<h2>6 Easy tips for styling your rented pad on a budget</h2>

This summer marks my 27th birthday and also my third year of being out of school and out on my own in the "real" world. During these past three years, I have moved eight times in three different states. One valuable lesson it has taught me is to keep only the things that I use or absolutely love. The other thing it has taught me is how to keep my standard of living design-wise without breaking the bank. Here are six tips for doing just that.

Get the tips and inspiration after the jump!

#1: Buy secondhand!

Goodwill, Value Village, garage sales and of course Craig's List.

I can't tell you how many great finds I have found off Craig's list. My current bed frame is a canopy bed that I got for a measely $50 from a moving sale and it's still in fantastic shape! I always wanted a canopy bed and with some Ikea Lenda curtains I had from a previous townhouse rental in Portland, I was ready to go! Another plus of buying second hand is lessening your environmental footprint by saving this from a landfill and of course buying something without a bunch of packaging! Definitely in light of recent tragic events occurring from CL encounters, always always be safe.

My Go-To Safety tips:
Bring a buddy if possible
Try to meet in a busy public place
If you have to go to someone's house, let a friend know before you go
--Give them the address of where you're going and any info about the person you have
--Set up a follow up call within 10 or 15 minutes so they know you're safe!
Don't be a statistic!

#2: Shop end of season sales

Let's be honest, the 'end of the season' sale usually happens when that season is actually still happening or in full swing! My current renting situation came "partially furnished" and while convenient that I didn't have to get a dining set or sofa/loveseat set, they aren't particularly my style. I went to World Market and checked out their clearance section and found a gorgeous table cloth that is technically part of their 'fall textiles' so I got it at a bargain. Lucky for me, there are bright colors in it that I can use to pop with some fun spring placemats and tableware to update the look for spring and cover up that ugly table without kissing my hard earned money goodbye!

#3: Subscribe to store e-mail lists

Ordinarily, getting a bunch of spam in my email box really annoys me since I'm bombarded with advertisements seemingly everywhere now... but with gmail categorizing emails into 'primary,' 'social' and 'promotions' I have more control over what I see and when. When I'm looking to shop at a store or need a particular item, I click over to my 'promotions' category and filter by the specific store or item I'm looking for. I can't tell you how many times I've found a coupon for $10 off or 20% off on what I'm looking for. Stores typically like to reward their loyal customers so simply subscribing to their emails may pay off when the time comes. Also, if you don't like giving out your email, create a secondary email you can give specifically for marketing purposes and keep your personal and shopping accounts separate.

#4: Ikea hack away! Or just DIY in general.

Today, you can find a million and one ways to turn a cheap piece of IKEA furniture into the perfect storage or design solution to suit your needs with a few targeted modifications. A few great inspirational blogs I have found useful for just this purpose:

The Blush Label - I'm a huge fan of these lovely ladies' style and can't wait for their new home collection coming out next month! I am currently swooning over the expedit hack on their blog shown below and am using it as inspiration for a similar hack of my own on my Expedit 4x4.

I love how maryblush painted the closed storage doors gold and added the O'verlay panels in white. I am thinking of applying this style to create buffet storage. The bottom would be used for linens and things. I'd have 18 bottles of wine storage, drawers for silverware, glass cupboards for stemware and open storage on top where I could put liquors, recipe books and pretty things...

Don't forget to check out Apartment Therapy or Ikea Hackers if you haven't already and definitely look at some of their affiliates like PANYL and O'verlays for some more great ideas!

#5: Shop designer discount stores

Shop stores like Ross, Tuesday Morning, Home Goods, Marshalls, etc...find out when they get new shipments and come in that day or the day after to maximize your finds. I like going to these stores for oversize art, decorative accessories and storage containers.

#6: Shop party decor instead of permanent fixtures: PAPER products

• Lanterns
• Poms/Flowers
• Garland
• Fans
• Flat Giftwrap

My favorite resources:
Paper Source - great for gorgeous oversize flat wrapping paper which can be used to line bulletin boards, put in frames or cover boxes with.
Prost to the Host - below is a sampling of items from her etsy shop. What I especially love about her shop is that you can choose from so many different colors and really personalize your look.
The Little Things by Ellen Vintage - So many pretty paper garlands! The glitter gold garland below is from her shop.

In reference to my previously mentioned canopy bed, I am currently working on adding a lattice to the top of my canopy which I will then use to hang paper decor from with lantern hooks from Pier 1. I'm super excited about the project and will post pictures when I get to that point. That's my solution to getting around the clause in my lease to not drill screws into the ceiling! This was my inspiration as seen on pinterest (if anyone knows the original source for this, I would love to site it):

What do you like to do to save money when it comes to styling your home or rental? What resources or blogs do you find most useful? I'd love to hear your ideas!
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