Are you looking for new ways to decorate your home cheaply? Our creative ways for how to save money on curtains can help you save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, without having to sacrifice style or function. We’ve got some great ideas to help you get the style you’re looking for without breaking the bank.
The first thing to do is to think about what type of style you are going for and what windows you need covered. Obviously, this is pretty easy to do, just make a list of what windows you have that need covered!
Once you have an idea of what windows you have that need covered, and what type of style you’re looking for, you’ve got a lot of various options:
Sew Your Own: There is nothing easier than to sew your own curtains, even if you’re completely inexperienced at sewing and terrified of using a sewing machine. Sure, yours might not look like Martha Stewart’s, but they’ll probably still be pretty decent! You can usually get the fabric you will need for much less than you would pay for pre-made curtains and can simply hem them and then sew where the rod can go through.
Shop Thrift Stores: You can often find inexpensive fabric and often times curtains at thrift stores that will work nicely.
Use Hanging Wire: Rather than buying expensive poles or hooks, hanging wire can often work just as well, you simply need to attach it to the ceiling and then the curtain to the wire.
Use a Dowel Rod and Hooks: Something I did in an old apartment that looked great was I attached two small removable hooks to the wall, and then placed a dowel rod through these two hooks with some flea market curtains I had purchased. You couldn’t tell that they were attached that way and they still looked really nice!
Hire Someone Locally: If you go to a curtain or blind shop, you’re going to spend A LOT of money on getting custom window treatments. However, if you check sites like Craigslist, and even post your own ad there, it’s quite likely you’ll find a really nice and talented person nearby who can sew your curtains and is happy to do it for you for a fraction of the price of what you would pay through an actual window treatment company.
Use a Tension Rod: If your windows are recessed like mine are, you can easily place a tension rod and then place your curtains that way.
Who Says You Have to Use Fabric? You don’t have to use fabric to make curtains or window treatments. You can choose cheaper materials such as lace or ribbon, or even paper! I actually made a set of curtains out of collaged paper once, which turned out pretty neat. They added the decorative look, though they did not have the usefulness of curtains you could actually open and close.
Use Shower Curtains: Sometimes shower curtains are cheaper and just as nice looking if you can find them in the store. You can also usually get some nice $5 metal hooks to use to make putting up your curtains a breeze. If you buy two shower curtains as panels and $5 for the hooks, you can spend about $15-25 per window, which is still less than what you would pay per curtain panel.
Try Iron Fusing Tape: Another easy thing to do instead of sewing your own fabric is to use Iron-on Fusing Tape. You can usually find this at fabric and craft stores for just a few dollars.
There are a number of different ways to save money on curtains – learning how to make your own with a few easy short cuts or searching online for them at discounts or even buying them used from sites like Craigslist can be helpful as well.
Have any tips on how to save money on curtains and window treatments? Share your ideas in the comments below!
