10 Ways I Saved Money On My Living Room

People are always curious about what I did to make my living room look the way it did and they’re normally shocked at how little money I spent. I did not have a lot of money for furnishings when I first moved into this house and it was an anxious season of my life as my career was transitioning. I remember walking into the empty house after the sale had closed and feeling incredibly lonely. Making my house a comfortable place was not just about aesthetics, but helping the emotional transition as well. (Below is a photo of my living room right before I moved in.)

Using creative skills I developed in architecture school and deal hunting I learned from my parents, I used a combination of thrifty purchases and diy projects to get the final look. Here are some of the ways I furnished my living room on a pretty tight budget.

1. I made my own coffee table.

I saw a similar table online for $350. I couldn’t justify spending the money at the time so I bought $60 worth of wood and made my own. Check out how I did it here.
Savings: $290

2. I made my own built-in shelves.

Built-ins are incredibly expensive especially if you hire someone to make them custom for you. You can expect to spend nearly $2000 to get the same shelves I built. I purchased $200 in materials and made these shelves with nothing but a circular saw and drill. I’ll show you how I did it in a future post.
Savings: $1800

3. I didn’t buy extra decor items.

I used and repurposed what I had along with objects I found or salvaged. I had some old tin planters from IKEA that I spray painted gold. I use those to store pens and remotes on my coffee table. I found an old wine box that I used to store leather scraps for my leather making projects. My friend found an old fishing bait and tackle box that I now use to store all my leather working tools.

4. I purchased my pillow covers from H&M Home.

These covers were $5 each and I got the down pillow inserts from IKEA for $5 each, for a total of $10 per pillow. Similar pillows can cost close to $40 each.
Savings: $90

5. I purchased lighting from IKEA and Target.

As long as my lighting isn’t made from plastic and is well constructed from natural materials like metal, wood and fabric, then I don’t really care where I purchase it from. I personally can’t justify spending more than $100 on a lamp especially since lamps don’t get heavy use like a chair or sofa. I got the tripod lamp for sale from Target for $50 during one of their lighting sales. It normally retails for $90. Target usually has lighting sales that happen in cycles. Just keep an eye out and you’ll hit one eventually.
Savings: $40

6. I regrew my orchid instead of buying a new one.

Orchids are expensive. Large ones usually cost around $15 – $20. So after I bought one from Trader Joe’s last year I was determined to see it grow again. Here’s how I got my orchid to develop a new bloom.
Savings: $15

 

7. I purchased my sofa during the holiday sales at Macy’s.

Macy’s usually has good quality furniture and every once in awhile they have fantastic sales. This one is the Braylei Track Arm Sofa in Heather Gray. I got it on sale during Black Friday a year ago for less than $500. This particular sofa goes on sale every couple of months. Considering most mid century modern sofas of comparable size go for at least $1500, I think I picked a winner.
Savings: $1000

8. A few months after moving in, I splurged on one item that I really loved.

I really enjoy my Irving Leather Recliner from Pottery Barn. A lot of “leather” chairs use bonded leather or faux leather which makes them more affordable, but they deteriorate very quickly. Real leather ages beautifully and will last decades if you take care of it. As a result you end up saving more money in the long run because you don’t need to replace the piece. Even though this was a splurge, I used a 25% off coupon and opened up a Pottery Barn card for an extra 10% off. I saved close to $350 on this piece. This was obviously not a cheap purchase, but spending money on certain key pieces can help you get away with spending less on others.
Savings: $350

9. My record player looks fancy, but I didn’t have to pay a fancy price.

The Pyle turntable retails for $108 but I got it on sale at Amazon for $64. The stand for my record player is an old nightstand I had from IKEA.
Savings: $40

10. Rugs from Ross.

I honestly didn’t really want a fancy rug in my living room especially since I have families with kids over all the time. I got this white shag rug from Ross for $70. It’s quite large and it’s soft enough for my taste. A similar size rug can normally cost over $300. I’ve had people spill all kinds of things on this rug and I was able to get the stains out without a problem.
Savings: $230

Total Potential Savings: $3855

Moving into a new place by myself was a difficult and lonely time. Making it into a place that felt like home helped to ease that transition. The added joy of doing it without breaking my bank account was definitely a bonus. Hope some of these ideas inspire you in your own spaces. Happy homemaking!

Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means I receive a small commission from any products you purchase as a result of clicking my links. However I will NEVER promote a product I haven’t personally used before or that I do not think is worth purchasing.