How to Decorate on a Budget: 10 Inexpensive and Easy Decorating Ideas

Check out these cheap (ahem, inexpensive) and easy ways to decorate your apartment or home. Whether you just moved or simply need a scenery change, these actually doable ideas will transform your space. Learn how to decorate on a budget below.

Decorating your home on a budget is possible. No matter the size of your wallet, you can create your living space to be a reflection of who you are. There are so many simple and affordable things you can do to make your house a home.

This post lists several things you can do in just one day, with very little money, to transform every room in your house.

1. Plants and then some more plants

Plants are the very first thing you should purchase as home décor. They are cheap, very easy to pick out, and will simply transform your place.

If you find your rooms dull or lacking energy, plants will liven it up.

I recommend heading to Home Depot or Lowes and selecting a few floor plants and a few smaller plants to put on tables.

For floor plants, you can typically find some for $12-$15 each. I love the mass cane plants – they are fairly easy to take care of and I think they are beautiful. Place floor plants in any room, but especially your living room.

For table plants, you can typically find some for $5-$10. Bamboo plants are insanely easy to keep alive (you don’t need to get the fancy intertwining bamboo stalks). There are so many different types of plants in these big box stores that you really can’t go wrong. Place table plants everywhere – kitchen table, coffee table, dresser, window sill, etc.

My favorite plant for the bathroom (yes, plants in the bathroom will make your little space so cute) is an orchid. They are usually pretty expensive for just one flower (about $20), but if that’s your only decoration in the space it might be worth the splurge.

Plants of course need pots. Terra cotta pots are the cheapest, look very classy, and will go with any décor or colors that your house already has. You can get the terra cotta pots at Home Depot, Lowes, any crafts store like Michaels, or on Amazon. These places have pots year-round, but if you are looking for something a little unique, you can usually find very cheap pots at Home Goods, TJ-Maxx, or Marshalls a little before and during Spring. Outside of the season, it will be tough finding pots in the stores.

2. Add mirrors to make your rooms seem larger and brighter

Mirrors will add virtual square footage to your room because of the reflections (ever get tricked when you walk into a store and think it’s twice its actual size?). Mirrors also add natural light to your space because it’s reflecting the light coming from the windows.

Mirrors are fairly cheap and come in so many different sizes and styles. They are easy to hang and work in every type of room.

Head over to Home Goods for a wide selection of mirrors. You will be able to find one that fits your style for an affordable price.

3. Showcase your pictures

You probably already have a phone full of pictures of your latest vacation, goofy moments with your significant other, or happy times with your mom. Print those pictures in different sizes ($0.05 cents for a 4×6 or spend a little more for a 5×7 or larger).

Frames can be bought anywhere. Find some in the back of your closet, the dollar store, or the thrift store.

Showcase your pictures by displaying them on tables, hanging them on the wall, or lining them up on window sills.

4. Frame anything

Don’t stop at pictures. You can frame just about anything. Frame your collection of postcards. Frame that cool flower you found. Print a motivational quote and frame that.

5. Decorate with books

You probably already have a healthy collection of books. Display them. You can try to make them look fancy by organizing them by size or color. Or you can simply display them randomly (this is what I do). When guests come over to my house, my book collection is almost always the first thing they wonder over to. Books make a place seem homey, welcoming, and lived in.

6. Pillows

Couch pillows are a cheap and easy way to add personality and color to your house. You can find affordable pillows at any home décor store.

For a cheaper alternative, you can repurpose a pillow you already own by buying fabric and sewing a pillow cover.

7. Placemats

I love the simple and streamlined look of having minimal things on counters and tables. However, adding placemats to your dining room table has the same effect as adding couch pillows. It’s a very cheap way to add personality and color to your home. Also, they can easily be swapped when your tastes change.

8. Use a tray to display what you already have

Everybody has that relative that has a house filled with trinkets, junk, and 50 years’ worth of Happy Meal toys. I don’t think that’s the best way to decorate a house.

Buy a decorative tray (usually about $15) from a home decorations store (or you can even make you’re your own from a few pieces of wood). Choose your favorite souvenirs, prettiest candles, and random things that make you happy and put them on a tray. This is a nice and compact way to decorate your house by using those random trinkets you already own.

9. Lights

A bright room is an inviting room. Make sure your house is properly lit with enough lamps. You can find affordable lamps at Target, those really cool string of lights on Amazon, or the thrift store for used lamps. A very cheap way to upgrade a cheap lamp is to buy a new lamp shade.

10. Paint (or wall decals)

This one is a little time-intensive, but still very affordable. Buy some paint from Lowe’s or Home Depot (a gallon is ~$25; make sure get the ones with primer too). Paint brushes and paint tape will probably run you another $10 or $20 dollars. Paint a wall or an entire room. It’s an easy way to make the place your own.

If you are renting and your place doesn’t allow you to paint, wall decals are a great substitute for paint (and they are cheaper and easier to put up than paint).

11. Wall shelves

Wall shelves are cheap, easy to install, and can be great wall art. Grab some affordable shelves at Amazon, fill them with your pictures, awards, and a plant.

Decorating on a budget

When decorating, the general rule is less is more. Your place doesn’t have to be filled to the brim with decorations to look good.

Start with a blank canvas. Add plants. Add pictures of family and friends so you can always be surrounded and reminded of the people you love. Then, pick a color scheme. Decide if you are going to add colors with paint or with cheap decorations (pillows, placemats, trays). Now you should have a good base. Slowly add only the things you love and make you happy.

What’s your favorite inexpensive home decoration?