Hey friends! I wrote a quick post for you on- 5 budget friendly ways for you to love your home now. This post falls on the heels of some projects we have tackled these past two weeks. Neglected projects that we have been putting off because we can’t currently afford the big budget makeovers we really want to do. Our mindset has always been- why bother… right?! Wrong. These undone projects, dramatically effected our curb appeal, exterior and interior appearance; and quite frankly our mood. They made us feel stressed about what still needs fixing- every single time we walked past them. I finally got tired of letting these spaces steal joy from me, and rob us of feeling happy with our whole home. The truth is we have a home that we are so grateful for, one we love… and while yes, it isn’t perfect- so what. Once I stopped looking at these neglected projects as huge budget busters, and starting seeing them as spaces that could be made drastically better with very little money and some time spent, everything changed. These little projects have allowed me to fall in love with spaces in our home I didn’t think possible. Once we decided to stop waiting to love our whole home “when” and start giving these neglected spaces the attention they deserved “now” we felt a renewed sense of pride in this place. This of course left us wanting to encourage those of you who may be in this same boat to do the same. That is why we’ve come up with this list of 5 budget friendly ways to love your home now.
1)Power wash:
This may sound silly but often our house exterior or deck or patio look dingy and tired- like they need replacing; new paint, siding etc. When reality they just need a bath. of course this isn’t true for everyone sometimes things really do need replacing; but it’s true for many. Renting a power washer is a budget friendly way to breath new life to your exterior spaces that we highly recommend.
2) Paint:
Paint is magical. The power of painting your walls, your fence, your house, your deck. Paint dramatically transforms spaces with very little money *though be it a lot of work*. Not going to sugar coat it, paint isn’t fun, but it is a game changer on the cheap. Feature wall, stencil, freshen up the tired molding, update your patio furniture. The power of paint is endless, budget friendly magic.
3) Rearrange:
Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and feel like we need ALL NEW STUFF. When really our stuff is great we are just tired of looking at it laid out in the same way it has been laid out for weeks, months, or even years. Shop your house!! Take down that gallery wall you have had up for 2 years and try a new configuration. Rug swap, pillow swap. Make it new using what you already own. Focus on shopping the house to get one room JUST right and then move onto the next space. Once you’re done you will likely realize you didn’t need anything new, you just needed to see the old in a new way. Or maybe you will see you do need to do a little shopping but for ONE thing not 20. This tip to change your space is FREE.
4) Plant some flowers:
This is obviously exterior focused but getting some new pots, heck find some cheap or free ones on Craigslist, and spray paint them to match your house. Fill them with bright happy colorful greenery. It is SHOCKING what an impact adding some life to a porch, outdoor dining table, deck, pergola can do. Think of plants as the throw pillows and shelf styling decor of your patio. The living room wouldn’t feel complete with an empty bookshelf. Well the front porch doesn’t feel complete with empty pots. A little floral goes a long way, you can keep the cost super low here too.
5) Lighting:
This goes for inside or outside. The power of lighting, table lamps, desk lamps, floor lamps is incredible. To be able to create a mood or ambiance with lighting gives off an instant homey feeling. Exterior lighting is also a game changer. Whether that is hanging some string lights over the patio or swapping out a dated and dingy fixture for a fresh one. Make this change super budget friendly by pulling down your existing fixture and spray painting it with an updated color like matte black, oil rubbed bronze or brass (we swear by Rustoleum 2x coverage spray paint *not sponsored) Bottom line is lighting makes a world of difference and is often overlooked, and truly should not be.
Bonus- 6) Host:
It doesn’t have to be an elaborate party. It can be a potluck dinner with one other family. Simply opening up your home to make memories in the space with your friends and family is the best way to love our homes now. Loving it not just for what it is aesthetically, but for what the home gives us. A warm and safe place fill with life and laughter; a space to make others feel welcome. No one who comes over will care how undone the baseboards are, or if you have popcorn ceilings. They will simply be grateful to share that time with you and yours.
A reader recently told me: Entertaining says: look what I have. Hospitality says: what I have is yours. Let’s all strive to open our homes with hospitality, generosity and be grateful to our homes for allowing us to so- just as they are, right now.
Sharing the before and after pictures of our budget friendly makeovers (tutorials to come). All of these have sparked a renewed sense of pride and gratitude for our home within us for a total combined cost of $700 dollars. Worth every penny.
The rock wall and flooring in the before picture were updated by us when we bought the home three years ago. This makeover is of the brown garage door. The same door remained in that same poop brown color since day one. We added molding, paint and new baseboards. Dramatic impact for $20 bucks
