My Secret to Saving on Throw Pillows
My husband once commented that he’s seen more throw pillows rotate through our house in a year than he’s possessed in his entire life; which, to be fair, I don’t recall seeing a lot of (if any) pillows in his bachelor pad when we first met, so it’s all relative...
That said, I love to layer pillows and feel like they can bring a room together, plus they are one of the easiest ways to mix things up without having to haul furniture around. The downside? Good pillows can be expensive. Like, crazy expensive. I love the textiles at St Frank (and have no problem with a good splurge every now and again,) but you could go broke outfitting a room when they ring in at $200+ a pop.
So, here are my tips to save both money and space on pillows, (which for those of us living in city apartments is no minor thing).
1. Shop pillow covers whenever possible! Most retailers will have this as an option, remember how I mentioned my love of St Frank? I picked up a stack of pillow covers at their sample sale at a crazy discount. I also love shopping Turkish Kilim covers at the Alameda flea market as every rug vendor seems to have stacks and stacks of them. Etsy and eBay are also favorite sources that you can browse from your sofa, and because the covers alone can fit in an envelope, you usually save big on shipping costs. If you are the least bit crafty, they are also one of the simplest things to sew.
2. Stuff your pillow with... another pillow. This is the big one if you can use existing pillows, the ones you couldn’t resist even though they weren’t available as covers (oh, hey, Opalhouse), awesome! You’ve saved some cash and are now storing them away in plain view. If you don’t have a pillow on hand to fit your covers, that brings us to tip three...
3. Shop the clearance section for pillows instead of purchasing expensive inserts. Guys, this is major. You know how they get you when you shop just the covers? By up-charging for those quality pillow inserts. Cheap inserts tend to go flat and lose shape quickly, so I don’t recommend going that route. What I choose to do instead, is to shop for pillows that have been marked down to sell. It does not matter what they look like since you will never actually see them, so focus on finding one in the dimensions that you need that feels nice and firm. Target is one of my favorite sources for this, they do a lot of seasonal and holiday-themed pillows, then clear them out at the end of the season, and I love that you can check them out in person. If you don’t find what you’re looking for right away, check the kid's section and the patio area. I’ve never spent much over $6 on one shopping this way, regardless of the size and shape.
*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links, click here for our full policy and disclosures. All prices are as of time of publication.
