You spent your life savings paying for your home and used your rainy day fund to pay the moving company. Trying to figure out how you can afford a few furnishings? Luckily, interior decorating isn't just for those who have the money to pay professionals. In fact, really good home décor - getting your home to reflect your personality - is in some ways easier to do when you do it on the cheap. When your financial resources are limited you have to make up for it with creativity: use your own, inexpensive interior decorating ideas and combine them with some used furniture and discount paint to make the space come alive.

Don't be hesitant if you don't know where to start. Before you begin decorating your home it's best to ask yourself a few important questions. Do you plan to be in the home over the long term, or is it just a starter home? What furnishings can't you live without? What home décor ideas have you seen elsewhere and might like to adapt to your home? The answers you come up with should guide your interior decorating ideas.

Once you've got your home décor ideas all lined up, it's time to pull together the materials. Since you can't afford Pottery Barn, or even Pier 1, you'll have to find inexpensive, unique furnishings and discount furniture somewhere else. Check out the following tips to find out where to shop:

Shopping for Discount Home Décor

• Consignment shops - stores where private owners sell their used furniture - are becoming more and more popular. Check if there are any in your area. The inventory is one-of-a-kind, so if something catches your eye be prepared to buy. If you get to know the manager they can let you know when the sort of home furnishings you're looking for come in.
• If your new home is in a pre-planned community, check out the developer's model home for pieces you like. They may be a bit worn, but often the developer will sell off the home's furniture after a period of time. It's a great way get room sets that are already coordinated.
• Many big furniture stores have scratch and dent rooms: sections where they keep slightly damaged (but very inexpensive) models. Also keep in mind that most furniture stores periodically sell off used furniture (again, comparatively cheap) when they get rid of "showroom samples" or "floor models." Ask about both possibilities when you shop retail.
• If you have any wholesale furniture warehouses in your area, consider stopping by. Buying wholesale furniture is almost always cheaper than buying retail.
• When looking at used furniture - or any used furnishings - don't think of what they look like now, but what they could look like with a little refurbishing. Maybe that coffee table wouldn't fit your living room now, but sand it down and add a coat of stain and it might not be so bad.
• Flea markets can be a great source of inexpensive, one-of-a-kind interior decorating materials. But finding a bargain at one can involve a lot of time and a lot of effort. Preparation always smoothes the way. The next few tips show you how.
• Nowhere is the expression "the early bird gets the worm" more apt than at a flea market. Vendors' best used furniture and bargain furnishings often go quickly, leaving late arrivals with the leftovers.
• Some flea markets can be huge and it's easy to lose focus. Take along a list of the furnishings you want before you set out. It also helps to take along sketches of the rooms you need to decorate, complete with dimensions and a tape measure to see whether the furniture in front of you will fit with your plans.
• If you fall in love with a piece of discount furniture at a flea market, bear in mind that moving it can be an issue. Some vendors will deliver, but only at the end of the day and only for an additional fee. Thus, you'll want to bring the biggest vehicle you have available (i.e. a pickup truck or a van) or consider renting one.
• When you're moving a piece of furniture home from a flea market, you'll want to take all the packing precautions you normally would when moving furniture. Before you head out to the flea market, make sure to bring a few old boxes, blankets, tarps, tape, twine, bubble wrap and a box cutter with you for the ride home.
• People selling antiques out of the back of van usually don't take MasterCard or Visa. When you're going to a flea market, bring cash.
• Don't be afraid to bargain. Flea market vendors expect it, and with a little negotiation inexpensive items can become even cheaper.
• When perusing home furnishings, try to think outside the box. You might not want to eat off that set of ceramic dishes, but they might make colorful, unique wall hangings.