I’m so excited to be able to share a guest post with you today because it’s about something that I hold so dear to my heart. It’s about my living room, and how I completely redecorated it for just under $200. It was an amazing journey, but the most fun I’ve ever had in all the home improvement work I’ve done.
How to Redecorate for Less
How I Did It, How You Could Do It
I had a plan, and I wanted to execute my plan successfully. I only had $200 to start with to redecorate my living room, and I knew that it was going to be tough. So, I started by thinking of ways to generate more money to spend.
Sold Old Décor
Since I wanted to change the entire décor of my living room, I no longer needed the old décor. So, I gathered it all up, and held a yard sale. I made about $60 from all of the décor, along with some other items I no longer wanted. The rest of the stuff left over,I tried to sell on eBay. I didn’t have as much luck, but did manage to squeeze out $20 from that effort.
Planned Out the Room
I wanted to completely empty out the living room to start from scratch. I decided that I didn’t really need a loveseat in the room; no ever sat in the loveseat anyway, so it would be a wasted expense.
My list for the living room was:
• Couch
• Side table
• TV stand
• …and of course, décor.
Ventured Online
I am a big online shopper, and I pride myself in my ability to find the best deals. I can find online sales, coupons, and find websites with lower prices than what you can find in even thrift stores. I’ve even been known to haggle prices with people who list their items online for sale. It’s amazing what you can get for asking someone if they’d be willing to sell something for less.
Yard Sales
For big items, I set out on a Saturday morning to all of the neighborhood yard sales. It’s a big thing around where I live, so it took me a good 4 hours to visit all of them. I came home with a new-for-me couch and side table.
Thrift Store
All I needed was a TV stand, and some additional décor pieces to make my living room complete. I only visited two thrift stores, found a TV stand, and plenty of décor that matched what I was able to get for next to nothing online.
Paint Store
I had $50 left after having all of the furniture and décor for the living room, and all I needed was paint. I wanted a new color, but I wasn’t quite sure what color. I asked the paint store about specials on paint, but then I wondered if they had some specials they don’t necessarily tell people about, such as left over paint, mislabels, etc. I was in luck too, they let me in a on a little secret that sometimes painters will sell their leftover paint for less because they want to get rid of it. I walked out of the paint store with a new contact, and before the end of the day, I had all the paint I needed in a buttercream color I absolutely love.
Mission Accomplished: Living Room Redo for Less
In about three weeks, I transformed my living room. My friends and family can’t believe all I spent was $200. I love my new living room, and I hope you can take my advice, and make a living room that's as enjoyable to you.
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Written by: Marcelina Hardy
