3 min readRecently, I decided that I wanted to do a major apartment revamp. I hired a pro to help me add picture frame molding to what was previously a boring, simple shoebox-size living room, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. However, making this change ended up being incredibly expensive, and because of this, I knew I had to cut back on overall spending for the next 30 days—and that included holding off on purchasing any new home decor.
Given that I’m someone who’s always on the hunt for new decorative accents to weave into my space, scaling back on home purchases was certainly a challenge. That said, I learned a lot about how to still make my living room feel new and fresh post-makeover without splurging on anything new.
Below, I’m sharing the best things I did to make over my space during this time without spending any cash.
Restyling My Shelves
One of the biggest selling points for me when I moved into my apartment was the fact that the living room already had a nice set of built-in shelving. Given that I’m someone who has a huge collection of coffee table books and trinkets, I was thrilled to have an immediate solution when it came to organizing and displaying these items.
In order to keep things looking and feeling fresh, I find myself restyling these shelves slightly every six months or so. It’s fun to mix together new colors and textures to create interesting vignettes, and the best part of restyling using items that you already own is that it’s free! I found myself doing this a bit post–living room makeover until I got every configuration just right.
Adding Fresh Greenery
While buying new, permanent decor was off-limits, I still wanted to bring some fresh, seasonal greenery into my home to make my space feel more lively without breaking the bank. I get most of my flowers and branches either at Trader Joe’s or my local bodega, and styling them in existing vessels I have is an affordable yet impactful way to zhush things up.
Donating Lots of Unnecessary Goods
There’s something about spending less that also makes you want to become more of a minimalist (or maybe that’s just me?). Either way, I took many trips to the local thrift store to drop off donations during my low-spend month, and getting rid of home accessories and other miscellaneous items that no longer served me truly made me feel so much better mentally while also allowing for some breathing room throughout my living space.
Actually Using My “One Day” Pieces
I’ve thrifted so many beautiful pieces of glassware that I buy with hosting in mind, and during my low-spend month, I decided to actually use these items rather than continue saving them for “one day.”
When you’re constantly accumulating new things, it can be difficult to remember to use what you already have and love. Even a simple girls’ night in can look so much more elevated when you’re breaking out chic serving dishes and wine glasses. Since I wasn’t hitting the stores, I instead shopped my own cabinets and busted out some of my prized possessions to create the setup shown above.
