by Pat Veretto

Created on: April 25, 2008

Decorating your home doesn't have to break the bank or your budget.

First of all, color matters! Paint is inexpensive and will change the entire look of a room when you change the color. Choose a color that goes with the mood and style of the room. My bathroom has narrow tongue and groove paneling (fake) that was painted cream, with an upper wall painted a duller tone of tan. I changed it to a deep bitter green and a paler bitter green on top, trimmed with white. The entire room changed and it became a neat, old fashioned bathroom from an awkward, boring room.

Think outside the box. The same bathroom has an old, hand embroidered table cloth that I use for a shower curtain. It goes very well, stops the water and it was free. You can use covered boxes for tables, woolen throws for area rugs, cups for vases and "weeds" (wildflowers) for bouquets. Don't let conventional decorating ideas dictate what you do.

Second hand stores and garage sales can provide quality treasures as well as funky room brighteners for pennies on the dollar. When you buy second hand, don't buy cheaply made things because you don't know what kind of wear they've had. Go for quality. Well made pieces, even though they're scratched and even splattered with paint, can be refinished. Torn or filthy upholstery can be replaced, but if you buy poor quality, it may not even hold up to refinishing. Poor quality is poor quality and it will look like it, no matter where it is.

The last thought is to do it yourself as much as you can. I found a beautiful full set of Pottery Barn sheets, including pillow cases, at a thrift store for $6. In one afternoon I made curtains, a tablecloth and 16 cloth napkins for the dining area. I had enough material left to make a second tablecloth and 4 more napkins another day. Where else are you going to get that for the price?

You may not sew, but there are surely other things you can create and reuse in many ways. Go shopping with your eyes wide open to possibilities, take your time and think through each purchase.

Creativity, time and a sense of adventure will make decorating your home fun as well as frugal!

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