Decorating on a Budget

It was $12 and took 30 minutes to set up, but the stress it saved me felt like it was the best investment I have made in years.

Next time you open up your wallet to see a lone George Washington staring back at you, consider this list of inspiring things you can do with just a dollar.

Coupon clippers, penny pinchers, and seasoned online sale shoppers, unite.

If you’re shopping for a bargain, here’s an expert-backed cheat sheet.

These budget-friendly ideas deserve a place on your list this year.

Although it's a rental, Ashley used lots of low-cost upgrades, covering ugly tile with laminate stickers, ugly countertops with marble-look contact paper, and more ideas.

In most cases, these pieces are somewhere between $1 and $5, and there is always a spot for them in the house.

The DIY projects are affordable, doable, and have made a big difference in just six months.

There wasn't a large budget to renovate this '70s home, so it’s literally chock-full of DIY projects and works in progress.

There's life in them yet.

Your salt shaker doesn’t have to stay strapped to the kitchen table. We’ve got 18 ways to put it to work all around your house.

And this renter walks us through every street find, thrift purchase, travel treasure, and DIY project in the photos of her home she shares.

Get this hero out of the pantry and into your tool kit.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to make a big impact, and these 12 transformations prove it.

The house still has much of its 100-year-old character including original wood floors, coffered ceilings, and the original windows.

Including what to buy from Trader Joe's and how to make those orange slice ornaments you see everywhere.

Never underestimate the power of a tufted throw pillow.

This two-bedroom Georgian period tenement flat in Glasgow's Finnieston area is full of beautiful old details like ceiling roses and cornice work.

Real estate pros reveal their secrets to making any space look more elevated.

These types of IKEA "hacks" are the perfect combo of affordable and fast to do.

A quick peek can save you lots of money on packaging this holiday season.

The soothing, neutral color palette of this small rental apartment keeps it interesting with cozy textures and natural materials such as leather, linen, sheepskin, and jute.

I discovered a couple of years ago that having zero cash to spare can actually simplify things during the holidays.

And a lot of the items are under $10.

Your local everything-for-a-dollar store is brimming with affordable home organizing tools—as long as you know what to look for.

Ahead of the bustling holiday season and the self-reflective start of another year, we wanted to give you some truths and tools to help you host at home and see your friends more.

First: You definitely don’t need tons of cash to have fun. Second: You’re not alone in feeling discouraged about your money situation.

The people you’re hosting aren’t coming over to be wowed by extra counter space or a second bathroom; they’re coming over to spend time with you.

You may be able to talk—and time—your way into a sweet deal.

Fool your friends into thinking you spent a billion dollars with these ritzy-looking buys from Dollar Tree, Target, Trader Joe's, and Flying Tiger.

For hundreds of Amazon's 5-star reviewers, there’s one stain treatment that stands out from the rest.

It's not just for cuts and scrapes—that bottle can do SO much more.

If you can't add a window, try one of these low-cost tricks instead.

Most of the items were purchased secondhand or found on the street.

Spooky doesn't have to mean spendy! These Halloween picks are budget-friendly and super easy to find at your local dollar store.

Talk about a budget upgrade!

Andrea did the $250 Challenge: a 6-week project that involved transforming one room in your home on a $250 budget.

From fridge bins to toilet brushes, here are nine stylist-recommended home staples you can order today on Amazon—starting at $6.

You don't have to spend a fortune to make a big impact in your living space. Here, our favorite ideas for brining lots of charm and character for not a lot of money.

Much like almost everything else you need for a house, turns out IKEA is a pretty good option for plant shopping.

Got a rental in need of a kitchen facelift? No problem!

We reached out to our friends at Etsy to get an idea of which candle shops their customers can’t seem to get enough of.

There’s a whole community of people obsessed with candles, wax, and wicks—and all of them have tips and tricks for how to find the very best deals when it comes to candles.

Luxe for less!

The decor challenge for this studio was to counter the dark, heavy furnishings within such a small space without having to sacrifice style.

One writer shares her budget-friendly transformation that can withstand the test of time.

Use our step-by-step guide to get the living room of your dreams.

Plus eight more grocery staples that the biggest Trader Joe's fans consider a "must-buy" for their morning routines.

The seven options here prove headboards are anything but snooze-worthy.

"I've made the shift and helped others make that shift and when you do it's like you're on the autobahn.”

The "hack" we didn't know we needed.

I recently discovered a kitchen cleaner that I like much better than vinegar, lemon, or baking soda. It's simple and super efficient.

All of the furniture in their space was found either on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or just found.

When I tell people where I shop, it's almost always a surprise.

Here are 21 of the best hacks of all time—for packing your clothes, stowing your delicate jewelry, and doing laundry on the go—that will help you squeeze every drop of joy from those golden vacay days.

Losing things isn’t just inconvenient—it can get expensive!

If you’re a Costco cardholder (or convinced you should be after reading this article) here are some home cleaning items you should definitely be buying.

Apartment Therapy's Instagram Manager Austa Clausen decorated her rental apartment with furniture almost exclusively sourced from Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.

Prepaid gift cards are great, but once the balance is down to a small amount, your once-coveted cash alternative inevitably accumulates dust in your wallet. Don't let your precious pennies go to waste.

They don't make it exactly obvious or easy, but Amazon does let you review your spending totals. Just in case you're not into combing through credit card statements or digging through email receipts.

I decided to majorly thin out my book collection—but to my surprise, it wasn't something that made me sad. Instead, I loved the library I was left with.

Whether it's condiments in the kitchen or hand soap, here's one always-solid way to save.

Fresh flowers or a new plant can transform a home as easily as the weather. But personally, I find both of them to be a giant pain in the neck.

The only thing better than a stylish kitchen utensil is one that didn’t cost you an arm and a leg. Luckily, IKEA is brimming with inexpensive, Scandi-style kitchen essentials that probably cost less than your fancy morning coffee. From wine racks to colanders, here are 13 go-to kitchen wares at IKEA for under 10 bucks.

If you take on a few small changes today, you'll rack up a snowball of savings that will set you up for life.

For those times when you need a little more motivation (and cash flow).

Raise your hand if you’ve ever tried to stick to a food budget and failed. You’re not alone. That’s because budgets (for food and in general) are often too rigid, says Jennifer Faherty, a certified financial planner and the founder of Financial Wealthbeing. Budgets are great in theory, but they don’t always work in real life or allow for unplanned things to happen, she points out.

Chopsticks are wildly useful little tools to keep handy. And while most of us save our spare ones, or buy a more permanent pair, there are all sorts of clever ways to use chopsticks around the house. From cleaning crevices to stirring paint, read ahead for 10 genius things you can do with an extra set of chopsticks. Searching for a foolproof way to deep clean tough to reach nooks and crannies?

Dreaming of a Costco shopping spree but not ready to commit to a membership? Fret not, friends. We did some digging and it turns out there are several ways you can score some of the perks of being in the Costco club–sans the membership card.

If you’re anything like the average American, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates you spend just over $164 per day, with the bulk of that money going towards housing, transportation, and food. But in 2016, the median income per capita was estimated at just $33,205—that’s $26,855 less than the average American is spending each year. Yikes, that math just doesn’t add up.

We all know we’re supposed to save more money. And that sounds great ’til you try to do it. Money sometimes has this quality of magically expanding and contracting in invisible ways—so even if and when there’s extra cash coming in, for a lot of us there never seems to be any left to save for big financial goals.

These days, it’s hard to come across a person who doesn’t already have a side hustle, whether it’s running an Etsy store, driving for Uber or Lyft or renting out a spot on Airbnb. But most of those take a lot of work. A far more flexible way to earn some pocket change would be something like Indeed’s Job Spotter app. Instead of uploading selfies to Instagram, Job Spotter gives you more than just likes and follows.