In a
recent post, I ended by telling you that I would discuss budgeting for the decor of our homes. If you interviewed your husband about his likes and dislikes, you are ready to move on to this step because he gave you such a handsome budget to work with, right?
"No," you say, your husband just hears the word "decor" and all he sees are dollar signs? Well, you have (hopefully) come to the right place!
The good news is that you do NOT need to spend a large amount of money in order to have a beautiful and God-glorifying home, not at all! No matter if your budget is $5.00 or $5,000 (more or less, in some cases), you can make your home a lovely and comfortable place to be with a little resourcefulness and creativity... and lots of prayer!
Redo, Repurpose, or... Replace
When I began the redo of our main living areas, I knew I didn't have much at all in the way of money with which to work. I knew that there would be precious little wiggle room in our budget, so I set myself a goal:
Make do with what I have, or—if I need to buy something—sell something first to cover the expense. That way, I would not be taking money out of our already tight budget.
So, off to the used curriculum fair I went (I actually went to three over the course of a month and a half). I sold around $250.00 worth of old curriculum that I did not need/use and put that money to work to buy the paint and shelving that I needed. Then Jim Bob and I listed the leftovers from those sales on Amazon and covered the expense of decorations, artwork, and any odds and ends needed to finish the job.
I am also planning a late summer garage sale to cover the cost of a few more projects.
This also helps with decluttering, because old items are going out as new items are coming in. "Out with the old, in with the new!"
Ask and It Shall Be Given
But the biggest part of all of this was prayer. Lots of it. I simply asked the Lord to provide for the things I needed, then sat back and watched Him take care of the details. He is so faithful!
The best example that comes to mind about His provision is our new dining room table:
Nine feet long by four feet four inches!
Anyone know the best way to remove 50+ year-old rubber?
In an asbestos suit, maybe?This table is in pretty rough condition, but with a little
elbow grease, it will become a beauty!
Here's the situation: We have a very small 3 foot by 5 foot table that has served us well over the last five years, but with my mother having moved in with us and our youngest becoming a "big girl," we have outgrown this little table. We needed another one to seat our family as well as any guests that we entertain. So, I began asking the Lord to provide a dining room table that would cover these needs. I prayed for about a month, and then one afternoon on the way home from the grocery store with my oldest son, we saw a sign for a garage sale.
It was very late in the afternoon, and if you have ever been to garage sales, you know that is not usually the time to expect very many good finds. They are almost always taken by that point.
So, we pulled up to this lady's house and sitting right in front of her garage was a nine foot long table. The table was solid wood, very heavy, and had a rubber mat inset on top. The owner said that it was a table found at an auction from one of the old schoolhouses in our county. I looked it over thoroughly and asked her how much she was asking for it. I was thinking I would take it if she said anywhere between $25.00 to $40.00. She replied, "$20.00" With my heart racing, I said, "I'll take it!" Truth is, I probably could have talked her down on the price because it was so late in the day but, truth be known, I was so excited, bargaining didn't really come to mind at that moment!
I now have a very large table that I'm going to do something beautiful and purposeful with, and all for a small amount of money and a little work.
My point here is that it can be done! Pray, be patient, and watch the Lord do His thing! He is always faithful to provide.
Setting Goals and Steady Plodding
The reason I tell you this long story during a post on budgeting, if it is not yet obvious, is to show you that you can do this! It can be done very easily on the cheap, without looking so.
Set a goal for yourself and stick to it. Ask your husband to help you think outside the box. You might be amazed at what you'll come up with. And your family can all get in on the redos involved. We are making it a family project for the beginning of this school year (since we homeschool we can easily incorporate this into our days).
Later I'll post more pictures of projects that took us "out of the box," and how we did them. Also, I'll give you a more detailed breakdown of our budget and how we did it all for less.
Stay tuned, it will be an exciting ride!
In the meantime, pray for the Lord to give you guidance in your decorating adventures, trust Him and commit your way to Him, He will provide and show you how!
Amy
