So, have you ever been knee-deep in a room plan when you suddenly start to realize that your budget is not matching your dreams?? Does anyone else have as hard a time as me of letting go of your dream plans and settling for the plans that work right now? Lately I have been in a full-on tizzy trying to wrap my brain around how we are going to completely redecorate our home in preparation for this baby. Somehow preparing a nursery has turned into changing at least 4 rooms and my little design-obsessed mind has run rampant with ideas.
My supportive husband has run right along with me until he started to see the cold hard facts…my plans cost a lot of money! We don’t have the kind of money where we can splurge on decorating just yet…for some reason those pesky bills and mortgages and cars seem to eat a lot of our budget 🙁 So I understand that not all of my dream plans can happen all at once. I have had to take a look at my original plans and come back down to earth. I am trying to view it as good practice for helping future clients with their budgets and as additional practice in getting the most bang for your buck.
I now have three sets of plans:
1. The fantasy plan: Includes all the changes I want to make if money were not a major factor.
2. The realistic plan: Includes the changes that would be ideal but eliminating those that can be postponed.
3. The all else fails plan: Includes the absolute musts like beds for each kid.
I am human and having to change plans is not always easy for me. Sometimes my inner spoiled brat is screaming I want it all and I want it now!
To keep that little brat in check I am having to remind myself that realistically, most people do not tackle every house project at once. I know this from being inside other people’s homes and helping them decide which room to begin with.
I am also having to remind myself that great rooms come together over time.
Trying to hastily put together 4 rooms at once just for the sake of “being done” will most-likely result in rooms that are complete but do not have my personal stamp. That takes time and love.
And lastly I am relying heavily on lists.
So what if I never scratch off everything. I can at least look at my plans and realistically choose the things that need to be done and which things can wait. Now I can focus my attention and budget to one project at a time and I will now have projects to look forward to down the road.
I guess the real point of this post is just to remind myself that like everything in life, patience is a virtue!
And hopefully some of you can leave me a comment and reassure me that I am not the only one who gets caught up in the do-it-all mentality??
What are your go-to tricks or mental reminders when your budget does not match up to your plans??
StagerLinda says
I think your post is most inspiring. Everyone I know, or have worked with, has to approach decorating/renovating as a project at a time. Because decor and design are our passion it is difficult for us to postpone what we want right now. The reality is, monthly bills and unexpected repairs have the first priority in our budgets. Great post, Beth!
desingpostinteriors@hotmail.com says
I have such a hard time straying from the picture in my mind. Thank you for the reminders though!
Patty Day @Pattys Epiphanies says
Consider waiting and doing things in stages a blessing. In reality, your tastes will change. You will be tweaking your original plans over and over. Life progresses in strange ways and all of a sudden you will think differently!
I find the entire process a challenge. How can I do what I want to achieve with the budget I have….which today is 0 since we are retired on a set income…..we squeeze things in with a DIY approach.
The thought of having the funds to do it all, top of the line, at one time, might sound like a dream, but maybe boring at the end!! What would be left to do?
desingpostinteriors@hotmail.com says
So true Patty! I am trying to view it as saving some fun for down the road 🙂 Especially because I would be so bored if my house evert felt "done."
Kerry Steele- Design du Monde says
Aw, I have an inner brat too. I figure out the must-haves, like you, and to satisfy the brat I pick one "just because I want it" item. Sometimes I pare down plans to use a pricey fabric for something big to pillows.
desingpostinteriors@hotmail.com says
That's a good plan. Now I just have to decide on that ONE thing, hmmm
Heather Moore Grahling | Vivid Hue Home says
i love the idea of creating the fantasy plan (even if just in your head) with everything you want–no budget constraints–that way you feel like you're still getting your way in your mind…uh, or something like that…haha.
desingpostinteriors@hotmail.com says
If I had the house I see in my mind, yall would be so jealous 🙂