Beautiful on a budget...
One of the things on “the list” is “Make my home beautiful on a budget”! Now this is something I have had a LOT of practice with as I have moved home a number of times in the last 8 years.....4 to be precise! That’s an average of a house move every 2 years although the first 2 moves were within 8 months of each other....that was pretty heavy going....uurrggghhhh!
So, 2 years on since my last move, I am now looking at the prospect of yet another, probably within the next few months. I’m dreading it more this time than any of the other times. I’m not sure why...maybe it’s because the novelty of renting and being free to live where I choose has worn off; maybe it’s because I feel guilty disrupting the children again and introducing them to yet another bedroom; maybe it’s because I know this next house is going to need to be much smaller and we are going to have to get rid of lots of stuff; maybe it’s because I’m missing T1 (for Dr Seuss lovers, from now on, I am going to refer to my children as T1 - Thing 1, T2 - Thing 2 and T3 - Thing 3) and don’t have him around to help; maybe it’s because I really would love to own my own home, so I can decorate it however I want; maybe it’s because really I would love to move to the beach but know that T2 would be aghast at the idea of moving out of Basingstoke! I suspect it is likely to be a combination of all these and more, and at the end of the day I just have to get on with it and trust God that my path ahead is safely in His hands and all will be ok! So...on with the task at hand....how to make your home beautiful on a budget!
As I’m sure you are aware, renting a house means there are usually restrictions on what you can and can’t do to alter a house, including painting the walls or putting up pictures. You can usually do it if you seek permission first but it often means you have to repaint the wall to the colour it was before. Trust me, when you have to move a lot, the last thing you want to do is redecorate the house and make it all brand spanking new before you leave it! That takes a lot of energy and time, neither of which a single working parent (or infact any parent!) has much of, so I find it best to stick to removable types of home decor like rugs, cushions and photos of happy memories and people I love. These are all things that can be taken with me each time I move, so my beautiful things follow me instead of being left behind! That said, there is nothing like a house move to get rid of a load of clutter and, whilst I still need to learn to be even more ruthless, I am much less of a hoarder than I used to be (bf would probably beg to differ!!)
You can find lots of tips online for decorating a home on a budget:
http://www.idealhome.co.uk/all-rooms-ideas/decorating-on-a-budget-10-top-tips-71589
http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk/renovate/finance/news/a273/how-to-decorate-for-less/
including ideas for decorating a rented home:
http://www.idealhome.co.uk/all-rooms-ideas/10-ways-to-decorate-a-rented-property-53668
https://thedebrief.co.uk/things-to-do/home/rented-house/
and I love the Houzz app/website:
Houzz
and of course there is nothing like a bit of Pinterest for ideas on decorating and upcycling!
If you’re anything like me though, it’s a lot easier to be enthusiastic about making your home look beautiful when you first move in or when you redecorate a room! I’ve come to realise that my love affair with this particular house is over and as I know I’m going to be moving again shortly my interest has waned and it’s very much a “do what’s necessary to get through the week” feeling instead of plumping pillows and making everything looks like it’s fresh out of a show home!
Apart from my bed that is....I have a thing about my bed being made every morning when I get up and it has to be done just right! But apparently, as the following article suggests.....
Bed makers are happier and more successful than those who don’t. Click here to find out why!
So, the moral of this post is, if you do only one thing to make your house more beautiful, make your bed! It’s free too!
