Veronica Berg
A decorating budget will be your most important tool in making sure you don’t empty your wallet while filling your house. Having a list of items you want to include will help you when it comes time to make a decorating plan. Put your wishlist aside for the moment and create a budget for the room(s) you need to decorate.
No decor item is worth having if it’s going to make you feel guilty or compromise the rest of your lifestyle.
Take all the things you wrote down and figure out what you actually want to put in your room while keeping your budget in the back of your head. Remember to include things like labor costs for custom work, shipping and delivery, and any other extras that may not be on an item’s original price tag.
Cut out the things that aren’t practical for your budget, and make adjustments where you can. This may mean opting for pre-fab bookshelves instead of built-in cabinets, or store-bought curtains instead of custom window treatments.
For instance, if you fall in love with a $5,000 sofa look around for something in a similar shape but perhaps with a different type of filling.
Prioritizing your purchases is important because no matter what your budget is you might not be able to pay for everything all at once, so you need to decide what you need first.
For instance, in many cases a sofa will be a priority before accessories like artwork and mirrors. The hardest part of this whole process is actually sticking to the budget once you’ve made it.
