In our last post, we talked about how much it cost to furnish our Airbnb. We went through all of the items we purchased and used in the property. And I left a note in there saying there were ways to save extra money while decorating. In this post, we’ll break down those ways to save money while decorating your Airbnb. Let’s get started!
Note: While this post is to help you decorate your Airbnb on a budget, we don’t recommend skimping out. If you’re going to decorate, decorate it fully! That was a lesson we learned in the beginning. The Airbnb market can be very competitive, so it’s important to be one step above your competitors.
Buy It Nice Or Buy It Twice (For Furniture)
There’s something to be said about purchasing nice, durable items. So I’d like to start off the post with a bit of caution: while you can get away with using cheaper items, it may impact you in the long run. Especially since you’ll be having many guests in and out. Your furniture will get a ton of use out of it, and you never know what may happen. In some cases it may make sense to purchase more reliable furniture, even if it’s used.
A good example of this is with our couch. We wanted to have a bright colored couch, and found one on Wayfair. I’ve had to fix it twice already because the pieces have broken apart. Had we bought a sturdier couch, we wouldn’t have had either complaints or the need to fix the couch.
The old saying goes “cheaper isn’t always better”. So it’s important to strike that balance to where you can fit everything within your budget while not skimping out. It will save you in the long run if possible!
Stick To Your Checklist
We found it was really easy to purchase items just for the sake of it. After all, we had a shiny new credit card with more than enough of a limit, so why not spend!? Then once we realized how expensive things were getting, it was a tough time to have to purchase the items we should’ve had in the first place.
So make a furnishing checklist for your Airbnb and stick to it! Once you’ve purchased the necessary items, then go back and see if there are other things you can add to improve the space.
Optimize The Items In Each Room
It’s just as important to find items for great prices as it is to utilize each item to its fullest potential. Not only is a cluttered property a bit of a drag to stay in, but it also costs more to purchase all of the items!
Know exactly what you want to do with the items when you purchase them. I will admit we stuck to this a bit too much, in that we left out quite a bit (looking back at our bare nightstands and scarcely decorated walls). But striking that balance of empty and cluttered can really help stay on track. Keeping from purchasing unnecessary items will help stretch that budget even further.
The Uncompromisable Items
As you are building your furnishing checklist of items to purchase (as mentioned above), you may have a list of uncompromisable items. For us, this was the mattresses. We wanted brand new, extremely comfortable (based on ratings) mattresses for our guests. You may have other uncompromisable items.
Focus on the parts of your Airbnb that will attract guests. Don’t skimp, but you can go more budget-friendly on supporting items. For example, you don’t need a $300 salon-style hair dryer. A $15 one from Walmart will do. A guest will be much more focused on how nice the bed and sheets feel than on the material or style of the curtains.
Be mindful that you’ll have to purchase all of the other items, but list and purchase the important ones first. You’ll be surprised how creative you can get if you know where to look, even after spending a bit more on the important stuff. Speaking of getting creative…
Finding Budget-Friendly Decorations
Now that we’ve made a plan for purchasing, it’s time to actually do the purchasing! So, how can we find budget-friendly decorations for our Airbnb? Here’s some ideas we found useful:
Facebook Marketplace
We used Facebook Marketplace quite a bit when purchasing items for our Airbnb. You can find a lot of lightly used items for good prices. You can also negotiate those prices down further to make your budget stretch. When shopping on Facebook, you’ll want to keep in mind a few things:
- Storage: purchasing from other people can be difficult and time-consuming. You’ll want to make sure you have a place to store your items if you don’t already have access to the property!
- Transportation: you’ll have to make multiple trips to different people when purchasing items. Keep in mind the extra time this will take over purchasing online or going to a store.
- Your best judgment: sometimes items aren’t in the best shape. Use your best judgment to determine if the item is worth purchasing.
Since you’ll be communicating and meeting up with various people, it’s not a bad idea to familiarize yourself with common scams as well.
If you’ve got the time and the space for these items, I’d highly recommend using Facebook to purchase your Airbnb decorations on a budget.
Thrift Stores
Another great place to look for items is thrift stores. We ended up just going to various Goodwills, but there are bound to be plenty of options nearby that you can go to as well.
While you won’t be able to negotiate as much here, you can still find some great deals. Again, use your best judgment when it comes to the condition of the item.
Keep in mind specific days where sales are happening. For example, Goodwill offers various sales depending on the day of the week. Going during those sales days can be a great way to save money on decorating your Airbnb!
Garage Sales
This is one that never crossed my mind until writing this post. So while we have no direct experience, it could be worth stopping by some garage sales on your way to other stores. You never know what you may find! Scoring a few unique decorations can help your Airbnb stand out, and you’ll likely be able to get them for a good price.
Items From Home
When we first started, we took a few items from our own home to help decorate the Airbnb. This included things like an extra lamp we had, a few of our books, and board games. We also took our guest room TV to use in the living room.
If you’re on a real tight budget, take a look around your house to see if there’s anything you can donate to the property for decorating and furnishing!
TJMaxx And Similar
I cannot tell you how much we went to these types of stores. We go there for our own needs to begin with, so shopping there for our Airbnb was an easy task. TJMaxx, HomeGoods, Ross, Marshall’s, Beall’s Outlet. There are likely more, but those style stores can have some great deals.
While we don’t recommend the furniture if you are on a budget, the decorations can be extremely cheap. They are also very good at having a wide variety of styles and colors to choose from. You can also find some really great cookware for good prices at HomeGoods.
Coupon Finders Like Honey Or Similar
If you must purchase brand new items online, it helps to have a coupon finder installed on your browser. Something like Honey or the Capital One Shopping extensions will do. What they will do is search the web for any coupon codes to help you save money. It’s probably a good idea to have them installed for everyday shopping, but can also be a great help when decorating your Airbnb on a budget!
Upgrade Over Time
I want to say this point with some caution. While I don’t think you should provide the bare minimum, there is something to be said about upgrading your property over time.
Chick fil a is a great example of this. They have a number of upgrades they make to their restaurants only after they reach a certain threshold. Since we’re talking budgets, we could try a similar strategy.
You don’t want to leave guests wanting more, but maybe hold off on those expensive upgrades and instead provide lower cost options that are still fun and enjoyable.
Creating A Fun Space
No matter your budget, the main goal is to create a place where guests love to stay. Keep that in mind as the number one goal as you decorate your Airbnb. I hope this post helps save you some money while finding some alternative ways to decorate!