Article By: Sara Lopez

As a lot of you know, I have recently moved into my new apartment. I unpacked my boxes, put the clothes away, organized my vinyl record collection and after all of that I realized I had practically no decorative style.

So I put myself up for a personal challenge: decorate my entire front room for less than 100 dollars. Sounds almost impossible, doesn’t it? Lucky for me, and my pocketbook, I added another rule: incorporate as much recycled items as possible.

I have a green couch from my brother and the coffee table I fashioned out of some legs I found a few years back and a refurbished $15 Herman Miller triangular shaped top.

I wanted to add some pizzazz when it came to color, so I had my sister-in-law (she’s an art teacher and has an impeccable eye for color) advise me on a paint tone that would compliment the couch.We agreed on an eggplant. I only painted the one wall in the front room to act as an accent wall and backdrop.

After a couple of weeks, I looked at my front room and realized I needed to add some bright colors to liven it up! So I set aside an entire afternoon and headed to my local Goodwill and Salvation Army Thrift Stores.

• The first rule to Thrift Store Shopping: Abandon all preconceptions you might have about thrift stores.

When I talk about thrifting, I get a lot of this:

“Thrift stores are only for poor people”

“Pre-used things are not sanitary– I only buy new.”

“Only low end items show up there.”

All of these statements are absolutely untrue! Thrifting is for anyone looking for a bargain or for unique pieces you wouldn’t necessarily be able to find in modern traditional stores. Most thrift stores clean their items before they put them on the floor, and you can clean them yourself if they seem a bit dusty! Also, throughout my years of thrifting, you would not believe some of the finds I get for a huge bargain. For example, I see the Goodwill sticker on a vase for $2, turn the vase over and see the original price tag was about $50! This happens all the time.

• The second rule to Thrift Store Shopping: If you snooze, you probably will lose.

There are absolutely no promises that one item you see one day will be there the next. And who wants to deal with that feeling of missing out? Especially when the item usually costs under $10?

• The third rule to Thrift Store Shopping: Always remember, you can slap a coat of paint on it.

I revamp most items I buy in a way that fits in with the rest of my color scheme. For example, my mother brought me a traditional Mexican blanket back from one of her trips. It’s full of red, orange and yellow. I love this blanket, but it didn’t match anything in my front room. That is when I decided I would tie the rest of the decorations into that color scheme.

I picked up a small bucket of red paint and a bottle of “Goo be Gone” for about $7 and spent the rest of my $100 at the thrift store. Goo be Gone is great because often times, even after a good wipe down, thrift store items can have some left over gummy stuff from the price tags. Make sure to wear gloves when working with the Goo be Gone and also be aware that it can sometimes take off paint and finishes.

I slapped a coat of paint on the new items I had found while thrifting. I had also picked up orange and yellow vases to tie the colors from the blanket in even more. There was a little bit of nailing up shelves and adding candles and I had decorated my entire front room in one day for under 100 dollars.

Now my room looks bright and cheery! You can also give yourself a pat on the back because you helped with the Reuse and Recycle method. The more you shop at thrift stores, the less garbage and waste there will be. So go ahead! What are you waiting for? Get thrifting!

Have you recently revamped a thrift store find? Let us know on our Facebook Fan Page or shout out to us on Twitter!

Also, check out these other Create Something Saturday crafts:

• DIY Stencil Art
• Scratched CD Disco Ball
• Toilet Paper Roll Wall Art
• 8th Continent Carton Bird Feeder
• Vinyl Record Wrist Cuff