It doesn’t matter if you’ve purchased your first home house or simply moved into another rented apartment. When you relocate, you aren’t just gaining a new space; you’re inheriting the previous resident’s interior design choices. Once you’ve unpacked the last box and settled in for good, there’s nothing left to distract you from old wallpaper, dated carpets, or broken blinds. You have to make some tasteful changes if you expect it to feel like home, but these renovations often come with a huge price tag.
After a big move, you aren’t ready to invest a fortune into your home just yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give your home a quick update in the meantime. Don’t let tight finances force you to live with bad design. Use the following tips to refresh your space — even on a tiny budget.
A budget: your first hint to an affordable redesign
This financial document can help you confront bad spending habits, so you can unearth extra savings for your home makeover. Review how you spend your money each week to see if there are any unnecessary purchases you make on entertainment, food, or clothing. Even small expenses can add up over time, stopping you from investing as much as you’d like into your plans.
Before you’re ready to redecorate, check in with this guide to saving money for ways to break the bad habits and save a little more each payday. The guide will help you find a budgeting method that works best with your lifestyle — even if you’ve relied on payday advance loans in the past. Whether it’s the envelope system or something else entirely, there is no “right” answer, so pick which one is best for you.
Methods may vary, but your task remains the same: cut out excessive spending
Once you identify your worst spending habits, it’s time you find their financially responsible alternatives. Though it’s different for everyone, some common bad habits include:
- Going to Starbucks: Or Dunkin Donuts or MacDonalds. The where doesn’t matter, but how much you spend there does. When you compare the $2 you spend on a morning coffee to the $0.20 you spend when you brew your own, you’ll want to start bringing a homemade brew to work.
- Using UberEats: It’s just plain convenient to order food from UberEats and other similar services when you’re hungry at work, but it’s not economical. Huffington Post did the math, and you could save nearly $1,600 each year by switching to homemade lunches.
In the big picture, eliminating your daily takeout coffee and lunch won’t feel like huge sacrifices, but they will save you multiple thousands of dollars. That’s enough to boost your décor budget, so you can make the changes you want.
Don’t get too cocky
Once you start to see your savings account balance grow, don’t let your excitement run away with your budget. One of the most effective ways to keep your makeover affordable is by planning it ahead of time. An organized approach to your updates will help you find the cheapest options possible. As you wait for your savings to accumulate, prioritize the list of changes you want to make. Another great tip for updating your space on a small budget is to research the ways you can make DIY renovations. While you should rely on a professional to make structural changes to your home’s plumbing or wiring, you can safely take on tasks like painting and installing fixtures on your own.
Some renovations can cost a lot of money, but if you’re careful, you can avoid them entirely. Check in with a savings guide and remember to stick with your plans, and you’ll be able to refresh your home on a small budget.
