5 Ways to Decorate on a Budget
Hey friends!
I hope you are all having a fabulous day so far! Today, we are going to talk all about budgeting! One of the many questions I get asked is how I budget for my home decor. Owning a home comes with expenses, and those expenses are not cheap. However, there is no need to break the piggy bank to make your home beautiful. So, today I am sharing 5 tips on how you can budge for your home and decor.
Set up a house account — One of the first things Kent and I did after purchasing our home was open an account for house expenses. We wanted to have money set aside in case of emergencies. Because you never know when you might have to repair your roof, fix water damage, replace an appliance… like your stove… if you know, you know, Haha :) To stay disciplined, we treat the house savings like a monthly bill. It helps us stay on track and grows our balance. Therefore, if we do have to dip into it, we are consistently replenishing it.
Now, you might be wondering, do I use this account for my seasonal decor too? I do not, but you most certainly could. Just make sure you consider how much you want to budget for seasonal decor on top of how much you want to save for emergencies. So, how do I budget for the seasonal decorations? I have a separate account for decor shopping. Anytime I have extra money, I throw it into this account for safekeeping. Then, when it is time to go decor shopping, I have play money to spend. (Bonus Tip: If you are not good at saving, you could take it a step further and open this account at a different financial institution than your primary accounts. Also, make it a point to get no checks or debit cards with it. Make it incredibly inconvenient to get the money. Because chances are you will change your mind if you have to go in person and withdraw the funds).
Analyze your space — My second tip is to analyze your area before purchasing decor. I know this might seem like a given. However, there have been times I have gone out shopping and bought an item on impulse. It happens, and as tempting as it may be, it is best to wait until you have a vision in mind before heading to the stores. If you do this, you are less likely to spend money on things you don't need.
Buy items on clearance — I think most people know this tip, but it’s a good one to note. If you want to save money, buy pieces on clearance or at least on sale. I know it can be so hard to wait, especially when everyone else is out shopping. However, I've scored some fantastic deals this way. Not only will you save money, but you won't have to shop for many decorations the following year. If this is hard for you, I recommend buying one splurge item each season and buying anything else when it goes on sale or clearance.
Create a savings goal — Home decor items add up fast, so I recommend setting a goal of how much you want to spend each month, season, year, etc. Saving is not the most exciting thing to do, but you can still have fun with it. Pinterest has a lot of savings challenges you can adopt if you want to hold yourself accountable. Here is a couple I found:
-THE DICE CHALLENGE: In this challenge, you roll the dice and assign each number to a corresponding amount. For example, if I roll a 5, and it's assigned to $20. I would move $20 over to my savings.
-52 WEEK CHALLENGE: In this challenge, you start by adding $1 to your savings and increase it by $1 each week. For example, on week 2, I would move over $2. Week 3 move over $3, etc. If you continue to do this for 52 weeks, you should end up with $1,378. How awesome is that?!
DIY Decor: The last tip I have for all of you is to create your decor! I love crafts and unleashing my creativity. I love this tip for several reasons. One is that you can make it your own. I also find that making my decor saves me money in the long run. I have made wreaths and signs in the past. More than likely, I would have paid more money for the ones in the store. If you're nervous about making your decor, don’t be! :) There are plenty of tutorials out there to help guide you.
Those are all the tips I have for you today :) I hope you all enjoyed this post and found it helpful.
Love, Brandi