1. Paint- painting is the cheapest and most dramatic investment you can make.

2. Do It Yourself - Save yourself big bucks with relatively simple projects: painting, tiling, installing a new floor, sewing curtain panels or throw pillows.

3. Call in Family and Friends- You have resources that can help get your decorating project off the ground: the people you know. Call on a group of relatives, friends and neighbors who can supply the muscle to rip down wall paneling, roll on paint or assemble a room of flat-packed furniture. Just don’t forget to feed them lunch.

4. Shop Secondhand Stores -Thrift stores, consignment shops, church rummage sales, online auction sites, estate sales and even salvage yards offer a bounty of discount decorating booty. Be sure that you look for furniture with solid construction and classic lines that new upholstery or paint will bring back to life.

5. Look for Less Than Perfect Merchandise-You might snag super deals on slightly damaged items, floor models and seconds (such as towels from a dye lot that was slightly off), so be sure to check stores’ "as is" areas or to ask the manager about fire-sale items. Chances are, no one but you will be any the wiser, and you’ll save big bucks.

6. Save With Stock Items- Use stock items whenever you can. Buy off the shelf frames and mats, and trim non-valuable art prints to fit them. Buy standard blinds that are a bit larger than your windows and mount them outside the frames. Snap up stock cabinets and finish them with moldings for a custom look. Order that sofa in a neutral, ready-to-ship fabric and use the money you save to splurge on colorful throw pillows.

7. Wait Patiently for Sales and Discounts- Wait to find what you really love at a price you really love. While you shop, ask if items will be discounted any time soon. Store and department managers are usually the best sources for this insider info and may even offer you the discounted price before it goes into effect.

8. Mix, Don’t Match- Not only is a "matchy-matchy" look boring, but tends to cost more than putting together a creative, eclectic look. Mix it up by opting for a couch and chairs upholstered in complementary fabrics, flanking a bed with unmatched nightstands and decorating with other diverse items unified by color, form, material and tone. Or try pairing a stately wood table with shiny aluminum or brightly colored plastic chairs. And don’t be afraid to mix high-end and low-end or modern and traditional.

9. Sew Your Own Linens- If you can sew, you can easily transform patterned flat sheets into curtain panels, pillow and duvet covers, tablecloths, and even slipcovers — and pay a small fraction of what you’d shell out for fabric yardage. Of course, this assumes you’ve had successful sewing experience or are good friends with a seamstress.

10. Add Unexpected Accessories- Almost anything can serve as an accessory, and that goes for found objects and household items that cost practically nothing. Seashells and driftwood collected at the shore create a lovely natural grouping. A bowl filled with crisp green apples lends a bright pop of color to just about any surface, and a stack of vintage hardbacks adds height, dimension and character to an occasional table.

11. Reuse Items You Already Have- Turn to what you already have and think about how it might be camouflaged, repurposed or reimagined. Reinvent a drab dresser in a guest bedroom as a dramatic dining-room sideboard with a few coats of glossy black paint and sparkling new hardware. Make over that old couch with a slipcover in a fabulous fabric. Turn plain pillows into eye-catching accents by stenciling simple designs on them.