Quick Tips

1. Be a bookworm. Visit your local library or a bookstore that encourages browsing. Arm yourself with a stack of decorating books and look through them for ideas on color and placement.

2. Hunt for treasure. You can find large furniture, kitchen units, collectibles and other items at bargain-basement prices at flea markets, garage sales, antique shops and thrift stores. For the very best deals, visit flea markets and garage sales late in the day.

3. Visit your folks. Your parents, grandparents or other relatives may have all sorts of old furniture they’d love to offload on you. Some items may be truly dreadful, but others may be retro cool or have serious potential for a second life.

4. Organize a yard sale. After you choose the furnishings you want to keep, offer to arrange a garage sale for your relatives. They may be so grateful that they’ll let you keep whatever money you make from the sale. Use the proceeds to buy a big-ticket item such as a dining-room table or a washing machine.

5. Start out with transitional pieces. Buy an inexpensive futon and use it as your living-room sofa until you can afford to buy a real couch. When that glorious day arrives, move the futon to a guest room or office.

6. Treat ailing windows. A curtain rod and a few yards of inexpensive fabric can result in a simple, elegant window treatment to offset those bland horizontal blinds.

7. Remember good old paint. A fresh coat of paint can brighten up even the dreariest room. To save as much money as possible, do the job yourself.

Consider choosing a color other than white in at least some rooms to jazz them up. Educate yourself about nifty painting techniques such as sponging, ragging, combing and crackling.

8. Trade labor for a break in rent. Try to strike a deal with your landlord for a decrease in rent if you paint the walls, refinish the floors or install additional electrical outlets.

9. Spruce up those walls. Consider these low-cost sources of wall art: old maps; pages from botanical books; old art prints from specialty or antique stores and prints sold in museum gift shops. Such prints can look spendy once they’re framed, even though they may cost less than $5 apiece.

10. Slip on some slipcovers. If you have a comfortable couch with damaged or unattractive upholstery, slipcovers cost a whole lot less than reupholstering. If you can sew, make them yourself. Otherwise, buy ready-made slipcovers or find a tailor or seamstress to do the job.

Source: homes.augusta.com