How I Did a Disney Cars-themed Kids Room on a Budget

Decorating a child's room can be costly, stressful and difficult if you don't have a creative mind.  My son was having trouble sleeping in his own room at night so I wanted to do something fun and exciting with his room's decor to help motivate him to sleep through the night in his own bed.  

If you're thinking of updating your child's room, here are some things I learned while going through the process that might help save you time and money while decorating your child's room on a budget. 

Pick a Theme

You might want to start the process by selecting a "theme." There are so many products to choose from so it helps to narrow your choices down to make things simpler.  By focusing on your child's interests--whether it be cowboys, spaceships, rainbows or ballet--you not only help to eliminate a lot of confusion and stay on budget but you're more likely to end up with a room your child will like.  My son loves the Cars movie and I thought it would be a fun and exciting change from his nursery theme.

Explore Your Options

My next step was to start by searching on Google for Cars-themed products and based on my research I was able to pick out exactly what I wanted.  You'll want to make up a list of what basics you need (bed, rug, lamp) vs. what's available--as well as where and for how much.  Once I had it narrowed down to what I envisioned his room to look like, I would start by searching for one certain product.  For example, a search "Wall Decor, Disney Cars or Disney Cars Table Lamp" turned up a number of different items.

Comparison Shop/Find Deals

I then searched Savings.com, Amazon and eBay and found so many amazing deals on decor products.   I was then able to shop for the best price.  I ended up finding even more deals than I could have dreamed of:  A five-piece toddler quilted bed set for only $23.50, a table lamp for $41, wall decor prints for $8.50 and an amazing wall border for $8.99. 

Save Money with Hand-Me-Downs

My son didn't have enough dresser space, so I went to a garage sale down the street from my house and bought a dresser for only $5.  I took it home, sanded, repainted and then added decals of all his favorite characters from the movie.   Thrift stores and Craigslist are great resources for finding items like shelving, storage containers, chairs and the like.  It doesn't matter if they're a little worn--a fresh coat of paint will spruce them right up!  Plus you don't want to invest too much money in furniture your child will only outgrow in a matter of years.

The Finished Product

The moment that we finished redecorating my son's room he was instantly in love and wanted to sleep in his new room with no hassle. 

Shopping around took some time, but it ended up saving me almost $120.  Taking the time to find the best deals and the perfect items I wanted was a lot of fun and also very rewarding because it didn't break the bank.  If you need some assistance on where to start when redecorating your kid's room, you can always get advice from Savings.com DealPros by using our Answers tool.

Have your redecorated your kid's room recently?  Did you pick a special theme?  If so, what was it?