How To Add Character To Your Home On A Budget

I have often found myself searching through home decor magazines and always wonder... "How can I get my living room to look like THAT?!" Every page is filled with rooms which look perfectly put together yet comfy and lived in all at the same time. Being that the living room is the first room that you see when you enter our home & where we spend the most of our time as a family, watching TV, playing, reading, etc... it becomes the room which I analyze the most. I feel as if it is never done, and quite possibly never will be. Over the past few weeks I have gathered magazines and inspiration to "spruce up" our living room and add some character & on a BUDGET!

Living in Military Housing, there are many things that can be hard to overlook, like the plain stark white walls for example. In most military housing areas they allow you to paint, just as long as you re-paint back to the original color before moving out. For many military families, this seems like a huge daunting task since we never know how long we will really be in one home! In our home, we have painted a few accent walls, but in our living room, we have vaulted ceilings, so painting would require a large ladder and scaffolding, so paint is out of the question! Searching through my inspiration magazines/ and online inspirations, all of the rooms had been painted. So, my challenge: create a living room with character & warmth without the use of paint. Just because you may live in military housing does not mean that you have to live in a world of "plain". Bring in color with your accessories!

Here are my shopping savvy tips for saving money on a room re-do:

First, start by shopping your own home. This is the best way to SAVE MONEY!! Go around your home, see if there are accessories in which can be better used and put together in another part of your home. Maybe you have picture frames sitting in boxes? a mirror under the bed? Candles hidden away in a closet? You may be surprised what you find!

Second, shop at consignment stores, thrift stores or re-sale shops. You would be amazed at the treasures you can find & all that fit within budget!

Third, head off to TJMaxx, Home Goods, Marshalls, Target, Wal-Mart or any other store where you can get a good bargain on home decor items to finish off the room.

Here is what the room started out as before

a little plan, a little boring, but overall. . . not so bad

& here is is AFTER

COUCH: Living Spaces ($799) OTTOMAN/TABLE CUBE: Craigslist ($20)

add in some new pillows, rug, mirror, ottoman/ table cube, and accessories and you have a whole new look! And all on a budget

MIRROR: Craigslist ($30)

YES only $30! We bought this awhile back and have been storing

under our bed, but we finally found a good use for it!

CHAIR: Living Spaces ($199)

PILLOW: TJMaxx

SEASHELL DECOR: TJMaxx ($14.99)

TOPIARY: Consignment ($10)

MIRRORS: Home Goods

LETTERS: DIY TUTORIAL HERE

DISTRESSED CANDLE HOLDER: Home Goods ($4.99)

on clearance because 2 glass panel was missing

PILLOWS: Home Goods & TJMaxx ($14.99-$19.99 each)

BASKET & GREENERY: Consignment Store ($8.99 for both)

WHITE CANDLESTICK: Home Goods ($8.00) <-- another clearance section find

MERCURY VASE: Home Goods   

GOLD CORAL: Home Goods ($2.00) <--- YES only $2! 

This is what I mean by a good deal! There were some pieces broken off when I found this in the clearance section. All I did to fix it was paint the white parts that were showing with some gold metallic paint and it looks brand new

DECORATIVE BASKET: Consignment Store ($6.00)

TABLE: Target  CURTAINS: TJMaxx ($14.99 for both)

PICTURE FRAME: re-used from another room 

NAUTICAL ROPE DECOR: Home Goods ($9.99)

BURLAP BASKET: TJMaxx ($7.99)

WOOL RUG: from TJMaxx - (Orig: $399 On Sale: $99.00)

Whatever room you may be wanting to re-do, money doesn't have to stand in the way. Simply re-arrange what you have, and change things up a bit! Make your home your sanctuary.

Come see how I decorated my daughter's nursery on a budget too! HERE