Finding Deals on Home Decor

I love a good bargain, especially when it comes to home decor. It’s fun to furnish and decorate my home without spending a small fortune.

So, what are the tricks for finding deals on home decor? Here are my favorite tips:

1. Sign Up for Emails

Subscribe to get emails from your favorite stores, whether it be a big box store or a local thrift store. Those emails often contain the stores’ latest deals, sometimes including coupons. Yes, those emails do tend to fill up your inbox, but if you are looking for deals, you can often score with the discounts or coupons in those emails.

Most of the big box stores and other larger stores allow you to subscribe to emails from them, but don’t overlook local, smaller stores, including thrift stores. For example, I have subscribed to emails from my favorite local home furnishings consignment store; they send out an email every once in a while with specials or clearance times.

I also get emails from my favorite local salvage store and the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, both of which include current sale inventory and notices of special sales.

2. Clipping Coupons

Coupons are a great way to save money.  You can find stores’ coupons on their websites, on their apps, through discount programs like Groupon, and even just in your local paper.  For example, Michaels regularly has a “40% off one regularly-priced item” coupon in our local paper. Clip that and you’ve got yourself a bargain!

3. Patience Is a Virtue

Buying off-season will save you money on home decor, especially holiday decor. For example, toward the end of the summer, stores are trying to get rid of all their summer merchandise to make way for fall merchandise. It’s the perfect time to buy summer decor that was too expensive during the beginning and middle of summer. You just have to be willing to be patient and wait for the sale. I recently found some outdoor lights I had been eyeing for some time for 75% off, just because it’s the end of the season.

This works especially well for holidays. For example, when stores are trying to put out Christmas merchandise, they put their fall merchandise on sale or clearance.

4. Thrift Shopping: Economical and Green

Thrift stores are becoming more and more popular sources for home decor and furniture. One thing I’ve noticed is that, since thrifting has become more of a trend, the prices at thrift stores have gone up considerably.

That said, there are plenty of bargains to be had! The thrift store near us has a 50% off day on Monday, and then it offers a 50% discount on merchandise with a certain color price tag the rest of the week.

I also want to talk about salvage stores, including, for example, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore. That’s where I got my dining room table:

And my $12 cast iron sink!

Click here to see my kitchen makeover on a budget!

And my lockers!

If you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore near you, you can find furniture and other home items there, as well as wood, tools, toilets and bathroom fixtures, and much more. The best part? Sales benefit Habitat for Humanity! To find a ReStore near you, click here.

For bargains, even at the ReStore where the prices are already low, our ReStore has days where certain merchandise is 20% off – some days it’s cabinets; some days, tools; some days, you can choose your bargain. You can sign up for an email to find out about special discounts available.

I also love shopping at a local, non-profit salvage yard. The money they make goes back into the community, and they keep building materials and furniture out of landfills. That salvage yard – the Lifecycle Building Center – has a “free” section, where you can just take whatever is there for free. I got these vintage bocce balls there, as well as samples of tile, wallpaper, and wood for projects.

Thrifting is “green,” too; it’s one of the best forms of recycling. Thrift and salvage stores keep unwanted materials and furnishings out of landfills and price them well so that someone else can buy and reuse them.

The best trick for thrift shopping? Get to know the people who work at the thrift store. They are often the best source for upcoming sales or discounts – if you’re lucky, and friendly, you can sometimes get the scoop before anyone else!

5. Outlet Stores

If you have outlet stores near you, you can score some deals on furnishings and decor you see in your favorite catalogs. Our family room sectional and chairs in the living room came from the nearby Pottery Barn outlet store.

Outlet stores are fantastic sources for bargains, but the catch is that you have to check them frequently because the stock changes so often and you never know what they’ll have.

The other thing you should be careful about when shopping at outlets is that, sometimes, the merchandise is damaged in some way. Inspect the item before you buy it and, if it is damaged, make sure that you can fix it.

For example, our living room chairs, above, came from the Pottery Barn outlet and, when we bought them, they had scratches on the legs. With a little stain, though, I could cover up the scratches and now they blend in with the rest of the wood.

Outlet store “malls” often have coupon books for additional bargains, so look for that before you start your shopping there!

6. Dollar Stores

What? The dollar store? Yes – you can find dishes, candlesticks, and other home decor items – especially for holidays – at the dollar store. For example, I made these mugs for Christmas from dollar store mugs and a sharpie pen.

What are your favorite tips for finding deals on home decor? Share in the comments!