High-End Style on a Dime: Clever Finds for a Happier Home

Living in Chicago, between the hustle of work, family, and enjoying the city, finding time for a thorough clean can feel impossible. Your home should be your sanctuary, not a source of weekend cleaning stress. Sometimes, the best solution is a smart find or a helping hand.

We all want a beautiful, organized space that feels like us, but decorating and maintaining it shouldn’t break the bank. The secret? Getting creative with where you shop and knowing when to call in the pros. Inspired by savvy shoppers who transform dollar-store finds into anthropology-level decor, here’s how to elevate your space without the luxury price tag—and how to keep it spotless once you do.

Transform Your Space with Smart, Affordable Finds

Forget the idea that stylish home goods have to cost a fortune. Stores like Five Below are stepping up with gorgeous organization products, mirrors, and decor that look incredibly high-end. The key is seeing the potential in simple items and adding your personal touch.

Organization That Looks Like Art

Beautiful storage is a game-changer. Look for woven bins, acrylic organizers, and scalloped drawer dividers. These pieces keep clutter at bay while looking like intentional decor. A tidy home starts with a place for everything, making your weekly apartment cleaning routine much faster.

The Magic of a Simple DIY

That plain mirror or basic picture frame can become a stunning focal point. With a small jar of antiquing wax (often just a few dollars), you can add vintage character in under 10 minutes. It’s about working smarter, not harder, to create a home you love—the same philosophy applies when you need deep cleaning help for those bigger jobs.

Keeping Your Beautiful Space Clean & Welcoming

Once you’ve curated a home that sparks joy, keeping it clean is the next step. A clean home reduces stress and makes your beautiful decor shine even brighter.

Make Maintenance Manageable

Incorporate small habits to stay on top of messes:

• Declutter First: Before you clean, put away those lovely new decor items and organizers. A clear surface is easier to wipe down.
• High-Traffic Focus: Spend a few minutes each day wiping down bathrooms and kitchen counters—the rooms that get dirty fastest.
• Embrace Tools: Use those cute, affordable storage bins! They make it easy to quickly tidy up when unexpected guests are on the way.

Even with the best habits, life gets busy. When your to-do list is overflowing, that’s the perfect time to schedule a cleaning with a trusted team.

When to Call in the Professionals

Some tasks are worth outsourcing. A reliable Chicago cleaning company can handle the deep work—sanitizing bathrooms, mopping floors, dusting shelves—so you can enjoy your free time. It’s the easiest way to get your space cleaned thoroughly and consistently.

Your Chicago Solution for a Spotless Home

Here in Chicago, we understand the need for convenience and quality. Jikas Cleaning was founded to provide just that: reliable, top-tier cleaning so you can focus on what matters most. Whether you need a one-time refresh or regular maintenance, we’re your local partner.

Looking for a cleaning service near me that you can trust? Our teams are fully vetted and trained in efficient, effective methods. We make it simple to book an appointment online, offering flexible scheduling to fit your busy life.

Think of us as your secret weapon for home care. You handle the fun part—decorating and living in your space—and we’ll provide the professional home cleaning that keeps it looking its absolute best. It’s the simplest way to clean your apartment without any hassle.

Five Below is the new anthropology. You don’t want to miss today’s video on Do It on a Dime. We shop dollar stores with high standards. >> With Dollar Tree raising prices, it’s been so fun to see what other dollar stores are doing. And Five Below is killing it right now. They just dropped a brand new Coette line with organization products, gorgeous feminine products, things that look so regal and high-end. Like, when I say this video is that good, it is that good. And this video is very not sponsored, okay? I had not been to Five Below in a while. I walked in on a whim and was blown away. I used to think that Five Below had some standard items, but I couldn’t believe they dropped a brand new coat line with most items $5 to$7 each. Dollar Tree could not touch some of these beautiful finds. And while I do love the Dollar Tree, this is cheaper than Amazon and Walmart’s prices, but it has so many beautiful items at that affordable $5 to $7 price point. Look at these classic vintage style books. I was so excited to see these for just a few dollars. If you’ve got high standards and a very low budget, you made it to the right place. These are cottagecore gorgeous. No, these organizing containers are awesome and they’re 5.55 each. What I really like is they have the woven style bins. These are great and the brand on this is Room to Room. They’re really nice size and this is about a third of the price of Walmart. They also have really pretty bow prints and floral prints. All of these are 5.55 and their acrylic organization is top tier, but more on that in a minute. This is a set of 12 drawer organizers and this is just 5.55. The scalloped edging on this is so anthropology and gorgeous. If you’ve seen scalloped bins, you know how much these can retail for. I’m so excited to use these. These prices beat Amazon, even sheen, by a long shot. And I’m going to show you how quality they are. I’m going to actually show you how I use these things. Like I said, I shop the dollar store with high standards. I’ve got a makeover coming up. This gilded display shelf. Now, this I am so excited to find. This is great organization, specifically in a bathroom. Check it out. Urban Outfitters sells a similar item for almost $100. I saw this going viral online, and to be honest, it is the main reason that I went into Five Below because I wanted to see if I could find it. My store had a ton in stock. Now, you can hang these, but the quality for $10 was awesome. You could use this for a collection, but I decided to use it for skincare. I would love to know in the comments what you would do with it. I love thrifting. a unique collected vintage style. And this item fits right in. This is a really cool jewelry organizer. I really like this one to hang up. But there is a viral product I have to show you. For $10, a splash tune shower speaker. Now on Amazon and at Walmart, these are at least double the price. And Five Below had so many in stock for 10 bucks. I am not paying $30 for something. But did it work? Yes, this is the music coming right out of the speaker. Here’s how it sounds. You can select a cool light or a warm light, and I just connect this right to the Bluetooth on my phone. And what is especially cool about this is it will literally continue to play music no matter how wet it gets. Like I said, I am not sponsored at all by Five Below, but I really like that I can a make returns and b shop online for pickup in store. This makes things so much easier for me so I can still get all of those affordable prices. Two products flying off the shelves right now are these $3 turntables with a rimmed side and these stacking bins. These are 5.55 and very good quality. These are great in bathrooms. They’re great in craft rooms. If I share it with you, I want it to be the cheapest price you can possibly find and the best quality. Nothing I share with you is something I don’t actively use or would use in my own home. I am not an advocate of just buying needless junk. You want it to be things that you actually use and totally love. like, oh my gosh, the mirrors. You remember when I thrifted this beautiful anthropology mirror upstairs and all of you said you wished you could find something like that for your house? Look no further than Five Below. Now, these mirrors are $35, but they’re floor mirrors. And what you can do is take some antiquing wax and put this on the outside of it. It’s going to make this look so high-end and like a true anthropology dupe. Some of the dollar store stuff needs a little trick, a little hack, if you will. Antiquing wax is super affordable. In fact, you can get it for just a couple bucks. You brush this onto your project and then you gently wipe it away with a cloth, leaving in some of the crevices that antiquing look. This makes such a difference. I did this entire mirror in less than 10 minutes. This dries to the touch in a few hours, and the effect is permanent. You can see here’s the DIY version and the anthro version. So, if you’re not lucking out in thrift stores with your mirrors, and you do not want to spend almost $600 for this mirror, this Five Below option is a great dupe. And I have a complete makeover coming up. I’m going to show you how I use all of these things and make them look awesome. I’m going to take a high-end item like this Pottery Barn picture frame that’s almost $60. You can find similar versions at Five Below. I could add antique wax to this if I wanted. And look at this trifold mirror. So pretty. I really like this art. They have Vincent Van Go. They also have Monae. What I really like is this blue and white is trending everywhere. This is so gorgeous for $7. This is mimicking a very high-end anthropology mirror. I love the gold on this. I love the bows. And swans are everywhere. Anthropology has so many swans right now. And there are some super cute items here. Check this out. Look at these. They’re $4. They’re just $4. Look at those. So cute. So cute. We also have this amazing little swan box. Look at how pretty he is. This is so anthro to me. So gorgeous. And they even have these little boat tabletop shelves. I really like these. And I would love to know what you would put on them. I didn’t buy everything. I didn’t need it all. I just like showing it all to you so you can find something that maybe speaks to you. I have to say I am impressed by their washable rugs. A lot of these are looking like a lot of trending styles that I’m seeing right now. We’ve got maximalist core going on. These are gorgeous. They even have swan ones if this is your jam. Absolutely gorgeous. Yes, I love these candle warmers. Now, I have seen on Instagram people using these to heat up their queso. people using these to melt chocolate for dipping strawberries in. I would love to know if you’ve tried that, but this one I really like. I had to come home with this guy. Okay, he was just $10. This beats Amazon, Walmart, and Target’s price by a lot. Cheaper than Walmart. Okay. Okay. These are great in bedrooms, too, because when the light is on, it warms the candle so you never need to have a flame. Flameless options are great with pets or in bedrooms. We also have this arch shelf which could be really cool for bath products, but I think my favorite are these little heart tables. There’s also a cat table. These are so cute. You could even decoupage the top. This is for a future makeover, but you get a sneak peek. I took my Cricut and I labeled this with the little girl’s name. I thought this would be so cute in a teen bedroom, especially with some of the swan items and that mirror that’s going to swing back around. Okay, I also found these gorgeous sipper mugs. They are glass tumblers. Look at how cute these are. Their pillows are total Anthropology dupes. I love this. And they are so soft. The blankets, too. I can highly recommend. These are $7. Very similar to lots of styles I’m seeing at Anthropology. I just loved walking through the store this day and seeing all of the fun items that they had. Like, I did not remember Five Below being this cool. Look at this tumbler accessory kit. Okay, I could barely leave these things, but I restrained myself. This is a tumbler pouch accessory with charms. Like you can literally attach this to it’s like a tumbler backpack. Keep your tumbler organized. That’s fun. They have this tumbler storage here. This is so cool. For $5. Their journaling section is on point. Literally. This is the anthropology style but on a dime. Look at these notebooks. So beautiful. They even have little fuzzy doggies. I really like this one, too. And I love that the pages are gilded. And if you’re looking for fountain pens, look no further than Five Below. You get eight for $5. That’s less than a dollar a piece. These mirrors were beautiful. And at the front, this is where all of the Coette items are. I mean, these pajamas were adorable. And these slippers for $7. All of the clothing items pretty much in Five Below are $7. This yoga mat scrunchie was $3. And these bow tote bags were $5 each. They were selling out at a lot of stores around me. They are stunning in person and very high quality. This would be a great gift idea or a perfect pool bag. And going viral right now, cuz apparently this is the place to get it, is a Pilates reformer board. Guys, I am not a Pilates reformer. I don’t do Pilates, but it is only $30. That is cheaper than Walmart and cheaper than Target. But if you had to know, like in this entire section, what did Catherine actually come home with? It was this pajama set. I could not resist at the $7 price point. And it is so comfortable. I just wanted to show you by adding this mirror to my mantle what you could do on a tiny dollar store budget. Now that it’s antiqu, I took some of my thrifted finds, thrifted books, thrifted planters, you know how much I love the thrift store, and I put it all together. You don’t have to get lucky at the thrift store with some of the big finds because you can DIY a lot of them. Nobody would ever know this came from the dollar store. It’s really giving anthropology, but my bank account went to therapy and she has boundaries. Okay, like a great DIY, that selfwork really pays off. And this chair in my master bedroom, I got that from an estate sale for $40. I feel like February is the time to try something new, to thrift items, or to get them from the dollar store really affordably and make it super girly. I did notice at Five Below they had tons of Valentine’s Day ideas balloons for just a couple of dollars each. I also really liked the plates. Life’s too short to not have a little fun in your four walls. We’ve been snowed in for the last week in North Carolina, over 10 in of snow, so I thought it was the perfect time to try out this candle warming hack. Owen was more than happy to try this with me. The chocolate melted really well. I just used traditional melting chocolate. After about 10 minutes, you can dip your strawberries in. This is the perfect delicious treat and great for Valentine’s. I love how all of these ideas in this video feel so sweet and romantic. And remember, you can use what you have. You don’t have to buy all new things. I use these little teacups to make teacup shakuderie. This is a little vase with a narrow rim. So I could put some salami on top. You could really use any fresh cut cold meats and it makes this beautiful rose. When I was a kid, I used to play like this all the time, setting things up, rearranging, pretending everything was special. And somehow along the way, we kind of stop doing that, don’t we? But honestly, life is too short to not play in real life. And you don’t need expensive things to do it. Creativity is the luxury, my beautiful friend. It is so good to see you today. And if nobody has told you, guess what? You are enough. I’ll catch you soon.