My husband and I love buying artwork. Whenever we travel, we try to find something unique to take home with us. We have several paintings on our walls, but didn’t spend top dollars to get them. You don’t have to purchase expensive art from a gallery and if you have some art or photos of your own go ahead and frame them. You can display your work and dress up your home. I found a great website, Saving Advice, that offers tips on saving money on many items. A blog on artwork caught my eye since it’s a great and easy way to decorate.

Here are some places you can check out to help you save on artwork.

Auctions: You never know what kinds of things might catch your eye. Look for auctions that are offering items without a reserve (minimum price), the blog suggests. You can bid on things and spend as little as 5 bucks for something that may be worth quite a bit more.

Thrift Stores: After searching a bit, you are likely to find something like an old painted canvas or framed print. Don’t just look at clothes or household items. Search a bit more and see what you can find.

Art Schools: A young and “starving artist” is likely to be excited about someone purchasing their art. Saving Advice suggests finding some local art schools. Let the instructor know you might be interested in buying something.

Craft Shops: How about creating your own art? I know there are some of us who always wanted to try painting or another craft, but were too afraid to try. I had always wanted to learn how to paint, so I decided to take a class and purchased some materials at my local craft store. Now I have three paintings I can hang on my wall. I am a photographer and a writer and realized that I have plenty of options for decorating my walls. If you like to take photos, go ahead and print some of your favorites. Then go to the craft shop and you can frame them yourself.

Antique Stores: Watching Antiques Road Show has inspired me to take a look at antique shops around my town. People are buying paintings for $20 and they end up being worth thousands of dollars. You may not find one that is worth quite that much, but you can definitely grab some bargains and display them around your house.