When it comes to decorating a nursery you can spend a ton of money and end up with something really nice, or you can spend smart and still have something really nice. With my son (who was my first baby) I wanted to do up a really nice nursery, but we did have some budget restrictions so I had to think smart.
I took a picture of what Ethan’s room looks like and broke down where I found each of the pieces and how much I paid for them. Hopefully this will give you some ideas on how you can save money but still put together an amazing nursery. The numbers on the picture correspond to the descriptions below.
1. Dresser: If you go to a baby furniture store, the dresser prices are out of this world! When we were looking there were ones that cost $600 or more. The part that really got me was that these dressers weren’t made from solid wood. Many were manufactured wood or had really flimsy drawers. This dresser we picked up at an estate sale for $15. It is solid wood. Originally it had been painted green, then painted over with white. My husband sanded it down and then restained it to match the dresser.
2. Hamper: My husband and I happened to be at a flea market when I was about 10 weeks pregnant. I obviously didn’t know what I was having, but I did know that if it was a boy I wanted to do some sort of frog theme. I thought that this was so cute and it was only $2. Turns out I was having a boy and this fit with the theme perfect. I later found out that these same hampers sell for $35 at Target!
3. Toys: These are just two of my fantastic consignment sale finds. The piano is a Fisher Price Laugh & Learn baby grand piano. This is not the newest model, but when it was it cost $59.99. I got it at the sale for $10 and Ethan LOVES it. The bead maze only cost $2.
4. 9 Cube Organizer: These sell at Target for $50 (you can sometimes get them on sale for $39.99). This one I got at our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $7. The ReStore originally had them for $30 but I was able to snag this on one of their 50% off days combined with a $5 coupon made it a great steal!
5. Bed Set: This can possibly be one of the most expensive parts of decorating a nursery (right behind the furniture). Most bed sets are only used for a short period of time and are in near perfect condition once they are put away. Consignment sales are a great opportunity to get a really nice bed set for a great price. You can pick up one for around $50 at a consignment sale, sometimes even less if you can get it 50% off. Just wash it or take it to the dry cleaner and it will be as good as new. Often, when you get the set secondhand you get additional pieces that you wouldn’t get with the basic set, things such as lamps, hampers, decals, diaper pail covers, etc. Another place to look for great deals on sets is websites like Craigslist.
6. Name Letters: Babies R Us and other major retailers sell these letters, but they can cost up to $6.99 each. That is a lot of money, especially if your little one has a long name. These letter that I got for Ethan I picked up at Pat Catan’s. You can also get them at Joann Fabrics and Michaels for $3.99 or less, depending on the size or style you choose. These ones cost me about $1.49.
7. Picture Frame: Another consignment sale find. Many consignment sales have a 50% off day, usually the last day of the sale. I was able to get this frame for only $1 on one of those days.
8. Wooden Rocking Chair: This is an LL Bean rocking chair that was originally bought for Noah. Eight years later, Noah obviously can’t fit in it anymore, and the name letters were starting to peel off. So, we removed the vinyl letters and reused it for Ethan. A great way to save over $100!
9. Platform Rocker: I had looked into buying a gliding rocker, but they are so expensive. I ended up using this platform rocker that was at one time my grandfather’s (who has since passed away). No one was using it, so it became a perfect place to sit and feed Ethan during those late night feedings. It has great sentimental value and saved us from buying a new rocker.
