Redecorating on the Cheap
Now that December has passed, you might be feeling a little bit of that post-holiday letdown. If it’s cold and snowy where you live, you might also be feeling a little stir-crazy! Since most of us don’t have much money to spend on extras just a few days into the new year, it’s easy for discontent to set in. One way to snap out of those wintertime blues is to give your home a bit of a makeover. Even if you don’t have any extra room in the budget for redecorating, there are some things that you can do to make everything look nicer and feel a little bit different.
- Do some winter cleaning. Everything looks better when it’s shiny and clean, and deep cleaning takes time, not money. Don’t feel like you have to do everything at once! Choose one room to work on, and split the job into several sections. If it takes you one week per room, then it won’t be overwhelming. Get your children to help, too! Even the little ones can use the hose attachment on the vacuum to suck lost Cheerios out of the couch cushions or can use a sponge to clean the front of the dishwasher. Older kids can help you turn mattresses or dust shelves. Launder the curtains and wash the windows to let the sun shine in.
- Put away all of the holiday decorations, if you haven’t already. If you have everything taken down but sitting in boxes in the living room, bring them out to the garage, to the attic or wherever you keep your seasonal decorations. Only put away the things that are specific to Christmas or Hanukkah; general winter decorations should stay for now!
- Slap on a coat of paint. Paint is cheap, and it can completely change the look of a room. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a mural, sponge painting, faux marbling, stripes or bold colors; you can always re-do it later if you don’t like it.
- Rearrange your furniture. Switching around your couches or helping the kids move their beds and bureaus can have a big impact on how you feel about your house. If you have an open floor plan, you could even switch your dining room and living room. You might try moving your kitchen table closer to the window or making room for a rocking chair in your master bedroom. Use your imagination and your muscles!
- Think about ways that you could add something to your home for $5 or $10. A plastic winter-print tablecloth might only cost you under $5 at a discount store, for example, and you might be able to find a fabric one for about $10. Try visiting thrift shops for some new (to you) picture frames, big bowls that you could put fruit in, or a teapot. Be creative and stretch the dollars that you do have!
- Try your hand at any of the thousands of home decoration and craft ideas that you can find on Pinterest and other sites like it. You don’t have to be a great artist for many of these; even just a few new groupings of candles or some picture frames painted black can liven up a room with minimal craftiness on your end.
Have you done some decorating on the cheap? Share your best tips with our readers!
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Due to my small income, anything I do must be on the cheap! I really feel good when I have a new outfit or a new look in any room – and the cost was really low! I want to redo my bedroom and one of the things I wanted was to get a all mural that looks like a forest – especially one from the Olympic National Park area as I love it out there. So far, I haven’t been able to afford it. The other changes can be brought about with inexpensive re-dos but not the mural. I want to put my computer/office stuff in a cabinet so when it is bedtime, it is out of sight, so I am checking out sales, thrift shops and street side toss-outs!
great tips i am redecorating now my living room so thanks for the tips
I like the inexpensive ways to decorate your house. I find really nice items at Thrift Stores that I use to decorate my house. I like the idea of painting a room to liven it up, and also some nice curtains really make a room look nice!
we ddi this with living room we are in a apt and i had new tree so i need room now i can have my party and not wrry aobut them
I find a lot of things at thrift stores too. Sometimes all they need are some paint or cleaning to look brand new!
tag sales are a great resource!
Still working on the second one. You know you have too many decorations when it takes several days to take them out and put them away. I’m looking forward to trying the last one.
I always have to refresh this house in someway right after the holidays–It just seems to be so tired looking after two months of holiday decor. I’m planning to start with just a few new things on the cheap side in the bathroom –starting with paint, and a few new towels.–thanks for the ideas.
These are great tips for sprucing up you home. Thank you for sharing these tips they are great for me since I am on a budget.
Great tips for getting out of slump after the holidays. I have already rearranged furniture. I am going to try to paint bathroom if budget will allow before spring.
Paint can do alot for a room. I have been using pinterest for ideas and I have saved a bit of money this way
Love Pinterest it is a great idea to check there first if you want to buy something.chances are you will find a tutorial on how to make it.
Thank you great tips i am redecorating now my living room.
Great tips, we are in the process of converting my husband’s now office into a playroom (poor hubby lol) so that has been our winter project so far!
Thank you for the tips, Now, time is what I need to get redecorating done 🙂
Hey, thanks for sharing all these tips..would surely try them.. 🙂
Painting is my favorite cheap redo! You just paint over anything you don’t like. Even painting just one “accent wall” in a room can make a huge difference.
Great tips. I love that you stated a thing about the holiday decors. It can help a lot to save those decors for future use.
Great Post, after the holidays, I like to change the color of the room to welcome the new year! I change the bedding and add some new candles, A lot of great finds at thrift stores for home decor
Great tips. I love the one about taking it one room at a time. If I try to do to much at one time it seems like I never get it finished.
Funny. I have 2 boxes of Christmas decor sitting here waiting to go downstairs. Haven’t been in a rush since we are moving soon.
Thanks for the great ideas! We just spent some time rearranging furniture that had been in the same spot for 3-1/2 years and it’s made a big difference for all of us so far!
thanks for all the good ideas, one room at a time is the way to go
Painting can do a lot for a room; also just cleaning it out and changing things around helps.
Were repainting and cleaning our home as of now for preparation of our upcoming town fiesta 🙂
thanks for the great tips, i need to repaint my living room.
Awesome ways to save! I kind of have an issue with repainting. A lot. It is crazy, but it is a cheap way to make a change. The other ideas are fantastic though. I will keep those in mind!
even cheap is exspensive nowdays, im very careful of any project we tackle. because i have to look for the best prices,i was laid off last year and every penny counts
Due to an extremely tight budget it forces me to be frugal and I even go to the recycling center, where they recycle paints, colors are limited but good way to get started for free.
Great tips, we took all the decorations down but they’re still in boxes in the front room. Lol, we’ve been kind of lazy lately.
I have been wanting to do a ballet slippers mural on my daughters wall. Hopefully soon!
Thank you for the great ideas. I will be using some of them!
This is what I need – inexpensive (or free) ways to redecorate. I agree that getting rid of clutter and organizing is a great way to start, it isn’t much fun, though, but one of those things exhilarating when its done. I have a friend who can spend an entire day cleaning & organizing her closet – good for her, but I would go nutty. I have to do things in bits and pieces. Last year I did some painting, and it is worth it (good paint isn’t that cheap, though). I would like to make some new pillows and get or make a couple of throws this year.
This is great! Just reminded me to remove all the holiday decorations that are still up! Haha
Great tips for decorating cheaply. I like to repurpose old furniture that I find at garage sales or thrift stored for close to nothing and make it into something useable in my house. We have to use our imaginations and make do these days to have nice things. Most people cant march into a department store and buy a brand new piece of furniture every time they need something anymore.
These are some really great ideas thanks for taking the time to post this.
Good suggestions. I bought pillow covers at our local dollar store and was able to slightly change to look of my living room. I have all kinds of ideas, but seems like there is never enough time or money.
i have a manufactured home so i’m always looking for a way to make it modern. I got 12×12 tiles from Home Depot, about 2.50 each on clearance, got 5 of them and made a new back splash for the back of the counters and stove! looks amazing and i did it myself!
Good tips, my living room looks a little sad now the holidays are over.
I love rearranging the furniture to create a different environment. My ex used to joke that he shouldn’t come in without turning a light on at night, for fear he’d run into something that wasn’t there earlier.
I get bored with my home easily, so I do these things pretty often, and they’re great tips. We finally took the decorations down last night and rearranged our daughter’s room to make space for Christmas gifts. It’s made the house look completely different already.
These are great ideas! My home could definitely use a freshening up!
I love using paint to change a room.
Thanks for the ideas! I am remodling so this really helped!!!
These are all great ideas to make me feel better about my home. Thank you.
Lot’s of great ideas here! Thanks and Happy New Year!
Thank you, I am feeling like I need to do a lot of work on my home, and I really do because it is a very old home that needs a lot done and even if I clean it’s frustrating because it still doesn’t feel clean. These tips did help me feel better though and give me some incentive to get back to doing things to make it look better.