Home Decor on a Budget: Part 1 - Living room

Having been married young, starting a family at 19, and giving birth to eight kids in under twelve years we were always living paycheck to paycheck when the kids were young. I remember browsing through home magazines and walking through furniture shops dreaming of what I wanted my home to be...all while living in an unfinished half done remodel with nothing new, nothing nice, and nothing felt like "home."

The first time I bought new furniture was after graduating college in my 30's. I spent several thousand dollars, on credit, and every piece was broken within a year. WTF!!? Excuse my french, but what's wrong with our society when we are going into debt to buy disposable things?

It wasn't long after my nice new items got sent to the burn pile that I discovered the art of thrifting, and was in love. Oh yes, in love!!!

See my living room below. Aside from the kids (I have 8 of them) & the clutter, it's pretty luxurious. Suede tufted couch, cluster lighting, marble coffee table. None of those items cost more than $25. No joke! I'll break it down.

Let's start with the yellow couch. One of my favorite Craigslist finds ever. Although I had learned the art of thrifting before purchasing this beauty (who is in mint condition), I had begun looking at new tufted couches online. They run around $3,000 new but I thought, maybe it's worth buying statement pieces new....I had been searching Craigslist and estate sales for at least 6 months for THIS couch without success. Was about to give up when finally I found it on Craigslist. They were asking $25 to a good home. It was in perfect condition aside from one tiny seam separation on a cushion that took me 5 minutes, some yellow upholstery thread & curved upholstery needle to fix. Can I say happiness enough? One tip for Craigslist - you should almost always offer less, especially if it's been listed for a long time. (no, I din't offer less on this couch - $25 was insane)

The collage of paintings and embroidery on the peachy wall. I gathered them over two summers for  $5-$20 here and there. One thing you do need for thrifting is patience, vision, and did I mention patience. It takes time to find what you want for the price you want, but you will find it if you are persistent looking.

The amazing cluster globe lighting on the left was a $15 estate sale find. I can't tell you how many amazing vintage lights I have picked up for between $5 and $20 for my house. And some of them weren't right, so I sold on Etsy for over $200 with just a $5 investment. Thrifting is a great way to make a little money on the side too.

Behind the couch is a little nook with one of 4 pieces I have left that I bought new. This tufted bench from World market, cost between $200-$300 and the legs fell off after 6 months. We put new ones on, and it's a perfect place to read by the fire. But how I wish I had known to look for one used - it would have saved me at least $100.

Next to the reading nook is a desk that belonged to my great grandfather. When I got it (free) it was in pretty bad shape. Water damage on the desktop, discoloration, and the rattan wrapping was falling off in several places.

I ordered a rattan cane repair kit on Amazon for $12, watched a YouTube video, and fixed the missing rattan cane wrap. Bought 2 cans of spray paint ($10) for furniture at Walmart and have a lovely new writing desk (It's where I'm currently sitting and writing).

Lamp $5 garage sale. Massive ceramic pot $7.50 estate sale. Chair $5.  Small pot - free through an Instagram competition. And the plants.....? Okay, I may have a plant buying problem, but I do buy some of them cheap at estate sales. And the two paintings hanging above the desk were $1 & $2 at an estate sale plus a few bucks for the frames at thrift shops. Total $45....I couldn't find a comparable desk new for that price, let alone everything to go with it.

Now onto the back wall of the room. This huge wall sat empty forever. I had the large horizontal painting for a while. It's an original and was $17. The rest of it I picked up in one fell swoop, a rug (on my wall, yes) for $5, a mirror for $10, and giant painting for $10. The macrame everywhere is thrifted. And that little black chair set is another favorite find. $12.50 for both faux bamboo Hollywood regency style office chairs. These babies sell all day long online between $600-$750 used. Oh, and the solid marble and brass leg table? $20 at a garage sale & $5 for the rug it is sitting on.

There's an adorable brass and glass bar cart on the left I picked up for $15 at an estate sale along with bar ware I've collected for a few dollars here and there. The floor cushions are one of the many re purposed items in my house. One of those old broken couches? I kept the cushions, and made slipcovers from some fabric that had been stored in my mother-in-laws house for 20 years (yes, there are matching curtains above - I made those too) Don't sew? Don't be afraid, you can learn anything on YouTube these days.

So this corner probably $200 total for everything pictured (except for the plants....because, yes, I am a plant addict) And yes, there are messes - we have eight kids, and I've never been one for pretense.

And when it comes to small groupings, don't buy it new!!! Go to estate sales, garage sales & thrift shops. All these little planters, white glass dishes, brass birds, bamboo trays, and even the boxed memory game are thrifted finds. These groupings cost me less than $20 including two of the plants!.....the other two plants weren't thrifted, but still cost under $10 each. Did I mention I have a plant addiction?

So there you have it. My living room decor on a budget. I'm too mentally challenged right now to do the math, but I don't believe I've spent more than $500 to furnish my entire living room. And I think it looks great. And at the end of the day all that truly matters is that you feel happy, comfortable, and at home in you your home.

Good luck decorating your home. If you are looking for inspiration, try Pinterest or Instagram. Find my Pinterest here and my Instagram here. And happy thrifting!!!