Must-Know Tips When Shopping for Furniture on a Budget

With sofas costing upwards of $1,000 and many discount furniture stores sacrificing quality for a lower price tag, it may seem impossible to furnish your home on a budget. If you know what to look for, however, you can afford to invest in some new furnishings without breaking the bank. Here are some smart tips for budget-savvy furniture shopping.

  • Consider the time of year. Most furniture stores release their new collections in February and August, so they’ll likely try to clear out their old inventory in January and July. As long as you don’t mind having last season’s styles, you can usually find a great price around this time.
  • Check online. You can often find better deals on furniture by shopping clearance websites like Overstock.com and Amazon. You also might get free shipping by spending more than a certain amount.
  • Buy secondhand. Another person’s mistake might be your gain when it comes to furniture. Check sites like Craigslist to find brand new sofas, beds, and other items that didn’t work in someone else’s home.
  • Check consignment stores. If you don’t mind gently used furniture, thrift shops and consignment stores often have great deals on fairly modern styles. Check back often, as you never know what they’ll have from day to day.

How to Choose Furniture on a Budget [Overstock]
4 Tips for Finding Budget-Friendly Furniture [U.S. News]
Best Places to Find Budget Furniture [About Home]

The Top 5 Most Fragrant Fresh-Cut Flowers

Flowers look beautiful in your home, but you also love them for the lovely scent they emit throughout your space. If you want to fill your home with the unmistakable aroma of fresh-cut blooms, these are the top five best flowers to choose.

  • Lavender. The purple-blue flowers on the lavender plant are instantly recognizable, as are the blooms' soothing, relaxing fragrance. Best of all, lavender flowers last a relatively long time, so you’ll really get your money’s worth.
  • Roses. The flower of love is also one of the best when it comes to floral fragrance. While most common floral shop roses don’t have much of a scent, heirloom and garden roses smell fresh and sweet.
  • Peonies. These herbaceous flowers bloom in late spring and early summer, and their large, showy petals prove them to be as eye-catching as they are fragrant. Peonies boast a citrus-y, woodsy scent.
  • Hyacinth. This spring plant has tight, clustered flowers in shades of blue, white, and pink, and its scent is similar to a sweeter type of lavender.
  • Lilac. Lilac flowers grow on larger trees and bushes, but they are often cut for bouquets. Although they only last for around five days in a vase, their soft, sweet scent is well worth their short lifespan!

Top 10 Best Smelling Flowers According To Florists [Flower Shop Network]
Flower Power: The Best Fragrant Flowers [Divine Caroline]
Stop and Smell these Fragrant Flowers! [Fun Flower Facts]

How to Upcycle Common Household Items

You may recycle your paper and plastic, but when it comes to all of that junk that piles up in your closets, most people are at a loss. If you want to reuse those perfectly good items that you simply don’t have use for anymore, these tips can help.

  1. Picture frames. Instead of letting that slightly broken picture frame go to waste, get a bit creative about how to use it. Place a piece of colorful paper inside and lay the frame on its back to use as an eclectic, decorative jewelry tray or as a place to set candles.
  2. Colander. That beat up old colander may still have a bit more life in it. Place the bottom inside of a small bucket and fill the colander with ice at your next party. The water will run into the bucket as the ice melts so your guests won’t have to fish for ice.
  3. Old newspaper. Line drawers or shelves with old newspaper using wallpaper paste and craft sealant for an authentically vintage look.

New Uses for Old Things [Country Living]
25 New Ways to Use Your Old Stuff [HGTV]
50 All-Time Favorite New Uses for Old Things [Real Simple]

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