I’m back with some more dollar store steals! This time I am tackling home decor. Everyone wants to love the way their home looks, but your bedroom aesthetics and bathroom fengshui usually take a backseat when it’s time to make the budget. Not anymore! I’ve got some tips for how you can have it all.
I love a good bargain. I got it from my mom and she got it from her mom. I have early memories of standing at the checkout counter at Macy’s with my Grandma while she argued that the pants she’d purchased were 75% off and not 50% like the receipt reflected (she was always right). Or my mom coming home from Kohls with $600 worth of clothes that she got for $7. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but the point remains that the women in my family live for the thrill of the hunt. The bargain hunt that is.
I really honed my bargain hunting skills when I was in college. I was constantly broke but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from having the apartment I’d always wanted. I didn’t have the money to shop at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware or even Target for that matter (although I watched the clearance bins like a hawk). Being a neurotic germaphobe put good will out of the equation so that left me with the dollar store and what little creativity I had.
With a new apartment and a strict budget, I became very acquainted with the local dollar stores and 6 years later I’m still opting for these home decor dollar store steals!
- Artificial Flowers: I don’t know if you guys know this, but fake flowers are expensive! I love the look of flowers and greenery but I’ve proven time and time again that I can’t keep anything alive (RIP to my hermit crab and 7 goldfish). Sometimes you have to do a little rummaging to find the best $1 flowers, but once you find them you’ll never know the difference! Every arrangement in the photos below were put together with dollar store flowers! All of the vases are also dollar store finds.
- Candles: This one is a little bit of a grey area. I use candles for aesthetic and mood lighting more than scent, so dollar store candles are perfect for me. They’re a fraction of the price and come in a wide variety to colors to match your room tones. TIP: Use a candle warmer or plug ins for a scent booster if you’re used to stronger candles.
- Mirrors: I love using small mirrors on tables, counters and desks to put candles on or enhance the appearance of decor. I have these on my nightstands, vanity, dresser and the counters in my bathroom. I even used a larger mirror as a table topper for the round table in the photo above. It can add so much to an otherwise boring piece.
- Storage: I love using little bowls, baskets and glass jars for practical decor. These are great for office supplies, hair tools, makeup brushes, nail polish, paper straws, ect.
- Decorative Throws: You can find the cutest printed blankets at dollar stores. They aren’t great quality but I love to use them to throw over chairs for some dimension. I paid $5 for the blanket in the photo below!
- DIY Supplies: I love finding cheap things at the dollar store that I can re-purpose. I bought a 4 pack of white canvases and used painters tape and black spray paint to create some great wall art just by created opposing stripes and hanging the canvases side by side (okay full disclosure, by dad actually did the work). You can see part of it in the corner one of the photos below.
- Miscellaneous: There are so many other dollar store steals that can add so much to a room. I love painting wooden letters to create monograms or just as an accent piece. Spelling out your child’s name over their bed is a great way to spice up their rooms. I love to stack note books and photo albums with fun prints as a replacement to coffee table books. TIP: Cute glass containers and decorative pieces are usually found near the candles in most dollar stores.
Here are just a few of the areas in my home I’ve used these dollar store steals to decorate!
