**This is a sponsored post on behalf of Wikibuy. All opinions are my own.**
I have never been great at decorating.
I’m indecisive, easily swayed by trends, not particularly good at color coordinating, and consistently operating on a limited budget.
While some would find decorating a new home a fun adventure, I find it more of an exhausting and stressful task.
And, instead of finding the perfect end table or accent chair, I spend a ridiculous amount of time standing in stores wondering what I am even doing and why I am even doing it.
I need good looking, affordable home décor to just fall into my lap to make this whole thing easier.
I spent weeks looking for a table for my entryway. I went to Home Goods every week. I hit up every furniture store in town. I drove an hour to Ikea. I thought I found something once, only when I brought it home I realized it was too wide and too long and too ugly and I hated it.
I took it back.
I sobbed.
Finding affordable home décor shouldn’t be this hard.
And, I guess for some people it isn’t.
I am not those people.
I may never be able to afford a custom home designer who will solve all of my decorating problems, but I did finally find a way to save on home decor. It’s called Wikibuy.
Wikibuy offers a Chrome extension that finds lower prices from other sellers while you shop on Amazon and will also check to see where else the product is being sold and shows the price (including tax, shipping and minus any coupons that apply) for each of those locations. You can also search the site for products, which will show you all the places the item is being sold and what your cost would be on that site. Lastly, the extension will also test coupon codes automatically at checkout and will find online rebates from participating retailers.
YOU GUYS, DID YOU KNOW T.J. MAXX HAS ONLINE SHOPPING?!
They do! And they are one of Wikibuy’s featured shops, which means finding great deals is super simple when you shop directly through their site.
Which is exactly how I found this baby…
I added a pretty bowl and an artificial flower, I placed this funky jar I snagged at Marshall’s on the bottom and topped it off with a mirror and slid a wicker basket for shoes beside it.
And hooray!
The entire set up cost less than $175 –well under my $200 decorating budget.
At the end of the day, I just want it to be pretty, and inviting, and not make me poor.
As I work on the rest of my home, I’ve had to get creative to find some affordable home décor.
Affordable Home Décor: 5 Ways to Decorate on a Budget
Shop online.
It feels like the Internet is pretty much always the answer these days, but when it comes to finding affordable home décor that doesn’t burn straight through your monthly gas budget, it truly is a great way to go. I love Amazon for pretty much everything, but I’ve also found that Wayfair is a great source for cool stuff too.
DIY what you want.
As much as I don’t like DIY projects, I have found that a few coats of chalk paint and a couple new knobs can be magical for a room makeover. I’ve done a super hero dresser, reupholstered stools, made a Lego table from an Ikea storage unit, converted a nightstand into an end table, and repainted my dresser for use in my son’s room. I’ve saved thousands of dollars by updating used furniture myself and I’m able to get exactly what I want without spending a ton of time shopping around.
Buy at the right time.
Holiday weekends are notorious for furniture sales, but another good time is when the newest styles are set to hit the store. That usually happens in February and August so hit the shops a bit before to snag clearance prices.
Don’t be afraid of Craigslist.
You really can find some steals on the site buying from estate sales and people moving and upgrading their furniture. Just stay away from those creepy ads that want you to show up in a Panda suit.
Use a cash back site.
My go to is Ebates. It’s totally free to sign up and you can’t ever lose money on it. I never buy anything online without starting at eBates and seeing if they are a cash back partner. I save about $300 a year by using the site and they pay you in actual cash -no gift cards or coupons nonsense. Totally sign up and get in the habit of using it for everything, including furnishings, and you won’t be sorry!
Looking for more money saving tips? Try this: How to Save Time and Money as a Mom