Redecorating on a Budget

When considering moving to a new house, I am sure your mind will be filled with images of what new and beautiful things you would like to be surrounded with. I know for all three times that I have moved, I have bought one or two decorating magazines to get ideas about how to spruce up the place, add my touch, and make it at least a version of the place of my dreams.

I have also found though that moving on a budget is a trying and frustrating endeavor.  Imagine wanting all these pretty things, and some not even so expensive, only to add up all costs and find that you can afford maybe two of the twenty items you want to implement. If that is not an exercise in frustration I do not know what is.

Again, I have come up with my ways to redecorate on a budget and not only to save on money but also to save on feeling bad that you cannot get everything you want.

1. Recycle, recycle, recycle

This might be making bells ring in the heads of conservationists and environmentalists and, while I am all for saving our planet, I have to admit that that is not the first reason for this point.  When I moved into my second house, I found I greatly lacked in storage space. So, with the help of family, I was able to have new shelves and cabinetry added. Of course, my current house also lacked storage space (as most rental places seeming suffer from) so I ripped all this out and recycled all the wood. I didn’t stick them all in looking the exact same way, naturally, and I had to repairing them to match the paint of my new place, but it was still a whole lot cheaper considering I saved on the wood, the glass, and the fixtures.  I was also able to create a lot of new kinds of shelves and storage apace with all the wood as well.

2. Do-it-yourself

A lot of people need to have professionals do things for them.  I have to admit, my mom is one of these people. I watched as she sat and started mentally computing all the funds needed to pay pro’s to create an office nook, redecorate a certain Room, etc.  I had to break to her gently how she all of moi as her professional everything for this move. So, I put together an office nook by myself (using again old furniture, some repainted, some fixed up) and with little to almost no cost.  She was quite inspired because she was able to create a clothes line for laundry all by herself using my old lines and some handy foliage in the lot beside us. So now I don’t even need to buy steel racks for hanging!  Those cost about 4k rounded off per piece. That is a lot of money.  It is 2k shy of the cost of a .5 HP air conditioner.  But I digress. The point is, whenever and wherever you can, with whatever you have on hand, try to make/create what you need on your own. All you really need is a little creativity, your two hands, and some basic office tools.

3. Reinvention

This point is connected to points one and two.  As you recycle and start on your D.I.Y. tasks, you can also reinvent.  So, as I mentioned previously, I was able to create new kinds of storage from the old cabinet wood I brought with me from my old house.  And you can get as creative as you want.  I used old storage boxes as the table for my printer since my office is under the attic stairs and requires low and small furniture.  I used old plastic shower or bathroom racks as spice racks.  I just needed to take them apart to make them separate pieces, then paint them.  I used an old plastic trolley, took it off its wheels, took the three levels apart and created two separate, small shoe racks for the kids shoes- again, something that would fit a smaller space.

The point is, to save on professional fees, to forgo the heartache of letting go of signature pieces that you love but just cannot afford, try to look at what you have and get creative.  Priming, repainting, and reconnecting parts can all be done for a very minimal cost and taking things apart to make new things costs nothing at all.

What budget tips for redecorating can you share?