Simple Home Managing: A Simple Guide to Decorating Your Home on a Small Budget

A wise woman told me right before Matt and I were married to take the time to make our house a home. I took this advice to heart and I've always strived to make our home a warm and inviting environment for our family.

I find many of my friends are paralyzed when it comes to decorating their homes. They genuinely want a beautiful space, but they are afraid to "make a mistake" or not "get it right". I completely get where they're coming from. If you're going to invest money into your home, you don't want to waste your money on something that just doesn't work. I hope that some of my advice in this area will free you up to make your house a home in your style.

Before you get started, you need to know what you like. Do you like vibrant colors or a more neutral color scheme? Do you like vintage, modern, country, cozy, eclectic or formal? You might start by looking in your closet. That should give you a good feel for the colors that you like. I think Pinterest is a great way to get a feel for what you like as well. While, Pinterest can be a wonderful tool, please use caution. Chances are our homes will not look like the ones pictured, but this tool can giving you an idea of "the feel" that you want your home to have.

Once you get the feel of your style, how do you achieve this feeling in your home without spending a fortune? I am a big fan of garage sales and thrift stores. Here's the deal, you've got to be patient and realize that your home will not be decorated in a weekend with this approach. But, I believe that in the long run, it will have a much more fun design than buying everything at one stop at a big box store. Not to mention, you can decorate on a tight budget. Don't be afraid to take a little risk, if it doesn't work, you've probably only spent a dollar, right?

Here's the biggie, don't be afraid to put a nail hole in the wall. I find so many people afraid to put a hole in the wall. Girlfriends, I have so many holes in our walls! I am always moving pictures around. Also, when going to hang a picture, hang it at eye level. I find many people hang their pictures much too high.

Also, throw design rules out the window. I mix and match so many styles and colors, and I think it just makes our home vibrant and unique. Really, just enjoy the process. It is a process and might take some time, but it's worth it to invest a little time into making our house a home.