July 21, 2014

Decorating on a budget: $147 later


I come from a long line of bargain shoppers.  I was brought up to believe that there is a big difference between buying something cheap and buying something cheaply made.  Cheap means having good luck and "right time, right place".  It usually refers to outlet shopping, which I've done a lot of in my day.  Cheaply made means…fake wood furniture from Target (that I think is so, so pretty but Scott won't let me buy because it's "not real" wood or whatever). Or clothes from Old Navy.  I swear that some of the clothes I have from there hold up like champs, whereas others are garbage after one wash.

I love stores like Homegoods, Marshall's, T.J. Maxx, etc, because they have great goods and brand names for lower prices.  I have some issues when it comes to paying full price, so I rarely shop at more expensive chains (like Pottery Barn or Williams Sonoma) because I really don't think a lot of that stuff is worth it.  Also, I get quite a high from finding a bargain.

While I could probably go into a little bit of credit card debt over decorating this place and my husband would be none the wiser, I won't let myself.  You see, I thought ahead:  my in-laws gave us money for Christmas and I've been hoarding it away with the idea of "the new house" since December.  I wasn't going to waste it on stuff for a rental that may or may not work when we finally settled in our own home (I'm not crazy; I knew we were moving in the spring.)

So I had a list of things I wanted and needed and there's still more to get, but here's what I got at Homegoods and Jo-Ann Fabrics.  I don't have the receipts, but here's approximately what $147 got me.

Rug for the kitchen (top): $20
Rug for the guest bathroom (bottom): $20
Shower curtain rod for the guest bathroom: $15
Storage basket: about $8


Shower curtain: $15
Shower curtain liner: $5
Dog toy: $5
Shower curtain hooks: $6
Stemless wine glasses: $10

Basket: about $6
Vintage-looking hat boxes for the guest room: $8-10 each.  They were originally FIFTY DOLLARS EACH.  Who in their right mind would pay that much for decorative cardboard? 

Treat jar: $10

It came out to about $31 at Jo-Ann Fabrics and $116 at Homegoods.  I actually steered myself away from the clothes in the Marshall's portion, telling myself that would be a separate trip.  You can see that my splurge was probably the rugs, but I like having different rugs to choose from and I needed something without rubber on the back for the hardwood floor.  Plus, I liked the patterns.  

I also took a spin through Kirkland's because they do a great military discount and we're in the market for wall art, but I didn't see anything I just had to have.

Where do you like to shop for "home goods"?

12 comments:

  1. Good deals are just such a happy thing, aren't they? And I'm with Scott on highly preferring real wood furniture.

    Thus far...I've really only ever bought stuff for the home from second hand stores--and that was a few pieces of furniture when we first got married. People gave us a lot of accessories and home decor stuff for our wedding and even though it wasn't what I would have picked out, it was good enough for the first few years in our rented house.

    Now, my parents are already getting started on setting up our apartment in Malaysia, by purchasing a couple things every time they need to go to the capital city for work, because the capital has an Ikea, which apparently, in a land with very little high-quality stuff, is comparatively good quality. So I've been searching the Ikea Malaysia site and picking out stuff for an apartment I've never seen that I'm going to move into in 2016. A little crazy...but hey, they bought me chairs and a bookshelf for my birthday this week! :)

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  2. I just bought a condo and so we have spent a lot of money lately. We didn't have anything to fill the house up since we got married about 2 weeks after we bought the condo.

    I haven't decorated much, I'm still trying to unpack my personal things (we both lived with our parents before we moved in together after the wedding) . However for household things I've gone to bed, bath & beyond (gift cards and/or 20% or $5 coupons on every purchase), Target (with the 5% discount and things on sale), Wal*Mart, Kohl's (with coupons on top of coupons and sale), and some things from ROSS and JC Penney.

    I completely agree with cheap vs. cheaply made. Our furniture came from actual furniture stores -a nd while it might not be top class, it's not cheap plywood type stuff.

    Good finds on the stuff you got!

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  3. What a great haul!! I'm a huge fan of a good deal!! :)

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  4. I am a sucker for a good deal! I shop at Home Goods for almost all of my home decor. They have the cutest stuff at great prices!

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  5. I miss marshalls and homegoods SO MUCH! I swear our next house I will actually decorate. It's just that...we move so freaking often that I can never justify anything. I also always have that thought of "if you buy this, you'll eventually have to move it." And that always, ALWAYS changes my mind. I am DYING over the stemless wine glasses. I need some of those in my life!

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  6. I adore those hat boxes!

    I love the Homegoods family (Homegoods/Marshalls/TJMaxx) for home stuff. I also like World Market (only online, there isn't a store around here) some Pier 1 stuff (depends on the sales).

    If I like something, I buy it, and I will find a way to work it into my home.

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  7. I seriously get a high from getting good deals too! Since we moved here I've been frequenting HomeGoods/TJ Maxx, Kirklands, Target clearance sections, JoAnn Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, and even made a trip to the Ikea in Denver. My next stop is the Castle Rock Outlets.

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  8. There is nothing better than getting good deals on household items!

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  9. When we were in Seattle, we went to Ikea and World Market. I could LIVE in those stores...a bit more pricey (at least WM is) than Marshalls and probably Home Goods (never been to one of those) but I loooooove their stuff.

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  10. I love all the things that you found. I have never been to a Homegoods, but we have them in the area, so I'm not sure what has been stopping me. I'm feeling a trip this coming weekend. :) :) Usually, we buy items at Hobby Lobby and Target. There are a lot of smaller decorations that we or family members have picked up on our/their travels.
    ~Amanda from His and Her Hobbies

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  11. Wow, you got a ton of stuff for $147! I'm a total bargain shopper too! Home Goods is one of my favorite stores to buy home decor. I'm thinking I need to go there soon!

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  12. Wow!! What great finds. I feel the same way about places like Marshall's and Home Goods - they have just such fantastic things. On the other hand, when I ask someone where they got something and they say one of those places, I get so sad because I know I'm NEVER going to be able to find it for myself haha!

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