Anyone who knows me knows that I love finding deals on just about everything. I actually like to think of myself as a savvy shopping ninja with a black belt in bargain finds. This is why today I thought I would share some of my top tips for how I find chic decor cheap.
Finding Chic Decor on the CHEAP!
Back in the day being on a decorating budget involved settling for a futon as a featured piece of furniture. Well, no more are you limited to opt for DIY furniture made from palettes. Now if you arm yourself with some savvy shopping tips you can get a chic look for cheap.
And just to be clear, I’m actually going to show you how to get upscale-looking furniture finds inexpensively. Not cheaply made furniture that will require you to budget for replacements annually.
Ok with that out of the way, let me share with you some of my best tips for snagging chic decor cheap.
Ikea
Of course, I have to start with a go-to for cheap chic decor – Ikea. Anyone who has ever needed to furnish their space on a budget knows their first stop will probably be to this Swedish giant. I love this store, but even I am sometimes amazed at what I find strolling their maze of room mockups.
Here are a few gems I found on a recent trip
Not only can you find some upscale wannabes, but you can also find good bases for upgradeable hacks. In fact, there are whole blogs and Pinterest boards devoted to some amazing Ikea hacks.
Here are a few of my favorites
- Heck of A Hack
- Ikea Hacks
- Ikea Hacks (different board)
Selling apps
Another favorite hunting ground for cheap decor finds would have to be the selling apps. I’m frequently scrolling through OfferUp and Mercari. I think a lot of times people think all you will find are used items on these sites, but I have been able to score new items at a fraction of retail using these apps.
As a matter of fact, recently I was able to furnish a whole room on a minimal budget all because I was able to find this bargain sofa on OfferUp –
Here’s a SAVVY SAVING TIP, if you are looking for a specific item do a quick search on the seller apps to see if you can find it at bargain-basement price. And if you’re not in a rush, save your search so you can get alerted when the item gets listed so you can be the first to snag it.
FB Marketplace
Similar to the selling apps, another great source is Facebook Marketplace. When I couldn’t find this item at Ikea (seriously, they were completely out in 3 local stores) I was able to turn to this marketplace and not only find it but get a deal.
A SAVVY SAVING TIP, if you are looking for a specific item but can’t find it, look for the item using different search terms. I wasn’t able to find this table by it’s name, but when I searched Ikea bookcase it came right up.
Just like the apps, you can also set the alerts here to be notified if an item you are looking for pops up for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
Thrift Stores
Without a doubt, my favorite bargain hunting ground has to be thrift stores. And I’m not alone because just about any interior designer worth their salt would agree that some amazing finds can be found at your local Goodwill.
Granted you might need to tap into your imagination to be able to see a score, but sometimes I can find unique decor items that are perfect as is.
Check out this cute brass lamp I recently rescued from my local Goodwill Store.
Keep Designing –
My Favorite Kind Of Furniture Find
So even though I love hunting local thrift shops for forgotten treasures, what I really love is finding a deal on new stuff. This brings me to my favorite furniture find tip – research.
So what do I mean by research? Well, just that. Often times I can find an incredible deal just by doing a little hunting.
Case Study #1 – New Computer
As a case study, I’ll take a couple of recent purchases I made for my home office. I decided it was time to upgrade my desktop, but of course, I wanted a deal.
So what did I do?
Well, first I visited my Amazon wish list for inspiration. I had already saved an all-in-one computer that I had been wanting for a while which was reasonably priced. The computer was available at Costco for around the same price.
But guess what!
A quick search on the selling app OfferUp for the same model scored me a cool $100 savings. Yes, I did need to make a 45-minute drive to pick it up. But come on! The savings was worth it.
How To Find Chic Decor CHEAP!
Case Study #2 – Desk Chair
And of course, I couldn’t stop there right. The new computer just highlighted my need for a new desk chair. My old chair was too low and it made me constantly need to look up at the computer screen. So one new chair coming up.
But this time, inspired by my email feed, I noticed a chair that I found in love with. It was an upholstered chair in my signature teal/aqua (I can never decide which shade is my favorite) with a chrome nailhead trim and base.
The chair was reasonably priced at Big Lots so I immediately added it to my cart. But I’ve started to get better at taking the time to look at reviews and this time I’m glad I did. It’s not that the feedback was bad, but someone did mention that the chair base was not chrome-like in the picture but was a whitewash wooden base instead. That really made a difference to me.
So back on the hunt. This really wasn’t an issue because quite often you can find the same item at various online vendors. A quick Google search and I was able to find the same chair being offered several places.
After a quick comparison, I actually found the best price at Home Depot of all places. Yes, Home Depot does sell furniture pieces online. This sounds a little crazy, but a lot of stores either have a larger online catalog of items or have a relationship with third-party vendors that they sell.
This was a double win for me because not only did I find significant price savings but by simply searching for a coupon code I was able to save an additional 20% more.
I SAVED OVER $100!
All in, I paid $130 with free home delivery and scored a $130 savings from the chair I originally thought was reasonably priced. And the chair arrived on my porch after two days! That was actually my third win.
So with some savvy shopping on two items, I rang in a savings of approximately $230. Not bad right? This AWESOME savings will actually pay for my soon-to-be-purchased new desk.
Another SAVVY SAVING TIP: Do your research. Prices change all the time so check to see who currently has the best price. The deal I got is over, and currently the best deal on my chair is at Target. So it pays to compare.
Are You A Savy Shopper?
So tell me, how do you find decor deals? Leave a comment below with your best-savvy shopping tip. I’m always down for a deal on decor!
Want to remember this “How To Find Chic Decor CHEAP!” , to your favorite Pinterest boards or social media channels?
