As we said last time, redecorating and renovating your home is always interesting and exciting, but you’re not always in a position to make all of your wishes come true. That’s why planning ahead and being ready to compromise and navigate between your desires and reality is a must, and if you don’t have that much money, you simply have to find ways to work on a budget. Luckily, there are lots of frugal ideas everywhere you look and you can make wonders even on the tightest of budgets, so here are a couple of ideas you definitely shouldn’t avoid when decorating your personal space.
Determine the Budget
First of all, you need to know exactly what you’re dealing with – having $5000 isn’t necessarily the same as having $5500 and all the extra cash you can muster can make a difference in the long run. That’s why you have to put all your ideas on paper first, talk to an interior decorator and/or a contractor, get their prices and then determine what you can do with the money you have. Also, you can already start looking for ways to stretch your budget and figure out ways to save a couple of bucks here and there. Only after settling your financial matters can you start working and finding cheap ideas that will go a long way.
Focus on One Room
This may sound a bit unorthodox at first, but focusing on only one room at a time when decorating your home might be the way to go if you’re on a limited budget. By focusing on the worst areas first you can have the biggest impact. By directing all your attention on the living room, for instance, you can turn it into the focal point of the home and a place where everyone is going to spend the most time of their time. Picking the living room is a great idea because this is where you’ll entertain your guests and show them what a great host you are, and they won’t care that your bedroom, kids’ room and kitchen aren’t as new as the living room. This way, you’ll make a statement without having to invest a ton of money.
Decorate the Floors
This is something lots of people have a tendency to overlook, but the color and pattern of your floors can significantly change the appearance of your home. That’s why redoing them and replacing old carpets with new tile or hardwood floors is one of the most popular home decorating ideas in the world. However, this can turn out to be quite costly as well, which is why decorating your existing floors might make more sense financially. On the one hand, you can opt for cheap tiles or second-hand hardwood and go with more frugal ideas such as cork, bamboo or laminate flooring, or, on the other hand, you can do something as simple as repainting your floors or adding a few attractive floor rugs that could easily turn out to be the most effective and intriguing ways to update your flooring on a tight budget.
New Furniture and “New” Furniture
Furnishing is always the most expensive part of your home-redecorating process and you need to be very careful not to spend too much money on new furniture unless you want to go broke right away. Even though some people aren’t fans of this idea, buying second-hand furniture might be an amazing way to get great pieces for a decent amount of money. Of course, you shouldn’t pick furniture that’s too old or nearly destroyed, but visiting local flea markets will get you some great deals for your money. Even if the chairs and sofas you’ve picked need refinishing or reupholstering, if you find quality pieces they’ll still be cheaper than purchasing new.
Repaint Certain Walls
Repainting every room in your house is neither hard nor too time-consuming, but how much sense does it really make? Yes, your home will look cleaner and more attractive, yet you won’t necessarily get the WOW factor you were looking forward to. In order to get there, you need to repaint a couple of walls, but not just any walls: focus on one wall, turn it into an accent wall and make it stand out as much as you can. You can pick literally any color you like and easily turn these walls into the focal points of your living room, bedroom, kitchen and other spaces in a matter of minutes.
Planning ahead and anticipating your next moves isn’t easy, but you can’t redecorate your home on a budget without doing so. Think about the effects you’re trying to achieve and save money whenever you can – get your entire family involved and ask your friends for help, for example – and you’ll surely end up with a fresh space that’s going to pump new energy into your life and show you how frugal and creative you can be.
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- Home Improvements that Will Pay for Themselves Over Time
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- Saving on Home Renovations
