by Shelly Mcrae

Created on: May 10, 2007   Last Updated: May 15, 2007

Furnishing a home on a tight budget can be challenging. The first reaction of anyone in this situation is to go cheap: search the thrift shops and yard sales, go dumpster diving and curb trolling. These options are fine if you are willing to put some time and money into these pieces. If someone puts a couch on the sidewalk with a FREE sign taped to it, chances are the springs are shot, the dog has peed on it, or it is just too ugly to look at.

Purchasing wobbly tables or chairs, couches that smell, rugs with bare spots, or second hand lamps of any kind is just a waste of cash. Putting a piece of wood on top of a pile of bricks and calling it a shelf is fine in a college dorm. Do not do it in your home, no matter how bohemian you are.

However, if you visit thrift shops and yard sales, and dumpster dive and are the neighborhood curb troll, then choose carefully. There are gems among the junk, but you need a good eye and patience to get to them. Even then, be prepared to invest some money into cleaning and repairing.

Shopping this way for your home can be risky design wise. Just because something is a good deal, doesn't mean you should buy it. The price becomes the attraction, and the next thing you know, you saved a bunch of money but your house looks like a thrift shop. You haven't furnished your home; you filled it with stuff.

So what do you do if you are on a tight budget? Use your money to buy a few good pieces and fill in the gaps with the gems among the junk. For example, purchase a good couch. Find one you really like, and is of good quality. It will last for twenty years if you take good care of it. Invest in one good upholstered chair that will coordinate with the couch. Your secondary pieces then, whether from the thrift shop or your mother's basement, can be refinished to work with your good pieces, and these secondary pieces will look better if the primary furniture is of good quality.

Apply this principle to each room. Invest in the major piece or pieces and then choose the secondary pieces carefully. Don't expect to get your whole house done in a week. Be patient. And get rid of the bad pieces that you replace. Don't think you might use them somewhere else. Give them to the thrift shop.

Don't buy second hand lamps. Why risk a fire hazard?

Along with your actual furnishings, you will want to add decorative items such as throw pillows, vases, baskets, and collectibles. These items are more personal, and so can show some age, some wear and tear, and become all the more interesting for them. Items such as old silver plate, which is very inexpensive, can add loads of charm to a table. And if that table is less than lovely, and you haven't the cash to replace it yet, buy a couple of yards of nice fabric and toss it over the tabletop. The fabric not only hides the unattractive piece, it serves as a decorative element in the room. If you can sew, buy enough fabric to also make a pillow and toss it onto the couch.

Furnishing an entire home is costly. Take your bargains where you can get them, by all means. But don't sacrifice style. If you must hang a sheet over the window, at least cut it into panels, sew the hems, and use decent hardware. If you must use second hand furnishings, give them the same inspection you would an expensive piece, and make sure you can live with them. If something is ugly, it's not worth anything. And please, if you must take that couch you find on the curb, smell it before you put it in the truck. You don't really know who's been sitting on there, now do you?

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