It can often be frustrating to crave decor changes in your home when you're working with a restricted budget. That's not to say that it's impossible to find stylish, cool, and functional items to upgrade your space and bring your vision to life, but it might require a little extra creativity on your part — plus knowing the right places to start hunting. For example, traditional media consoles can often be on the pricey side, but with some out-of-the-box TV stand ideas you can find solutions that not only will save you some cash, but will also make any room feel more pulled together.
Upon a quick search for "TV stands" online, you'll probably notice that a lot of top furniture retailers offer pieces that cost hundreds of dollars (if not thousands). But what if you've only got around $50 to work with? Surprisingly enough, it can be done. You'll just need to try out some different shopping tactics.
You probably already know that a utility cart is a useful and affordable solution to creating a mobile cocktail station, or just stashing extra kitchen goods and tools when you're short on space. That said, why couldn't it be used as a display center for your TV and other entertainment essentials? Plus, since it's on wheels, you can easily roll it out of the way when you want to remodel or just need a little extra room.
And the same is true for a lot of other storage pieces, which are especially great for small living rooms and bedrooms in which an average console would just feel too bulky. Don't overlook things like floating shelves, shoe racks, and storage cabinets as options for a TV stand as well. To make sure they'll work for your needs, just be sure to double check the height (it should be high enough for you to watch from your seating comfortably) and the stability of the material (nothing too wobbly or flimsy).
If you are looking for something more traditional, you can find a few simple stands at your favorite affordable design retailers that are under $50. For example, IKEA's LACK is a minimalist white table with a shelf that's multipurpose but excellent as a place to set your screen if you're just looking for something clean and simple. And at just $16, the price is pretty tough to beat.
You can also find a few different options in that price range at Home Depot, Hayneedle, Wayfair, and Amazon as well which offer all different style options that work for your basic entertainment needs. Ready to kick off your mini home makeover with a brand new TV stand? To help you get started, find 10 different ideas ahead that can work for a ton of different aesthetics and requirements — and they're all less than you probably paid for that fancy facial serum (though it was totally worth it).
