4 Tips For Decorating Your First Home on a Budget
Buying your first house is a huge accomplishment! Feelings of pride and excitement should follow your first step into home ownership. However, with all of the money and time that is involved in buying a house, you may feel like you don’t have the energy it takes to decorate your space.
It’s true, though, that interior decorating is the best way to add a personal flair that will take your new space from a house to a home. The good news is that with a little creativity, decorating your home doesn’t have to be an overly expensive commitment.
Check out these tips to save you money and stress while in the process of beautifying your new digs.
1. Remember: Decorating Your First Home Takes Time
You may, like many others, wish that the decorating was like the home renovation shows on television…you get to see the before and after of the house, but you don’t have to deal with the in-between. Of course, outside of reality TV, it’s important to remember that decorating your space doesn’t happen overnight. Reaching design goals for your home may take weeks or even months.
Remember that your dream home is worth it, and practice patience by enjoying the process!
2. Be Resourceful
Moving makes you realize how much “stuff” you have that you don’t need. Use buying a new home as an opportunity to clean out the things you don’t use, and put any money you make through selling your items towards investing in decorating your new space.
Once you’ve cleaned out what you don’t need, ask around for what you do need. Do you have any family or friends that are trying to downsize or clean out? Ask to see if they’re getting rid furniture or décor that you could use!
3. Get Creative
There are countless DIY projects that can help you add a personal flair to your home while saving you money. Whether it’s bringing new life to old furniture through painting or re-upholstering or adding personality to the wall through a collage of family pictures, doing design projects yourself saves so much money.
Resources like Pinterest and the DIY network offer plenty of inspiration for fun design undertakings.
4. Invest in What Matters
When you save money through hand-me-downs and DIY projects, there will be more room in your budget to invest in the bigger “key pieces”. Are you in the market for a new sofa? A new bed? A dining room table?
When it comes to important furniture or décor, sometimes it’s worth it to put down the extra money. Buying a cheap sofa might save you some cash for the time being, but investing in a great quality sofa that will last you many years saves you money for the future.
Your wallet will thank you in the long run for shopping smart by investing for the future of your home.
Now that you have a few decorating tips under your belt, remember that the most important thing about your space is not that it looks perfect, but that you feel comfortable and at home when you’re there.
Congratulations on taking the leap into home ownership. Remember that home ownership is always a process, and have fun exploring your DIY skills, creativity, and style!
Virginia Wilson is a Marketing Content Specialist for Coldwell Banker Caine, the number one Coldwell Banker office in South Carolina.