently moved house you were probably cursing the day that you decided to expanding your belonging beyond the suitcase.
My divorced friend says she'll never buy anything that can't be moved by 2 women.
I have a breaking point. I like high quality as much as anyone else, and I'll pay good money for high quality, but I have a breaking point where too much is just too much, and no amount of money I save or make will ever justify, for me, $100 curtains. It's a matter of principle.
I suppose rugs, picture frames and patio furniture are the sorts of things you can take a pass on until you have a little extra money to spend on something you like. One of the more frustrating expenses of setting up house - frustrating because it ends up costing a lot more than you'd think it would and because most of it is not out on display to be enjoyed - is that of all the bathroom, kitchen and linen closet storage and organization. Bins to keep your toiletries, medication, first aid. Silverware caddies, pot lid organization, spice racks, shelf dividers, on and on. It really adds up, especially if you'd your linen closet to look uniform and not a hodge-podge of mis-matched plastic bins. I'd love to see a post with good, cheap (actually cheap, not Container Store prices, or suggestions to buy old school locker bins at flea markets (those flea market vendors are already on to us and have jacked up their prices accordingly)) sources for those basics that no one really wants to spend their money on, but has to.
....I make my own window treatments, always have. Before I had a sewing machine I hand stitched them. If they don't work in the new place, they become napkins, dishtowels, or other sundry wiping material. Most fabric stores will have major discounts on fabric and supplies around big holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July, etc. Just sayin...
starwxrwx: You hit the nail right on the head. I try my best to live by this philosophy, although I do have some unwise buys in my basement. (thrift store rejects)
However, my thrift store rejects were much less expensive than crummy broken Ikea.
@mjs7640 - your comment made me smile - after a move from AZ back to CA, I swore that the next time everything that my son and I couldn't lift/push/pull/tug together was getting sold. With the exception of the fridge, and I'd rent an appliance dolly for that.
I agree with a lot of the other posters - especially starwxrwx - don't take stuff just because it's free without carefully considering where you'd put it and how you'd use it. You'll end up like me - one step away from looking like a hoarder - and it's so much harder to get something out the door than it was to get it in.
That being said, once you're in your new place, make a list of what you need, take measurements, and keep that and a tape measure with you; you never know when you'll run into that perfect item.
Also try dollar stores for plastic containers for your bathroom spillables or cleaning items - they usually have an entire aisle with all sizes imaginable.
Well don't forget Craigslist! You can get awesome, REAL WOOD items on there for pennies on the dollar. I got a beautiful bedroom set -- headboard, two dressers, on chest with a mirror -- for $80. Real wood with fantastic vintage styling, super heavy and will last forever. Just because the guy needed to get rid of the stuff fast.
Lamps? Decorative accessories?
For $15, I can get a fantastic ceramic vintage table lamp or vase on eBay rather than a craptastic chunk of IKEA/UO/CB2 Made in China plastic.
And you can get some great deals on overstock/discontinued/seconds fabric on eBay and Fabric Stores to make your own window coverings for FAR less than premade store-bought.
I know people love to say everything IKEA makes has to be thrown away in a few years, but that has not been my experience. Thinking the other day about my oldest item of furniture, I realized it was my IKEA dining table and chairs. I bought their classic, unfinished solid pine set and finished it myself, and 13 years later, they're still in great shape.
I have several other sturdy pieces that I like, which I bought, not for the price, but for the fact that I simply couldn't find just the thing I was looking for, at any price, anywhere else.
My childhood bed came from IKEA, and it's still in good shape over 20 years later. The only crap that falls apart are the MDF pieces, all the wood and metal pieces actually hold up.
Another good way to save: dumpster dive at apartments and dorms at the end of the school year. You get 24 hours to move your stuff so there's always great finds. The TV, bookcase, lamp, and rug at my first place all came from fellow Emory students who couldn't move all their stuff out in time.
i know that ikea gets a bad rap, but i have several pieces of furniture from ikea that are almost 10 years old, and they have held up really well. i dont expect that i am going to be able to pass it down to my future kids or anything, but at the time it fit my budget, and i still like the way it looks.
my husband and i just moved at the end of june, and instead of running out and buying a bunch of stuff to fill the space, we decided to live with what we had for the first month, so that we could better determine what we really needed. it has forced us to get creative with some things - like closet and kitchen storage - but we have been able to re-purpose a lot of items that we already own. we have also been able to figure out what furniture dosent really work for us anymore, and we can prioritize what we want to upgrade first.
To really save on framing - buy frames at garage sales/flea markets/etc. and a hand held mat cutter and pieces of mat board at an art store. Combined with a large straight edge you'll be able to cut your own mats for a fraction of the cost of custom mat cutting or framing.
I have office furniture from IKEA that has lasted through 10 years of abuse from both me and my boyfriend. Not all of their stuff is cheap crap that will break in a few years. Ok, some of it is, but they have some good, durable stuff.
re: frames - I'm with mplsskier. Do it yourself. Fifteen years ago, after paying $150 to have two small prints matted and framed, I bought a low end Logan mat cutter. I've done all my own framing since then. I buy the cheapest old frames I can find in junk stores and I spray all of them black. The results look professional and it's pretty easy.
$150 for matting and framing?? Your piece must have been really big! I'm terrible at matting things myself (no seriously, TERRIBLE), but have had things matted at Hobby Lobby for about $20 and that was when I got a double mat (two colors for contrast!) and they installed the mounting brackets on the back for me!
Michael's craft store does the same, but they have to send your prints out of house to be matted whereas Hobby Lobby just does it right then and there; no waiting.