Happy Monday, friends! I’m excited to announce today that I am partnering with Apartment Guide as an official Apartment Guide Décor Blogger for the next three months. This month I will be sharing tips for decorating on a budget! Yay!! Whether you’re living, looking or moving, Apartment Guide offers how-to tips for making the most of a space on a budget.
Today, I’m super pumped to share ten of my favorite places to shop when decorating a home {or apartment} on a budget. I’m sure for some of you long-time readers a few of these will be no surprise at all! 
1. Thrift Shops
I love shopping at three or four various thrift shops in my area. I typically don’t spend a lot of time browsing, but I swoop in and out. If there’s nothing awesome just begging to come home with me, then I move on. Shopping at thrift stores requires that you get over a fear of bugs, germs and “digging.”.
2. ReStores
Oh my, oh my! How my heart goes pitter-pat when I enter a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The merchandise changes constantly, so I could go every day and find a new treasure…but because of my budget, I don’t. ReStores are often located in an older part of town, so I usually take someone with me or make sure that someone in my family knows where I am. #fraidycat
3. Consignment Shops
Consignment stores that focus on home decor items and furniture are excellent places to shop for new items for your home. You may be able to bargain with the item’s owner to get the best deal possible!
4. Online Classifieds
I have many friends {and my sister, who is also my friend…} who have found amazing deals from online classified ads! For example, my sister and brother-in-law just scored a beautiful dresser from an online ad. I never bought anything from an online classified ad myself, but it’s a great option especially if you have a truck to go pick up your purchases.
5. TJMaxx or Homegoods
I love shopping at TJMaxx! We don’t have a Homegoods locally, but those are great too! Lamps, pillows, vases, baskets, dishes, towels, bathroom accessories, bedding and more are all available at marked-down prices at TJ’s. You’ve got to love a deal!
6. Yard Sales
Have I mentioned that I can’t wait for yard sale season to start up this Spring? I’m so excited! At yard sales, I’m always on the lookout for rulers and yard sticks, furniture, books, art, fabric, vintage sewing supplies…and vintage anything. Few things are sweeter than falling in love with someone else’s junk!
7. Estate Sales
Much like yard sales, estate sales are amazing resources for inexpensive home decor. If you arrive early enough to the sale, you can get “first dibs” on furniture, artwork, accessories, lamps and more. I think I feel much like a game hunter when I’m yard sale-ing or estate sale-ing…the hunt is exhilarating!
8. Salvage Shops
It may seem a bit redundant to mention salvage shops after sharing about the love I have for the ReStore, but the two are different, I promise. My favorite salvage shop is Southern Accents. The place is phenomenal. They literally go into houses and buildings that are going to be torn down and they save everything worth salvaging. Floors, windows, mantels, newel posts from staircases, molding, door knobs, light fixtures and more. Southern Accents even has a wood working shop on location and if you can dream it up…they can create it.
9. Antique Malls
Shopping at an antique mall is completely different than shopping at a yard sale, thrift shop or the ReStore. Typically, antique sellers are not only proud of their merchandise, but they make you pay for their “proudness.” Yes, I just made up that word. However, it is possible to find inexpensive treasures at antique stores. My word of advice…don’t throw caution to the wind when you are on a budget and shopping at an antique mall.
10. The Side Of The Road
Have you been waiting for this one? My husband humors me as I squeal and make him turn around to go see what was in a pile of “junk.” I got over my self-respect a long time ago and I have no problem digging through stuff on the side of the road. I’ve dug out some neat old windows that my mother-in-law wanted to fight me over {not really!}. My friend Beckie is a RoadKill Rescue queen.
Where is your favorite budget-friendly place to shop??
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- All moved in but short on cash for decorating the new place? Apartment Guide has ideas for decorating your apartment on a dime as well as helping you find your personal style!
Apartment Guide and owner Consumer Source, Inc. have partnered with bloggers like me as Official Apartment Guide Bloggers. As part of this program, I have received compensation. They have not told me what to purchase or what to say about the products used, and believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.
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XO
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats girl!! That is SO EXCITING!! I also love shopping at Kirkland Home and Gordmans!
Great ideas, Myra! I’ve gotten pretty addicted to a few “junk” stores in our area. I keep my eyes open for red books, blue Mason jars, and (my favorite) milkglass.
Teri Lynne Underwood´s last [type] ..Are You a Nagging Wife?
Myra, these are all my favorite places. I read this outloud to my husband and said, “see?”What after every suggestion! Love thus!
Congratulations! I love shopping at these places too!
Debbie~refreshrestyle´s last [type] ..If I were a Captain, I’d have a log.
We love the thrift shops, antique stores and garage sales as well. I call my husband the trash many because every week on trash night he comes home with something new. Often it is something we can clean up or quickly fix and sell for a few extra bucks.
Jenifer´s last [type] ..Victorian Hotels and Fuzzy Socks
I definitely love Homegoods, when I go into TJ Maxx or Marshall’s I head right towards the clearance section. I always find good stuff there and sometime it is cheaper than the thrift stores so that’s a major plus for this thrift shopaholic:)
Latoya@The Scott’s Crib´s last [type] ..Healthier Crib and Family Challenge: Month 1
I love going thrifting! Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
maria´s last [type] ..Lofthouse Style Soft Sugar Cookies
Great tips! Estate sales are my new favorite…and I’ve often found that if you go the second or third day, they discount the merchandise…and there’s still always plenty to be found!
linda (burlap+blue)´s last [type] ..this little word of mine (my word of the year)
I found a dresser on the curb 11 yrs ago and still use it for my fourth baby. I’ve painted and reprinted it many times. Now I’m thinking aqua!
Jackie´s last [type] ..Weekly Menu 1/16-1/22
I have to add Ross to the list. Similar to TJMaxx, I find the great things for my home there!
I just posted about our local salvage store today! I love searching for treasures there. And I love knowing that I’m not wasting and I’m getting stuff with history. Great recommendations and congrats on partnering with Apartment Therapy!
Heidi´s last [type] ..The ReBuilding Center
wow, congrats lady – this is awesome!!
love this!! congrats on this wonderful opportunity. They are blessed to have you!
This is very helpful. I’ve already bookmarked it, can’t wait to do some decorating of my own. How did you come up with cool ideas by the way?
Thanks!
Hayden
Hayden´s last [type] ..how to get a girl to like you
This is a great list. I’ve just started to get into decorating my house but I never know where to find stuff. Of course I’ve gone to walmart and target and while there stuff is cute I can’t help but think how many other people have the same thing. I’ve never thought of going to an Estate sell but I think I’m going to give that a try. I bet you can find some great stuff at those.
Ashley {The North Carolina Cowgirl}´s last [type] ..Another Horse Lost to Abuse – RIP Sonny
Love this! I would add Ikea to the list! Not everyone has one close by, but it’s totally worth it to get the catalog for ideas.
I love flea markets and auctions. I have gotten some great scores in both.
Every Spring and fall we have clean up week in our town. Everyone throws anything they don’t want to the curb and you can drive around all week looking through stuff and on the Friday what’s left gets hauled away to the dump. Last year I got an oak rocking chair in mint condition and a wooden side table someone had painted in a folksy checker board. It came complete with unique checker board pieces as well! My friend got a dinning room suite, table, 6 chairs and a hutch! She sanded it down and varnished it and it looks like a million bucks! You can find some awesome stuff if you are prepared to look at these off the wall places. I love thrifting!
You can find can find good deals at Goodwilll when you are on a budget. I have found furniture when decorating for college kids.
I love your suggestions, and shop the same way. I’ve performed several of what I call “curbside rescues”, too. An old, rather large corner World globe, wicker coffee table (all I needed was the plate glass) a demi-lune hall / console table, just needed a drawer knob and a leg tightening. My all-time BEST find was a huge Fisher-Price kid’s kitchen for my little girl in near-perfect condition. I found while I was looking for a friend’s house, in a new neighborhood. Just a few Clorox wipes later and it was good to go, and my little got endless hours of play time from it. I could go on all day! =:o)
In our family we call, “on the side of the road,” Curb-side Boutique-ing. There are some places my parents have lived, where their neighborhood does not have the concept of donating, so they just put all their stuff on the side of the road the night before garbage day.
I agree with so many of these ideas. TJ Maxx, Thrift Stores, Craigs List and Yard Sales are all on my list.
I also like inheriting random things from my parents and my in laws. They like seeing them put to use.
Also I like to shop high end online stores when they are having sales or events. Then I can get a couple high pieces that can really pull the room together and get inspired to recreate their pricey things on the cheap.
I live in England and I always here people talking about “thrift stores” in american films or TV series. Are they the same as what we call charity shops? Like where people give in their old stuff and you can buy it for cheap and then the proceeds go to charity?
I live in Cincinnati and my husbnd and i go to Flea markets all the time….Traders world and Cesears creek flea markets are two big ones. Plus my daughter and i go to Goodwill and Big Lots alot. Some fantastic finds there too. Home Goods is great too except when i see a sale i wonder ” would Big Lots have this any cheaper?” lol And I’m not above a good “curb side sale” haha….why pay full price when you can get it so much cheaper at thrift stores? and i love to get junk jewelry and rework it to make something new and different…Love it…………
Goodwill’s Bargin Barn! Yes, you have to dig thru bins and use a bit of imagination,but it’s sooooo worth it! Just the other day I found a floor lamp still in the box that Walmart is currently selling for $40, I paid $3. Plus the Brahmin tote I picked up for $1. I am addicted!
Did anyone mention Freecycle? Its like an online version of roadkill. People post free stuff and you just have to go get it. Typically its on the porch. Definitely Ross.