I’m always trying to improve our living space without having to spend a fortune. Many things I can find at the thrift store, such a pillows, tables, shelves, vases and such, but curtains is one thing that I have a hard time finding second hand. Mostly they are old, dirty and unattractive. New curtains are pretty spendy. This is why my living room curtains have looked like crap for four years now. When we first moved in we were spending a lot to furnish the place. The landlord did not have any blinds on the windows so we needed curtains in every room. It was adding up. Most panels are $20-40 apiece so I ended up buying hideous curtains at an outlet store.

I finally got fed up and had a brilliant idea. Shower curtains don’t seem as pricey as regular curtains. They are made out of fabric and I know they will fit our windows. I headed to the place that always has the best deal on linens: Kohl’s.

Sure enough we found some groovy shower curtains that were half off. We opted for cheapo clear shower curtain rings and just swapped the old crappy curtains with shower curtains. Not only do they look great, but they glide across the curtain bar much more easily than the traditional curtains.

Total cost for two large windows: $70. Not bad if you consider the alternative.