How to Decorate a Small House with No Money

Ever had that feeling that you're ready for a change in your living room or any space for that matter?  You are tired of the space and all its old accessories and furniture. But who has the money to go out and purchase all new stuff?  Well, this is why I decided to write about how to decorate a small house with no money using the decor you already have.  Because believe it or not you have some pretty nice things to start with.

In our house, my husband and I decided many years ago to live a debt-free life, and with three kids and mostly living on one income, that meant there was little to no money for house decorations. That didn't stop me from finding ways to decorate our small home without spending money.

So today I thought you might like to know my designer tips on how to decorate a small house with no money and the secret is loving the decor you already have. Continue reading, and I will explain more.

How to Decorate a Small House with No Money

Before we just into decorating, we are going to take a step back and find your design style. If you don't need help with this, you can skip down to where it says re-purpose.

How to Find Your Design Style

Before you decide to throw anything out, start with a plan.  I recommend creating a board on Pinterest and start searching for living rooms or whatever the space you are re-vamping.  Just have fun and search.  Pin whatever makes you happy and don't think about what people will think.

WRITE DOWN YOUR STYLE

Make sure to write what it is you like.  Believe it or not, many of my clients cannot remember what they liked about certain photos.  Now look at all the pins and ask yourself what they have in common.  Now you have your style.  Print a few photos that best reflect that look and keep them close at hand so you can always refer to them to stay on task.

ORGANIZE

Start with a warm cup of coffee or tea and sit down in the room where you want to begin redecorating and look around at that space. Ask yourself what in this room will go with your new design. Then ask yourself if there is anything in this room, full of treasures, that can be re-purposed.

RE-PURPOSE YOUR DECORATIONS

An example of re-purposing is this old book and vase.  Old books are great for elevating an accessory you need to be taller or to add color to an accessory ensemble.  And every space needs a little bit of life, so clean up that old vase, paint it a new fresh color, and add some greenery.

FAMILY DECORATIONS

After you have assessed your own hidden treasures, you then can start venturing out to add more to your list.   Take your inspiration photos with you when you're shopping at mom, grandma, cousin, and so on homes.  

Your family often has things tucked away in their cabinets that they would love for you to display in your decor. When my grandma passed, I got all her Currier & Ives dishes, but when she was alive, I have no doubt she would have loved to share them with me.

THRIFT STORE DECORATIONS

I know we are talking about how to decorate with no money, but if you have a few dollars consider decorating from thrift stores.

Thrift stores are a great place to find unique items for your decorations and old books. There is so much you can do with old books when decorating, like stack them on a table, stand them on end, and place bookends on each side. You can find some cool bookends at thrift stores too.

Now that you have a few more items for your space, let's look at what I did with my items.

Look at this small shadow box art.  I have three main colors in my new rug.  They are light blue, cream and gray.  Knowing my color scheme, I thought this shadow box might be what the table needed to give it that new look.

OLD AND NEW

Someone once told me that the best accessories combine old and new.  I have found that to be true.  What is a room full of shiny new things without some sentiment?  It's the plate that belonged to Grandma that makes it special.  Another place to shop your home for decorations is in your own cabinets, meaning china cabinet, hutch, kitchen, and so on.

Your dishes are great decorations for your home.

Here is one place I used my grandma's Currier and Ives dishes. I hung one of the tea cups on my dish rack in my kitchen. There are so many ideas for using dishes to decorate, like placing a creamer or sugar dish on a book inside a bookcase or hanging plates on a wall.

Moving Furniture Around

Before I wrap up this post on decorating your small house with no money, I want to share probably the biggest idea yet, and that is moving around your furniture.

If you do not have one extra dollar to spend at the dollar store or you don't have many decorations to play with, consider moving around your furniture.

Try placing your sofa on another wall or repositioning your chairs. If you have a hope chest in your bedroom, bring it out as a coffee table or a dining chair in the corner with a stack of books as a side table for a reading nook.

You will be amazed at just changing around a room can make it feel like you got something new.

Conclusion

Now that you have some ideas, here are a few last words of encouragement.

Take a second look at that room you're tired of and see it through new eyes.  Because moving some furniture around and getting some new items that you already have will suddenly make Grandma's plate look amazing.  And then you will love the decor you already have.

Comment below your favorite old accessory and what room you want to decorate with no money.

Happy Decorating!

Oh, and if you liked this post go check out my Popular Sherwin Williams Paint Colors.  It’s filled with popular paint color suggestions!

Okay, so I know that is an afterthought but when I come across something pretty of good quality and a great deal I cannot help but share.  Check out this rug HERE!