I agree that paint is the best thing you can do to make a place your own without spending a ton. My best advice? Don’t decide on a “style” yet and go out spending. My first 5 years of marriage, I had a completely different style than what I do now. I hardly kept a single thing from that time period, so don’t buy expensive items just yet. It helps to live in your new home for several months before you decide what you really need and what you really want. For example, you might run out and buy shelves for a bathroom, only to decide 6 months later that they didn’t really meet your need and that you now want drawers for storage.
You are approaching flea market season, and you can find spectacular deals if you are persistent in getting up early to attend them at opening time. I love repurposing old things (I have an eclectic antique style). Bureaus and dressers make great bathroom storage. Old decorative cans and tins make wonderful planters. An old sewing machine cabinet makes a beautiful TV stand. Etc.
You don’t need a full home to entertain guests or to feel comfortable. You just need a clean home. So take your time and save your money…you will accumulate more than enough as time goes by.
A note about painting…definitely tape up swatches of color in several places in your rooms and observe them for a week before deciding. Depending on time of day and lighting, the colors will look different. I’ll sit and look at the taped swatches for 10 minutes, then pull down one that I like least. By the end of the week, I know exactly what I like most. Also, at Home Depot, Lowes, and Sherwin Williams, you can buy samples for $5 to paint a 3 foot section in a room and see how it looks before getting a whole gallon. That $5 and 10 minutes of painting has saved me a few big mistakes.
Renea says
I agree that paint is the best thing you can do to make a place your own without spending a ton. My best advice? Don’t decide on a “style” yet and go out spending. My first 5 years of marriage, I had a completely different style than what I do now. I hardly kept a single thing from that time period, so don’t buy expensive items just yet. It helps to live in your new home for several months before you decide what you really need and what you really want. For example, you might run out and buy shelves for a bathroom, only to decide 6 months later that they didn’t really meet your need and that you now want drawers for storage.
You are approaching flea market season, and you can find spectacular deals if you are persistent in getting up early to attend them at opening time. I love repurposing old things (I have an eclectic antique style). Bureaus and dressers make great bathroom storage. Old decorative cans and tins make wonderful planters. An old sewing machine cabinet makes a beautiful TV stand. Etc.
You don’t need a full home to entertain guests or to feel comfortable. You just need a clean home. So take your time and save your money…you will accumulate more than enough as time goes by.
A note about painting…definitely tape up swatches of color in several places in your rooms and observe them for a week before deciding. Depending on time of day and lighting, the colors will look different. I’ll sit and look at the taped swatches for 10 minutes, then pull down one that I like least. By the end of the week, I know exactly what I like most. Also, at Home Depot, Lowes, and Sherwin Williams, you can buy samples for $5 to paint a 3 foot section in a room and see how it looks before getting a whole gallon. That $5 and 10 minutes of painting has saved me a few big mistakes.