A beautiful homemade chandelier by John Mills for his living room. Photo Courtesy: John Mills
Home improvements can seem very intimidating when looking at the whole picture but they definitely don’t have to be. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that your home is looking the way you want it to. Don’t think you are required to spend all of your savings or make complete renovations to create a new vibe or feeling in your home. Sometimes there are little things you can do that are going to be just as beneficial, if not more so (due to cost and time saved), for not only the look of your home but also for your family’s enjoyment.
Avoid Becoming Overwhelmed: Start Simple
Do: Focus on the small things. How can you make your living room better? Trying to make it pop? Why not add a few photos of your family, your pets and personal items such as those beautiful creations your children have brought home from school. Take your personality and your character, whatever it is that makes you unique and shows off what makes your family fun and unique.
Don’t: Look too far ahead. Looking into the future is an important step to any part of life but the last thing you want to do is stress yourself out. Taking things one step at a time, one day at a time, is what is going to get you the best results.
Painting the Shed: This shed, actually a garage, was in dire need of paint, as you can see from the insert … not only was the old colour innsipid but the paint was peeling and dirty … so, after 12 days of scraping, sanding, priming and painting (2 coats) and voila! – A new shed.
Photo Courtesy: R. A. Paterson
For example, if you are trying to add an outdoor room, break the project up into easy-to-handle sections. Start by focusing on just the planning of the space itself. What are your dimensions? How many people do you think you want to be able to hold? What types of things do you plan to store there? These are all questions to get you started. Then, you can start working out the exact details such as which type of material you’d like to use and getting everything inside.
Change is Everything and Means Everything
Do: Take time to think of ways that you can mix up the setup of your home, because let’s face it; looking at the same four walls day in and day out can get really old, really fast. If you notice yourself just not wanting to get up in the morning or losing your motivation to clean up or exercise, it may be time to change your scenery.
Don’t: Stress over the changes you plan on making. Maybe all you really need to do is rotate items that are in your home currently with things that have been packed away for a while; like that family heirloom your mother was always worried about you breaking as a child.
A Low Budget Makes Only a Slight Difference in the Long Run
Do: Take the time to budget yourself even if you have the money to spare because over the long term, the money you saved can be used for other household necessities. Saving a mere 5 dollars a month turns into $60 in a year’s time.
Don’t: Worry about how much money you make or how much you have to spare. Even if you have nothing extra, you can still add something new to your home. Start by checking out garage sales and thrift stores. Sometimes you can get items nearly (or completely) free.
Jack Marsh is a retired real estate agent. He has been freelancing for the website australianheritagehomes.com.au for the past two years.
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