Art works can make or break an environment. They can transform a space from drab to fab instantly and they can also provide comfort, joy, and inspiration to the people around them.

As great as these benefits are though, art can also be expensive and can really put a dent on your budget. Fortunately, this isn’t always the case.  It may not be easy but if you know where to look and if you’re patient about finding diamonds in the rough, you can actually snag great works of art at inexpensive prices.

Below are a few ideas:

1. Thrift stores - We’ve all heard about those tales when a non-assuming shopper suddenly comes across a million dollar work of art at a Goodwill store. While I’s highly unlikely that this scenario will happen to you, it’s still worth a shot to check out neighborhood thrift stores for good art works. You may not find Da Vinci’s long lost paintings in there, but you could find a really good art work at an affordable price. Don’t “discount” discount stores--you never know what you’ll find.

2. Art students - Local colleges and universities are filled with students brimming with raw talent. Why not swing by an art class or two and see if you can buy some of the pieces from students? Since they aren’t professionals yet, they’ll be happy to give you their art works for low prices. And who knows? If they do end up being famous artists someday, you could even make a return on your paintings!

3. IKEA - Truth be told, if you’re looking for unique works of art that can’t be found anywhere else, this isn’t the way to go. However, if you’re fine with decent, (albeit mass-produced) pieces, IKEA carries a lot of those at low prices.

Image credit: Phil Roeder on Flickr