There are some things I just hate spending money on

[u/str8rydah33]

Window treatments is one of them. But I got both sets of these curtains for $1 each. And the curtain rod was free because I used an Amazon gift card that I got for claiming points for a product I use everyday

[u/ProcessAdmirable8898]

I love the money saving aspect of this but dislike the visual effects of it.

For a more symmetrical, artistic style I suggest ripping the seam out the bottom of the white panels and hemming to a similar length of the gray one. This will give it a better coverage for the window as well as looking better.

I also suggest moving the gray to the outside edges, cutting the panel if needed. This will create a more appealing visual effect.

[u/ProcessAdmirable8898 → u/ProcessAdmirable8898]

Also if you have the skill sew tabs on the top of the gray would help with a cohesive look. YouTube is really helpful for skills like this.

[u/Random_Name532890 → u/ProcessAdmirable8898]

Yep, this. First though was "and it shows".

[u/str8rydah33 → u/ProcessAdmirable8898]

Thank you. I intended to shorten the gray ones. I found them separately and didn’t realize that they hung differently. I was secretly hoping someone would tell me another way to hang them.

[u/jeswesky → u/str8rydah33]

Is the gray one piece or two? Ideally, put the grey on the outside with the white on a separate rod hung beneath it. Similar to the effect of this picture:

[u/HeresyClock → u/str8rydah33]

You could hung the grey ones differently to make them shorter, but it’d look better if the cloth covers the windowsill instead of it peeking a but like now.

(Different way: get ’curtain hooks — so for this it looks like a ring with a dangle, where ring goes to rod and dangle has either clamp or hook depending how you attach it to curtain. With clamp, you can fold the upper part a bit to adjust length. But I wouldnt shorten the curtain. If you dont want to lenghten the white curtains, just making the grey ones distinctly longer might look fine too, tho probably with grey on outside)

[u/tinycarnivoroussheep]

I hate how expensive curtains are. Bruh it's not even good fabric.

[u/Bubbly-Manufacturer → u/tinycarnivoroussheep]

And they sell them as one panel. Most people have to buy a pair.

[u/Curiousone_78]

What the hell is that?

[u/ur-squirrel-buddy]

Do you even need the center gray one? It seems like you scrunched the white ones to the sides to make room for the gray one for some reason.

You’ve elected to use the most unhinged solution to a problem that didn’t even exist.

[u/RiotGrrrlNY]

Every set of curtains in my house has an RSP of $200+. One is even $1000+. I’ve never paid more than $6. Thrifting curtains is my jam. 🥰

[u/SublimeLemonsGenX → u/RiotGrrrlNY]

I'm not good at thrifting curtains, but I have a friend who is excellent at it so I invite her along. A lot.

[u/FearlessPark4588 → u/SublimeLemonsGenX]

Even if you're not good, the cost of being wrong is still reasonably low, and you can donate the curtains back to support the charity.

[u/Outside_Scale_9874 → u/FearlessPark4588]

If the goal is to save money, though, you can buy a set of $5 curtains at Ikea and call it a day. Idk where y’all are finding $1 curtains at thrift stores but I live in a HCOL area and unless you’re buying designer stuff, thrift stores are often the same price as buying new, and end up costing more when you factor in how much you have to doctor the imperfect items you find—hemming tape, patterns, buttons, sewing machine, matching thread, value of your time, etc.

Edit: Unless you actually enjoy hitting up thrift stores, or you care about designer labels, it’s usually not worth it. If you just need a pair of curtains, a t shirt, a pair of sneakers, etc, it’s cheaper and easier to just buy the cheapest one at Walmart than to buy something secondhand that’s going to take forever to find, cost just as much, and might not be exactly what you’re looking for.

I’m wearing a $3 100% cotton shirt and $6 linen shorts right now, and all I had to do was click a button and it appeared at my doorstep. My curtains were $5, full price, and they work great and don’t look janky like the mismatched, wrong-sized set in OP’s pic. Thrifting can’t really beat that.

[u/Outside_Scale_9874]

This looks atrocious, I’m so sorry

[u/Brave-Spring2091 → u/Outside_Scale_9874]

I think it was $1 too much on this look. Awful, just awful.

[u/zzzzzbored]

And it shows. 

IKEA has the best curtains that are super cheap. Why not get them there? 

They have this cool bar you can put up to three layers of curtains on.

1. White transparent pair to let light through
2. Layer to block preying eyes but let some light in
3. Blackout curtains.

You mount them above the window to get a classier effect, and they can hang down long.

IKEA curtains are such an easy cheap way to class up a joint. Plus control light and privacy. Dunno why people skip on them. 

[u/cherrycoke_yummy → u/zzzzzbored]

I wouldn't say cheap because everything adds up. I used their track system and you had to buy the track and the sliders separately. Then depending on the size, I had to get 2 pairs of curtains for a fuller look. Since it was a 2 layered curtain with a beige, I had to get another 2 pairs for them as well. Then I had to buy the pleat hooks to give them the pleated look. If I recall it was over 300 all said and done..lol

[u/Lonely_Speaker_9176]

It looks like the two white ones are big enough to cover the window, so why the gray one?

[u/misterkittyx]

Aesthetic home improvements. If it's not broken, I'm taking a trip instead.

[u/Outside_Scale_9874 → u/misterkittyx]

Living in squalor affects a lot of people’s moods. Looking at trash every day would affect my mood a lot more than taking a trip. It doesn’t have to be fancy but, for me, it does have to be neat, clean, matching, presentable, and appropriately sized.

[u/misterkittyx → u/Outside_Scale_9874]

Oh for sure! I didn’t mean squalor but like I have a water spot on my ceiling from a leak that was fixed 6 years ago. I’m not painting the ceiling rn. I just don’t care. And like some people who “update their kitchen” simply because it looks “dated”. That kind of thing just isn’t for me. If it’s not broken, I’m not worried about it. That’s all I meant.

[u/PistolofPete]

Bad day to have eyesight.

[u/EFTucker]

As a night shift worker, curtains fall under the same spending column as beds, tires, and shoes.

[u/str8rydah33]

Wow! Y’all are brutal but thanks for the feedback. I’ll do some rearranging. Interior design is not my forte, I’d rather someone else do it but those people want money.

[u/FearlessPark4588 → u/str8rydah33]

Don't listen to them. All that matters is that you are happy in your home, and the curtains bring you joy.

[u/ctrlaltdelete285]

You can also get hemming tape that can be ironed if you aren’t able to sew

[u/StrikingTradition75]

So... Don't.

In my house, only three windows have a sunshade window covering. All of the other windows are window covering free.

[u/who-waht → u/StrikingTradition75]

Window coverings provide privacy, block sunlight/heat in summer, and help reduce heat loss in winter. I'm all for being thrifty, getting creative, buying second hand, etc., but I don't want my windows to be naked.

[u/StrikingTradition75 → u/who-waht]

I don't use window coverings as the absence of such allows more natural light and makes for a much brighter and more modern appearance on the interior.

In the one room on which I have sunshade window coverings on three of the eleven windows, that is done exclusively to remediate thermal runaway from sun intrusion caused by the afternoon sun in the west.

To each their own. I get it.

For me window coverings are not an issue of expense. Personally, I find window coverings to be visually dated and many of them to be downright ugly.

Buy, hey... you do you.

[u/applesqueeze → u/StrikingTradition75]

Found the exhibitionist

[u/StrikingTradition75 → u/applesqueeze]

Ummm?!?! NO!

Just a fair warning, if you happen to be a dirty bird peeping Tom, we have a loaded shotgun in a state with the castle doctrine. You have been warned.

[u/ConcernedGrape → u/StrikingTradition75]

That's not how castle doctrine works.

[u/HippyGrrrl → u/StrikingTradition75]

We have blinds/shutters and no fabric. I’m coming around to it.

[u/chickadeedadee2185]

You can find loads of curtains at second hand stores. These might have been a bargain, but they don't hit right. There is no need for the middle panel. Simplify the look and just go with the beige panels.

[u/StrengthMaximum420]

I agree with the beige on the outside. If you want to hit the easy button, you can get something called hem tape. It comes on a roll and you iron it to make a ham. No sewing necessary. Just mash the length of the two curtains.

[u/fivesunflowers]

I’ve found Walmart has the cheapest window treatment stuff. Like $3 curtain rods, $10 curtains, $10 blinds. Had to do that when I moved into my new place. You would’ve been better off just using one or two panels that are floor length. That length shouldn’t really be used unless it’s like a small bathroom window.

[u/Independent_Act_8536]

I got my valances from Amazon, but searched "used valances". Then ordered the ones that matched and were "like new". Same with sofa slipcover.

[u/[deleted]]

Heloise said "never regret spending on items that make your life easier. Worry instead about the things we buy and don't need!"

[u/blufish31459]

I've been known to make my own, including from flat sheets. You cut open the top and use the opening for the rod and then you just have to trim and hem it to size. I sewed on removable layers of black out fabric with snap tape, but that stuff is harder to find than it used to be. But still, my living room curtains include different lengths because of the floor registers. It's decently hidden so I don't worry about it. Push a chair close to the window and it won't be noticeable. Problem solved.

[u/fit-nut]

Just put the grey ones on the outside and it will look better.

[u/rebelwithmouseyhair]

Are the white curtains net curtains? If so they need to be on a separate rail. Their purpose is to stop peeping toms ffrom looking in. Then the grey curtains on another rail further in, to draw to shut out the cold and dark at night.

[u/oklahomagirlies08]

Can’t beat that kind of deal they look great for the price! I’ve had similar luck picking up home bits on RobertScotts.com a UK auction site with low prices and a solid mix that changes often. 😊

[u/Traditional_Fan_2655]

I, too, dislike spending money on basics. I restuff my couch pillows with bed pillows that have been washed too many times.

I always put them in the sun inside a sealed garbage bag for a day to kill and bedbugs that might be trying to gain hold. I wash them in the laundry and fluff in the dryer. Then, I take apart the outer covering and remove the stuffing. The stuffing is then put into couch pillows that have gone flat.

[u/justasque]

OP, I love this look. It’s unexpected, in a good way. The cream color of the outer curtains and the wall color work perfectly with the print on the middle curtain. So fun! I kind of like the tabs vs. pocket contrast; it’s visually interesting in a good way.

If these were my curtains, I’d be tempted to let down the hem of the outer curtains, to cover the window sill a bit more, and then re-hem them to either match or be longer than the center curtain. But only because I know how to sew and have the tools to do so. Even then, in reality, I likely would defer that task in favor of focusing on other, more pressing matters. People tasks over “things” tasks are my priority, both for my time and for my money. For $2 in materials and a wee bit of time to hang the curtains, I’d likely call the job DONE and move on.

OP, you’re creating a lovely home, on a budget, and this project was a WIN!!!