First piece of advice. Skip the big box stores. The products sold at these stores are typically of dubious quality and have been the source of too many problems, including incidents of strangulation. I don't say that to sound alarmist but, there's been at least one or two major incidents every year, and yet people keep buying these cheap (read: low quality) products. Never forget the old axiom, "you get what you pay for."
That doesn't mean that quality shades have to cost a fortune. When I say quality, I mean custom (i.e., made to the measurements of your window) and manufactured by a reputable, preferably domestic, company. I don't say 'domestic' to sound protectionist, it's just that US companies are held to higher quality and safety standards.
That said, here's some practical advice on how to save a lot of money on window shades, like cheap cellular shades and cheap roman shades (read: low price, quality products); two of the most common and popular shades. First, do your shopping online. There's really no reason not to leverage the cost efficiencies offered by online vendors.
This does, however, require a little do-it-yourself spirit. But don't think that the steps to getting new, custom shades up in your windows requires much specialized knowledge, tools or even much labor for that matter.
Here are the tools you'll need (get ready for it): a steel tape measure, a piece of paper and pencil and, a screwdriver. If you have an electric one, all the better. Even if you have to go out and buy any or all of these things, you will still save a lot of money by doing it yourself. To learn how, check out the following measure and install video.
The steps are as follows: measure your windows, choose your window shades, place your order, wait for the UPS truck and then install them. Bam! You just saved yourself a load of dough.
The best choices in the cheap window shades category are almost always the house brand. By not choosing a 'brand name' i.e., Bali, Hunter Douglas, Levolor, etc. you'll save. By choosing a non-name brand, you are still getting a quality product. Maybe they don't have quite as many color options and features but, most people don't buy motorized, triple-cell cellular blackout shades in fuchsia. Most people buy basic colors with minimal features.
Most online vendors offer discount coupons from time-to-time. You'll want to definitely take advantage of these. If you are having trouble finding a discount code, do a search on Google for 'company name' + coupon. You will most likely see numerous affiliate websites that publish coupon codes. The savings range anywhere from 10-30%. Add together the savings of doing it yourself, buying online, coupon codes and free shipping on top of that, you can get quality, cheap window shades (read: low price, quality products) for a lot less than you might think.
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