Jewelry for the home
Accessories, like paint, can give your home a personality. They are the jewelry of the home, can be an expression of your style and bring everything together for a cohesive design. If you are on a decorating budget, don't worry, the Indianapolis area is a budget conscious shoppers dream! Let's explore several ways to accessorize your home without breaking the bank
Brand new for less
Furniture stores like Value City are great for bi-annual or sometimes quarterly accessory sales. Check out the shadowbox and metallic bowl in the slideshow. Both were purchased at one of their accessory sales for around 60% off the retail price. Keep an eye on your local newspaper circulars or stop into one of their Indianapolis area locations and ask if they know when they'll be having their next sale. While you're in there, now is a good time to scope out what they have so you'll know what you're looking for once the sale starts. Many of their accessories will be like new; however, be warned that the sale may also include some scratch and dent items.
Buying slightly used
Expanding your horizons will net you a whole new world of available accessories on the slightly used market. In the past, the easiest way to do this was to grab a newspaper and spend the better part of a Saturday morning trapsing across town from garage sale to garage sale. Today, with the advent of charitable organizations, retail storefronts allow you to essentially accomplish the same goal at one of their many locations.
A great place to find slightly used accessories for a good price is any one of a number of area Goodwill stores. The trick to successfully locating great accessories in a store like Goodwill is patience. Shopping your local store quickly and regularly will garner the best results. New items arrive daily and are regularly rotated between locations, making each shopping trip like shopping at a different store.
Keep in mind that not every shopping trip to Goodwill will end in triumph. You can hit a store several times before ever seeing anything that interests you. It's all part of the shopping experience. Select a few locations in your area and shop those regularly in rotation.
In the end, your search will be rewarded. The slideshow below contains a beautiful Arts & Crafts style copper clock. This clock was purchased at a Goodwill store in near perfect condition for less than $10. The dresser was purchased for around $6. More about the dresser in the next section of this article showing you how to maximize your money for the greatest effect.
Maximizing your funds
When shopping secondhand shops, like Goodwill, think outside the box. Don't look at the piece of furniture or that accessory for what it presents itself as, but as what it could be with a little work.
Coming back to the dresser in the slideshow, this is a prime example of turning a value item into a valuable one. The dresser was purchased at a Goodwill store for $6. At the time of purchase it had flat white paint, white plastic drawer handles and was covered with many teenage band stickers. It took very little effort to turn what was once a teenager's throw away into the piece shown here.
Once all the stickers and handles were removed, the dresser was given a good cleaning scrub. A coat of primer followed by a coat of ivory for the frame and a coat of sage green for the drawer fronts and it immediately became a whole new piece. The final touch of some decorative hardware from a local home improvement chain completes the new look of this piece. For less than $50 you can have a great new piece of furniture.
Indianapolis locations for great deals
In the Indianapolis area, there are many places where you can find that special deal that you are looking for. Check out some of my favorite places to score a great deal.
Goodwill Locations:
- Brownsburg
- Avon
- Greenwood
- Fishers
- Speedway
- Indianapolis - Michigan Road
Other Stores:
The look for less
If you practice smart shopping and keep on the lookout for those great deals, you can easily accessorize your home without breaking the bank.
Coming soon, learn how to put together that designer look on a budget.
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