Anatomy of A Room: The Living Room / Dining Room

I think it's about time that I give you a little peek into my new little apartment!  My boyfriend and I moved together almost two months ago now and the living room/dining area finally feels complete :)  We live in a teeny tiny 600 sq ft space which to us is just fine.  I don't work from home anymore as of June so getting my workspace out of my old house really just left me with a bed, a dresser, a side table and a few kitchen things!  ...and a lot of shoes...  So I felt completely fine moving into a small space since we didn't have much to fill it with initially and, heck, it's way easier to keep a small space clean than a big space!  And my favorite feeling is just being cozy so, cozy apartment it is!

I thought it might be fun to break down how I decorated the space to show that it can be pretty easy to decorate on a tight budget.  I had been really careful with money this past year because I knew I'd be moving in with Max this past month and that we basically owned nothing.  So with the money I saved, I was able to buy a few Ikea items and the rest was thrifted/craigslisted/yard sale scored.  Ready?  Set?  Here we go!

• Little Antlers - Etsy.com  gift from Max.
• Art - Made by Me.  $0
• Bookshelf - Thrifted.  $7
• Little Tiger Rug - gift from Dad.
• Vintage Chair - Yard sale score!  haggled $50 for two
• Pillow - Ikea  $12
• Books - accumulated over a long time.
• Stacking Table - Fremont Flea Market, haggled 2 for $30
• Cactus - Craigslist.  FREE $0
• Coasters - c/o Ethical Ocean.com
• Wooden box - had for years.  Maybe got it for $15?
• Glass Candle Holder - Thrifted.  $3
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  TOTAL:  $77
  
  
• Andrew Bird Poster - gift.
• Bonsai - had for years.
• 2 Cactus - Craigslist.  FREE $0
• Coasters - gift from this lovely friend
• Lamp - Ikea.  $19
• Small Extendable Table - Ikea.  $150
• 4 Dining Chairs - Ikea.  $160 (since the table is against a wall, we use one of the chairs at our desk.
  ____________
  TOTAL:  $329

• A Paper Cut Piece of Art I Made in College... took 30 hours and it's cut out of one sheet of watercolor paper.  It's a song I wrote about family.  2 of these hang above our couch.
• Couch - Craigslist.  FREE $0  (saving to have a custom grey couch cover made.)
• Ottoman - Fab.com Sale.  $30
• Table - Fremont Flea Market.  2 for $30
• Candle - Ikea $1
• Mini Succulents - Ballard Sunday Market.  $4
• Pillow - Ikea $10
• Wool Blanket - Ikea $50.  Best investment ever.
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  TOTAL:  $110

• Guitar - Max's, had it for years.  I have one two that I've had since I was 15, but our space is so small that it hangs out in the closet.
• Shelf - Max's as well, had it for years.
• Cactus - Craigslist.  FREE $0
• Books - both of ours accumulated over a bazillion years.
• Salt Lamp - c/o Ethical Ocean
• Porcelain Bear - a gift from my bestie.
  ____________
  TOTAL:  $0 

• Little Antlers - Etsy.com  gift from Max.
• Art - by me $0
• Books - accumulated over a long time
  ____________
  TOTAL:  $0

• Vintage chair - 2 for $50
• Sheepskin - Ikea.  $30
• Curtains - hand me down from a friend.  $0
  ____________
  TOTAL:  $55

There are a few last things missing from our living room in the photos like our TV and tv stand that Max has had for forever, a little table I got at a thrift store for $3,  a globe Max got for $5 at a thrift store, and a basil plant.  But even including those, we were able to stay on a pretty solid budget for filling a living room and dining area with a mixture of thrift, yard sale, and Ikea scores.  The grand total is $571.  I've heard investing about $1000 in a room is a good budget friendly investment.  So I think $571 for two main living areas is pretty good, especially since more than half of that went into our dining table and chairs! 

What are your tips for decorating on a budget?  Yard Sales and Thrift Stores are where I found most of my favorite things!