4 Unconventional Ways to Afford Area Rugs For Your Home

Let’s face it – rugs can be expensive. Today I’m going to share 4 unconventional ways I shop for area rugs for our home. If you’re on a tight budget, I hope these tips will help!

You guys know how cheap I am when it comes to home decor, and let’s face it – rugs can be expensive! I had a friend recently ask me about this, so today I’m going to share 4 unconventional ways I afford large area rugs using examples throughout our home. If you’re on a tight budget, I hope these tips will help you find the perfect rug!

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How to Afford Large Area Rugs – Tip 1

Search eBay. I love checking eBay when I’m hunting for something specific, because on eBay you’ll find gently used and even damaged items. 

A perfect example of this is my natural fiber living room rug. I loved the layered look, but every jute rug I found in the size that I wanted was anywhere from $500-$1,000. There was just no way I was going to spend that kind of money on a larger rug just for layers. 

My Mom is sort of an eBay queen, so I asked for her help on this one. She ended up finding a 9×12 natural fiber rug (worth well over $1,000) for $150 because the corner was slightly torn. After looking through the seller’s photos I knew the torn corner would end up underneath of our sofa front legs, so no one would ever see it in our family room!

The best part about eBay? You can make an offer! It always makes me nervous, but what’s the worst that could happen? All they can do is say no. I offered $100, and the seller accepted!! I was over the moon excited to have found the right sized rug for this space at such an affordable cost.

You can find a similar match to our jute rug here.

How to Afford Large Area Rugs – Tip 2

My second tip is an easy one if you’ve been following me for a while. Search thrift shops. Remember, large stores like Walmart and Target often donate merchandise to thrift stores! The rug in our kids bedroom is a brand new outdoor rug from Target. It’s very large (8×10) and we paid $69 for this durable new rug.

We are actually finishing up the boys’ bedroom this spring, I can’t wait to share the space with you all here on the blog!

How to Afford Large Area Rugs – Tip 3

My third tip might sound super crazy, but hey, it works! Rather than purchasing one expensive, large area rug, why not purchase two smaller ones and place them side by side? Obviously you would need to choose patterns that work for this method, like stripes or even a natural fiber option. Sometimes the right rug is just two rugs put together like our dining room rug!

In our dining room, we have two, 5×7 rugs side by side under our dining room table. We bought ours at K-mart years ago for $70 each, but 140 bucks for a large, 7×10 rug is an amazing deal if you’ve been rug shopping for large rooms lately.

Our rugs are no longer available, but you can find a similar one here. 

If you look close enough you can definitely tell, but most people don’t even notice unless I point it out to them! If you are having a hard time finding the best rug at the right size, try two smaller widths! Don’t let the size of the rug prevent you from making it work with your space.

How to Afford Large Area Rugs – Tip 4

Don’t be afraid to ask for more of a discount on clearance rugs. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like stores still ask for way too much money when items are on clearance, especially when they are damaged! Don’t be afraid to ask the retailer if they can take more money off if there is visible dirt, stains or tears in the fabric! 

The rug in our nursery was the only one of it’s kind left at Target, and several strings were loose and frayed. I asked if they could go lower on the price, and they took off an extra ten percent! It never hurts to ask. 

Find a similar rug here.

If you are shopping for antique rugs, the same rules apply. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount at the antique shop! I do it all of the time, and most antique shops are reasonable when it comes to accepting a lower offer.

Another tip is Amazon! They have so many affordable options for quality rugs that are great for high-traffic areas, pets and kids. You can find a large rug size for a very affordable price!

I hope these tips were a help to you! How do you afford large area rugs? Share your tips in the comments below!

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