Champagne taste on a soda pop budget? Making your home, whether cottage or castle, a comfortable and nurturing space for you and your family doesnt have to cost a bundle. With some ingenuity, creative flair, and a little elbow grease, you can make your home a haven from the stresses of the outside world and do it both affordably and beautifully.

10 tips to get you started:

1. Forget Tacky. Decorating inexpensively doesnt mean your home will look tacky or cheap. Remember, you have champagne taste! Its time to learn to train your eye and discern what is truly a bargain.

2. Plan First. Dont buy a thing until youve done your homework! Light a candle, sit down in your most comfortable chair with a notebook, now called your Decorating Dreams Journal, and write down and/or draw what your home would look like if it were your dream home. Cut some pictures out of decorating magazines of rooms you love and paste them in your journal. Your creativity and style will start to flow. Dont worry about implementing your dreams at this stage. It costs $0 to dream it out.

3. Have a Look. Look around your existing home. Determine what furniture and accessories you already have that you love. Make a list in your journal of what you want to keep, reupholster, paint, and what you want to sell or donate to charity. Pieces you sell will net you money you can use for new items.

4. Make a List. In one section of your journal, start a shopping list by room. What do you need? What do you want? Prioritize what youd like to buy first. Starting with major pieces such as sofa, bed, and a dining room table and chairs is a good plan. As youre out and about window shopping, you can carry your journal with you for notes, inspiration, paint swatches etc.

5. Favorite Colors. What color(s) do you absolutely love? Think of a favorite outfit or an accessory in your home such as a favorite dish or painting etc. Create a color scheme for your home of 2-3 complimentary colors. Take digital photos of items in the colors you love and put them in your journal. Using the same 2-3 colors in all your rooms will help it flow. It costs $0 to choose your favorite colors.

6. Think Creatively. Brainstorm as to how you can do what you want to do for less. Painting your kitchen chairs costs little, draping a colorful new throw on your sofa costs little, as does a new slipcover for a worn chair. Look at new ways to use things you already have, like containers, throws, pillows etc.

7. Clear the Clutter. Okay, its time to actually get rid of those college dorm chairs and the early mother-in-law bed. Hold a garage sale, donate, or consign what you no longer want. It will make space for the new and improved to enter.

8. Upscale Stores. Yes, you read right! Now its time to go window shopping and the first place you should head is to those high end furniture and dcor stores for ideas. Take your notebook and write down what you observe. Open your eyes and enjoy!! Later, you can use your imagination to find out how you can get your look for less.

9. Discount Shop. The fun is about to begin! Make a list in your journal of places you can shop at to fund your dream. Ask friends and relatives for their favorite discount stores that carry top brand names. Dont overlook flea markets, garage sales, consignment shops, and catalogs. Consider used pieces. In expensive neighborhoods, people often sell seldom-used furniture for great prices. Never pay full price unless its something you absolutely HAVE to have (or desperately want!) Start hunting, slowly but surely.

10. Quality First. Even though youre buying discount or used items, make sure what you purchase is of good quality and style. Avoid fads or trendy pieces. All items should be immaculate and have no scratches or tears. Make sure you know how to refinish wood or can afford to hire someone to do it before you take on that old dresser. And remember, hiring someone else to do it can greatly increase the cost. The object is to have your dcor look rich and be centsible.

And remember, above all, decorating your home should be fun. So, get out your new Dream Journal and have a wonderful time creating your new champagne home on a soda pop budget.

c2005 Kathryn Bechen. All rights reserved worldwide.