You bought your new home because it had potential. Yes, the kitchen might be all wood covered in peeling wallpaper with pictures of salt & pepper shakers on every wall, but you knew when you bought it that it would all be redone. However, now that you are finally in, reality has sunk in and your budget is not what you had hoped it would be.
You need to rethink your decorating plan and scale down the projects a bit. No problem. There are plenty of things you can do to make your home more livable using less money than you thought you’d have to.
First off, get rid of that terrible wallpaper. Repaint the walls in a neutral color, but don’t stick with beige. Blues, greens or pinks can also be neutral and will give your room a more friendly color. You can always add a chair rail by buying a few pieces of molding and nailing them to the wall.
If new cabinets are not in your budget, try replacing old drawer pulls and knobs with new ones. You can also go bold and refinish the cabinet faces in a new, fresher color. Refinishing will cost much less than replacing the cabinets altogether and it might just be enough for your decorating tastes.
Use stainless steel to make your kitchen look more polished. You don’t need to replace your large appliances to achieve the effect either. How about purchasing a stainless steel toaster? Or coffee maker? They can be used for function and for display purposes to make your kitchen look fantastic.
Don’t worry, you will soon have the home of your dreams once you get used to the payment scheduling on your mortgage and you’ve had a chance to save up a decorating fund. Your home will look just the way you want it.
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