I am not sure if you have "Century 21" store in and around your place. I found it quite affordable/selection.

Anna

If you watch JCP sale/clearance items, you can get some great deals! I usually always have a free shipping code so it doesn't cost me anything to order - if it doesn't work out, I return to the store.

Show us drapes that you like - folks on here are goot a finding good deals.

Tuesday

I find www.swagsgalore.com is less on somethings than Country Curtains. I also think their selection is bigger. Both will send you swatches of the high end/custom items.

My DR drapes and powder room tiers are from Swags Galore (it's not just 'swags'), and once I ordered and returned a set because the color IRL was not like that on my monitor. No problems.

This is always tough when you're working with a limited budget.
The second consideration is how badly you want to get the right look for your home.
The third consideration is just providing light control and privacy, which you will need possibly before you really KNOW what look you want for your new home.

I've made my own drapes many times. But I only do so after living in a home for long enough to have decided on the look and color and feel I want. It provides great value to get custom cheap, but the fabric, materials, and time don't come all that cheap. I made drapes for my kitchen and found a good fabric sale at JoAnns for 50% off, so spent $15 per yard for 6 yards of decorator fabric. That's $90. Then, the lining fabric was $25 for 6 yards. I spent an amazing $16 for fringe when I found bagged fringe at HomeGoods a year before. So, not counting my time, my lined drapes that worked perfectly with my wall color, and pleased me very well, came to approx. $140 if you count thread. Not terrible, but also not cheap.

I also hit all the stores you mention and look at sale flyers in my newspaper. We have Pottery Barn near where I work so I have purchased drapes on sale there when my daughter needed some. I got them some of the Peyton lined drapes in Mineral Green for her at $35 per panel when they were on clearance, but they don't come that cheap in the normal way. They are nice though.
I check coupons when I find something I like. I have also bought faux wood blinds to provide the privacy and light control even before I am ready to commit to color and fabric. Most blinds I've bought have been through Lowes and sometimes Home Depot. Lowes is most always better for good choices though.

Another cost-effective possibility is painter's drop cloths. Google "drop cloth drapes" and you will find blog after blog with great looks and easy instructions. I have 4 windows and a patio slider fitted with nice rods and finials, matching rings, and hanging from them....6'x9' $10 drop cloths that I have simply folded over at the top, hung by the rings. I bought mine at Home Depot because I found the right shade of off white with the seam I wanted there. Some folks prefer Walmarts because they are lighter in weight. If you go ahead and get the rods/rings you like, the cheap cloths look much like linen, they give you the privacy/light control, and buy you time till you can paint and decorate the new house to suit your taste.

Red

Red, do you have a picture of the drop cloth drapes on the slider? That sounds like it just might work for me.

Hancocks Fabric stores are now carrying drapes. I have never looked at their prices since I always sew my own, but it might be worth checking out. I imagine their on-line site has them too.
Diane

I've actually found JCP to be one of the cheapest. Were you looking while they had a sale? Their full prices are high, but every other week window treatments are on sale. I think they're 65% off this week.

I've made panels out of bedsheets before. And hey, the edges are already finished. :)

Conway has great prices and some nice and some not so nice window treatment. They do have a big selection.

If you like what Ikea has, you can't beat its prices.

Choosing WTs has got to be one of the most challenging aspects of home decor--not to mention stressful if you are in a bind and need privacy. I would not rush into it or feel you need to do it all at once, since WTs can really help set the mood of a room. I even used some disposable paper blinds for a few months when we first moved back home after our remodel and I needed something for the front window of our LR that faced the street as I had not yet decided how I wanted to decorate the room.

I've found JC Penney (when on-sale which they usually are) to provide a nice balance of quality, price and customer support. If you have all your measurements handy, the staff is very helpful in the custom drapery department, even if you don't order custom drapes. I just ordered a rod/rings there yesterday which were 40% off plis I had another 15% off coupon which can be easily downloaded onto of that. I am planning to do the dropcloth curtains that Red mentions above in my DS's room. I really like the look and you cannot beat the price at $10 per panel. I've attached a link below that not only uses dropcloth curtains, but spray painted PVC pipe as a frugal alternative to an expensive curtain rob. A better idea might be to use a closetpole and paint it for a wood look. If you do a little research there are many frugal options to get a custom look for a fraction of the price.
But, before ordering, I would spent a lot of time deciding what you want and what you need. If you post pictures here, you will find many helpful suggestions how to dress your windows, esp. your sliders which can be a challenge.

For large windows, if you need operable drapes the options are not inexpensive because of the amount of material you will require as well as the cost of the rod/rings. For a picture window, a nice look if you do not need total privacy, is to use woven wood blinds layered with stationary panels to either side to give a look of softness and texture. Though it may seem more costly as you are ordering two treatments instead of one, in fact, it can be less costly if you are able to use standard sizes and not require something to be custom made. This can even be done for sliding doors if you do an outside mount that clears the door. For ease of operation and full privacy control, either a pinched pleat or grommit top drape are good options. Grommit tops have the advantage that they stack back tighter if space to the sides of the sliding door is limited and you do not want to obstruct the door.

Here is a link that might be useful: Drop cloth curtains

Wow -- you guys are THOROUGH! Thanks for all the time you took to answer my question--I really appreciate it! I LOVE the painter's cloth idea, especially since, as was mentioned, it's not ideal to buy window coverings in a hurry, but the windows DO need to be covered. At this moment, the current window coverings are vertical blinds that are literally in shreds, from the same dog who dug through much of the carpeting.

Thanks, again.

Do you live near an IKEA? A friend of mine just bought FABULOUS solid colored panels. She vascillated between ivory and sand color, and finally bought the ivory. Kind of like a refined painters cloth. Weighty, wonderful texture -and it was $14.99 for two panels, 108" long x 55 inches wide!!! It is hard to describe how beautiful they are, but they are really, really, nice! And ready to hang....

You know, you guys started me thinking. Do you know that table cloths come in 60 x 84? Not a heavy fabric, for sure. But it's a consideration, especially where 40 or 50 inch wide panels are just not going to cut it. Also, the prices are right, at $14.99 at Home Goods. The selection of patterns and textures was impressive, too. Hmmm.....

Great ideas!!!
Ditto drop cloths and JCP outlet (online) drapes. I've also found sweet deals at Christmas Tree Shop and Tuesday Morning. Finally, Walmart clearance! Good luck~

Just found 100 percent silk shades that are lined and interlined at Tuesday Morning. $79 for a pair of panels 96" long. Color is Old Oyster. 109" length was $99. They also had a Sage Green which I did not purchase.

Oh--didn't know Christmas Tree Shops sold curtains--thanks. Tuesday Morning, huh? That's the first time I've heard of them.

I have also found most of mine at JCP outlet online. Also there is a JCP Outlet Store about 50 miles from me, but haven't been there for awhile. Can always find good bargains there, if you're willing to fight the crowds.

Should have added, Curtains are silk dupioni, not "silky" silk like bedsheets. They're not as heavy duty as custom silk ones I've ordered, but definitely nice considering the price. They can be hung multiple ways too. Pole top, small tabs for hidden drapery hooks, larger tabs for putting directly on pole.