Decorating on a Budget

When I moved into my house last year, I was so excited to be starting fresh in my own space. I had completely paid down my consumer debt and had a Pinterest Board full of ideas that I could not wait to implement. But that excitement quickly started to dissolve when I realized just how overwhelming (and expensive!) it is to furnish a home. I have always lived in small New York City apartment spaces that didn’t require much furniture. Heck, this is only my second home that actually has a bedroom door. I quickly began to realize that staying on budget was going to require a PLAN. So I made one and failed miserably at sticking to it. Here are the lessons I learned and the mistakes I made so that you don’t have to:

Listen to Your Wallet Not Your Friends

There is this phenomenon that occurs when you move into a new space. For no reason at all, well-meaning people will begin to suggest to you that you “need” things that are completely out of your budget. I was able to largely avoid this by moving in the middle of a global pandemic, 7/10 would recommend. I have been able to avoid houseguests, and their opinions, for the most part. But, a few weeks after I moved, one of my very sweet, lovely, awesome best friends came to visit. During her stay (and even after she left), she began gently but relentlessly prodding me about when I would purchase a sofa. To be honest, I didn’t think I needed one right away. Nevertheless, I grew weary of the inquiries (more on my inability to deal with any type of pressure later) and I started looking.

I found this perfect green velvet sleeper sofa, and it cost an obscene amount of money. Rather than wipe out my savings, I took the “free money” and set up a payment plan. Although I can comfortably afford the monthly payment, and the loan isn’t accumulating any interest it is still a payment I don’t have to be making. A payment I could’ve avoided if I stuck with my original plan and saved to buy the couch. I can tell you, my bestie has had seven opportunities to send me a check for the monthly payment…and she has not. Moral of the story, it is YOUR house and YOUR money. If you can live without something don’t buy it until you’re ready. If you can’t afford something DO. NOT. BUY. IT. At the end of the day, the only people who should have a say on what goes on in your home are the people who live there and pay the rent/mortgage.

Know Your Style

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting about the different Design Themes and How to Define Your Style. But as an intro there are several design themes that may interest you from Contemporary to Regency, Bohemian to Minimalist, and Luxe to Farmhouse. My favorites are “Eclectic” and “Regency”. Narrowing your style to 1 or 2 themes will not only help you save money, but it will make your home look more cohesive in the end. However, not knowing your style before your start purchasing home decor can lead to unnecessary purchases, or worse, having to replace items in your home that don’t fit.

I replaced the curtains and plants in my office to fit my overall vision once I settled on an aesthetic

Once you know your style, lean into it. Resist the urge to buy small decorative items just because you can afford them outright. Instead, save up until you can start with larger items to anchor your space. This may seem counterintuitive but starting big with anchor items like your bed or a desk will help you save money in the long run. Starting with decorative items first is like buying a pair of shoes you have nothing to wear with just because they are cute and on sale. You will end up spending more buying new outfits than you saved on the shoes.

Starting with bigger items within your design theme will help you narrow your focus. If you’ve ever been in Home Goods, you know that accent pieces can speak to you. They also lend themselves easily to impulse buying. Without a strong focus, you will find yourself standing in line with an end table from India even though you want vibe of your house to be modern farmhouse. But, if you know that the end table will not match your bed, or your sofa, or even your rug, you are more likely to leave it at the store.

Be Patient

I’m starting to feel like this is a major pillar of the prettylillawyer brand. It was one of my New Year’s resolutions, and I find myself frequently making it one of my “tips". Any self-identified financial expert on Club House will tell you that you should be implementing the “24 hour” or “48 hour” rule. While the length of time may vary, the premise is the same. WAIT before making any major purchases. While I would never encourage self denial just for the sake of self denial, I can tell you there are benefits to this rule outside of the general principals of abating instant gratification. But there are levels to this, here’s the trick:

Next time you are shopping on the interwebs, add an item to your cart. Go through the entire process as if you intend to make the purchase. Enter your email address, your shipping info, everything but that credit card. Then implement the 24-hour rule. If you’ve ever received a “you forgot this” email then you know this simple act can earn you coupons for 10%, 20%, sometimes even THIRTY PERCENT off. Why? Retailers want you to buy the items in your cart. In fact, retailers who offer express shipping probably started processing your order (i.e. removing the item from inventory) when you clicked “add to cart”. Since we’re already giving our information away on Al Gore’s internet, we might as well profit from it. As someone who will “add to cart” with reckless abandon, I can tell you that purposeful patience is MAJOR KEY.

Know When to Shop

If patience is Major Key, knowing when to shop is DJ Khaled. Waiting too late or buying too early can be detrimental. Here are some of the best times to make home purchases:

Best Time to Buy Indoor Furniture: January, July, and Holiday Weekends

Best Time to Buy Outdoor Furniture: August to October

Best Time to Buy Appliances: Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Let’s circle back to that sofa that I bought under threat of absolutely nothing. I ordered swatches for it in early August, with the swatches I received a 30% off coupon with NO EXPIRATION DATE. Which means, I could’ve been patient and made out just fine. Nevertheless, around Labor Day I started hitting the furniture sites because I know that is the second best time to buy (with President’s Day being the first). Lo and behold Joybird was having a 35% off sale on the entire site. Now, 5% may not sound like a huge difference, but when you’re talking about something priced in the thousands of dollars, that adds up quickly (it’s an additional $50 per $1000). Moral of the story: timing is everything.

Hopefully these tips will help you cushion your savings as you curate your space. When all is said and done, how our homes feel is more important than how our homes look. If your home looks like a page out of Luxe magazine but you are strapped and stressed, it will feel like a prison cell. As my mother and grandmothers taught me, being appreciative and taking care of whatever it is that you DO have is what matters most.