6 Practical Steps to Follow When Setting a Decorating Budget

Decorating your home can be a lot of fun, but it can also quickly become expensive without planning ahead, especially when you’re redesigning more than one room. When the time comes to revamp a room or two in your home, creating a budget is essential to achieving a stylish look without breaking the bank. Check out these practical steps to help you set a realistic decorating budget.

Create a Wishlist

Before you think about money, make a wishlist. Write down everything you would love to see in your room. Search online and through magazines to find inspiration for what your dream room might hold. This will give you a baseline to reference when the time comes to make a plan of what you intend to buy and how much to spend.

Know What You Can Afford

After you’ve made your wishlist, it’s time to be realistic. Look over your monthly income, expenses, and funds set aside to determine exactly how much you’re willing to spend on the room(s) you’re redoing. It’s important to honest when setting your budget. Overestimating what you can afford will only cause problems later when the time comes to fill your space with new pieces.

Shop Around

Knowing how much things actually cost is a critical part of setting a budget. For this reason, it’s important that you shop around before purchasing anything to get an idea of how much money the items you are interested in will cost. Don’t forget to factor in additional expenses, such as shipping fees, labor costs, and other unexpected factors that can quickly contribute to your bills.

Wants vs. Needs

After shopping around to compare prices of the items on your wishlist, it’s time to narrow down the things you want from the things you need. You probably won’t be able to get every single thing you’ve included on your wishlist, and that’s ok. Ask yourself what is essential to the overall room and what you are willing to part with. In many cases, this will only require a bit of compromise. For example, you may not be able to afford the custom bedding that you had in mind but can achieve a similar look from a store-bought duvet. Distinguishing between what the space needs and what you desire will help you recognize where to cut corners if necessary.

Prioritize Your Purchases

Decorating a room from top to bottom likely won’t happen overnight. With this in mind, decide what pieces you would to like to purchase first and what can wait until the end. For instance, it wouldn’t make sense to fill a room with new furniture before you painted the walls or replaced the light fixtures. Likewise, you may want to purchase your sectional before choosing accent pillows to go with it.

Stick to the Decorating Budget

Once you know how you want to decorate your room(s), what you can afford, and the order in which you plan on buying items, it’s time to stick to the budget. To help stay on track, be diligent about documenting how much you intend to spend and what you actually spend. Remember that there’s no room for guessing when it comes to budget-keeping. If you overspend on something, that’s less money that can be spent on something else.

Learn More About Creating a Decorating Budget

Decorating on a budget may seem daunting, but it’s easier than you might think. The friendly design team at Matter Brothers Furniture can help you find everything on your wishlist while staying within your budget. Contact us today or stop by our furniture store in Ft. Myers to see how our quality living room furniture and exceptional customer service sets us apart!