Every new homeowner finds themselves splurging on furniture they can barely afford. This is a problem—you shouldn’t need to spend more than you already have on fixtures, especially for a starter home. Also, avoid signing up for a furniture store’s credit card—you have a mortgage payment already, so you don’t need additional debt. Read on to discover valuable tips for decorating your first home on a budget.

Plan Your Spending

Congrats on the new home! You’ve reached a life-changing milestone, so let’s celebrate. After marking your accomplishment, start thinking of how you want to spend your money on new furniture, wall art, and other home décor.

The first thing to do is think about rooms you likely will use the most. For example, your bedroom and the kitchen are two rooms you’ll spend the most time in.

Prepare separate budgets to satisfy the appliances you need for your kitchen, and create budgets for other parts of your home like the bedrooms and living room. Pick devices such as a coffeemaker that lets you use either a coffee pod or a carafe for the kitchen. You’ll also need to consider lighting.

Reuse What You Have

Sometimes, the best resource is yourself when needing furniture or home decorations. If you currently have a sofa in good condition, think about using that instead of buying an entirely new furniture set.

Buying new is fine, but having the option to reuse furniture also works, as you can get an idea of your future replacement.

Thrift Your Home Décor

Donated home décor is the best option. You can donate your old home décor if you need an update on your style. Not only are the pieces gently used, but many of them come at insanely reasonable prices. While donating your old stuff, walk around other thrift stores to find others that replace what you currently have.

Shopping secondhand can open many windows of opportunity to discover your interior design style.

Don’t Apply for a Credit Card

Typically, many people opt for an instore credit card when shopping for furniture. There’s a great reason you want to avoid applying for a credit card. For one, you’re limited on where you can use the card. For example, if you buy a furniture set from one store, they only allow you to shop at their store with the card.

Also, you risk running into caveats with no interest. These caveats are limitations, such as if you miss too many payments, a penalty gets added on, and you have a harder time paying off your balance. Talk with the store manager first and do your research before applying.

Toward the end of this list of things to do when designing your first home on a budget, you should know how to limit your spending. Try consulting a friend for help if you have issues controlling your spending.