Have you been looking around your home and not really feeling the love? Our house is our sanctuary and it is important we create a space that is attractive and makes us feel good. Wouldn’t it be great if you could redecorate with abandon without any thought of a budget? Unfortunately, that is not how it goes for most of us. There are other pressing matters that require our money, like mortgages and student loans. But, being on a limited budget does not mean you cannot make a serious dent in changing the appearance of your home. You just have to approach the task smartly and realistically. Here are some helpful hints for redecorating on limited funds.
Prioritize Your Efforts
While you may have a strong urge to gut your whole house and give it a total facelift, this approach can leave you with more problems than you started with. Rein in the impulse and resolve to tackle one room at a time. What room is most strongly beckoning you for a re-do? What kind of money do you have to spend now, and where would it go the furthest? What project will give you the greatest sense of satisfaction at this moment?
Choose Decorating Inspiration Sources Carefully
Many decorating magazines and blogs offer tons of great ideas for changing up your space, but are trying to sell a ‘’dream’’ home that may be out of your reach because of your budget, your scruffy dog or your three children under five. Looking to these sources for inspiration may only leave you disappointed and feeling like you will never be able to create a home that is ‘’good enough.’’ Accept this will not be the home you will create (at least for now), and you will be much more successful in your efforts.
Make a Budget and a Plan
No one likes making budgets—they conjure up images of restriction and forgoing all the fun stuff. But, if you have limited funds for your redecorating project, doing some vague projections in your head just won’t cut it. You have to crunch some numbers to figure out how much money you can realistically spend on your efforts. Once you have your budget in place, you can better plan the changes you hope to make. This will keep you from spending money you don’t have, or spending too much money on certain things and end up not having enough for the other planned changes.
Buy Only What You Absolutely Love
When you hit the store, you will see things beckoning you from every corner, and that cart will be filling up faster than you probably anticipated. But, one of the cardinal rules of redecorating on a budget is buying only the things you absolutely love. Before you head to that check-out line, take stock of everything you have compiled and anything that does not fit the bill needs to go back on the shelf.
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
A beautiful home does not suddenly pop up overnight, unless you have loads of money and can redo everything at once. For most of us, it slowly evolves over time as we make changes here and there. If you are redecorating on a budget, you will get the most mileage from your money if you are willing to be patient and focus on one project at a time. You will not stock every room with lower-quality goods because you simply have to redecorate that room right now.
About the Author: Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who blogs about all things home; if you are in the market for a new sofa, she recommends you visit www.watsons.com for their great selection.