room redo's: staying under budget

Yesterday I shared our office/craft room makeover. One of the things that intrigues people the most is how I am able to do this kind of stuff with such a little budget.

So here are my little nuggets of thrifty design knowledge to impart on all of you.

Give old pieces new life.

Ideally, I would have loved to give this guy the boot and get something more like those white modular systems you see at Michael's, but that would come with a hefty price tag. So I opted to recover this piece for a grand total of $0. And now, I love it.

I got this hand me down printer cart at the same time that I got the paper storage from my parents - it was the same brown particle board. Particle board is not easy to spray paint, it took like 5 coats, but where there's a will, there's a way. (I had already painted this last year.)

Get resourceful.

I needed some sort of easy access storage for project pieces that I sometimes need but other times just want to shove out of the way. Instead of going out to the store to purchase a bin or basket, I just wrapped a regular old cardboard box. 

I can tuck away project pieces without it being an eye sore in the room.

When you need pen/pencil/marker/scissor storage, look no further than your pantry. These pen holders are just aluminum soup cans wrapped in my favorite scrapbook paper. 

Save old pasta sauce jars and spray paint the lids - more economical storage. 

Take advantage of yard sales.

This chair cost me $3. Enough said.

Shop within your own house.

When you're in need of something, look around your house and see what you already own that you can take advantage of. You might find a stool that fits perfectly in a little nook.

Or some random frames you can use.

Or some friends to keep you company.

Shop at thrift stores.

You might have to go often or be a little more diligent, but the reward is usually great.

I got this metal storage cabinet for $10.

A perfect home for all my fabrics.

Got this filing cabinet at the same time - also $10.

These individual file drawers are the perfect card storage solution. $5

A huge bolt of vintage floral shop paper that I use to wrap up etsy sales. $10.

Make do with what you've got.

The cork board that is under that fabric has seen way better days - it's missing chunks and has about one million holes, but it still gets the job done. And hey, it's hidden.

Maximize your dollar.

I toyed with several different ideas for organization, but found that I could get a large piece of peg board for only $8 and it stores the most stuff.

Be unconventional.

An old drawer and a cheese box as storage? Yes.

A planter as a pincushion? Heck, yes.

And that's how it's done, folks. Our grand total was just under $100 and includes all the wood and supplies to build the L-desk and all the additional storage pieces purchased.

Have any budget friendly tips of your own? Do tell.

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