Realty Times: Beautifying For The Broke

August 31, 2000

Beautifying For The Broke
by Courtney Ronan

It's one of homeownership's unfortunate side effects. You purchase a new home, and despite the fact that your bank account is suddenly much, much smaller that it used to be, the excitement of your new digs triggers short-term memory loss. Before you know it, you're browsing through furniture stores, flipping through home décor catalogs, and considering more large expenditures.

"But I need it," you say. "But it will look great in the living room." "But I need it." "But it's on sale." Excuses, excuses. It's tempting to spend money like a drunken sailor before the movers have even pulled away from the house (and by the way, have you remembered that you've got to pay those guys, too?) But it's probably not the best idea to jump into such purchases before getting a realistic sense of how a mortgage is going to affect your monthly spending power. And yet, at the same time, you don't have to swear off all purchases for the rest of your life or until you've hit the jackpot.

You've just got to learn to ease into your new home and prioritize. That's much, much easier said than done. A new home always makes us want to start fresh - all new furniture, curtains, rugs and accessories. Without digging yourself into more debt, you can make a few small purchases and improvements shortly after your arrival that will create a noticeable difference in your home.

Consider the following tips:

Buy a can of paint. It's one of the cheapest enhancements for your home. A fresh coat of paint can add a breath of fresh air to any tired room and make an old home suddenly appear new.

Before you start purchasing accessories, artwork and assorted "knick-nacks," stop and ask yourself if you need any large, big-ticket items: a sofa, bed, dresser, kitchen table or chairs, for example. Items like bookshelves, an entertainment center, end tables or console tables are certainly important, but not imperative to your daily survival. Don't forget appliances, either. Is your refrigerator on its way out? What about your washer and dryer? Do you need a dishwasher? All of these items should assume priority over that vase or those velvet slipcovers.

Look at the furniture you currently own. Rather than replacing that sofa, can you merely slipcover it, instead, and save yourself hundreds of dollars? What about those sorry-looking bookshelves? Perhaps they just need to be refinished instead of replaced. Maybe that weathered antique table just needs a table skirt and a lamp.

Decide which rooms in your home are most important. If you entertain often, perhaps it's the living room. That's probably the first room your guests see, and it's not likely they'll venture into your guest room, which can remain out of sight until your budget allows you the luxury of decorating it in the future. Concentrate on your most important room, and purchase one item at a time. Remember: Rome wasn't built in a day, so don't blow your budget. It's amazing the difference that a single piece of furniture, some new pillows or new curtains can make in a room.

Resist the temptation to buy cheap furniture just to fill up a room now. Save your money slowly and deliberately, and spend it wisely. The money you blow to buy something cheap and quickly could have been used to buy the piece of furniture you really want later. It's worth the wait.

When shopping for furniture, be selective about quality. Cheaper isn't always better; and by the same token, more expensive doesn't always mean better, either. In many cases, you're merely paying for the overhead costs of the furniture retail store and could save yourself hundreds by heading to a no-frills warehouse that sells the identical piece you wish to buy. That leads into our next and final tip:

Think beyond the major retail centers. Be a bargain-hunter. Venture into areas you normally wouldn't, and check out those warehouses, consignment centers, and yes, even your local Salvation Army. You might be surprised.

Finding creative ways to achieve the look you want on a budget is actually fun once you resign yourself to designing your home's interior on your own time and not a rigid timetable. There's nothing like finding a creative and inexpensive solution to your home décor needs, or finding the steal of the century at a consignment store or other discount center. Chances are good that guests in your home will ask you where you found those items. What you tell them is up to you; you may wish to apply your newfound creativity in your response.

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