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big
decorating
dreams. tiny
little
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DigsMagazine.com.
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the real
deal
getting the decorating most
from your dollar by
Yee-Fan Sun |
1 2 3
continued from page 1
need versus
want
So you're decking out your first digs and shopping at your favorite
fun-design-at-cheap-prices store, and naturally, you find yourself ooh-ing
and ahh-ing over all the absolutely adorable whatsits and doodads that
catch your eye at every turn. Though you'd headed off in search of some
simple and much-needed bookshelves, you come home instead with a trunk
full of whimsical striped vases, lamps shaped like flowers, kitchen
accessories that look like abstracted smiley faces and aliens and
animals. Meanwhile, as you're happily admiring all your new purchases,
you find that you still don't have anywhere to put all those books that
are sitting in boxes in the middle of your living room.
Don't get me wrong: I'm all
for injecting plenty of personality into the decorating process. But
when you're really on a budget, it pays to just stop and ponder a bit
before you make too many of those impulse buys. Before you shell out the
dough for something you think you really want but know you don't really
need, ask yourself a few simple questions.
1
Can you make something similar for a whole lot less moolah, and would
it be worth your effort to do so?
2
If the answer is no, do you have the money for this? (And by
"have," I don't just mean that your credit card limit will
cover the sum.)
3
If you spend the money on this, will it mean you won't have enough to
buy something else that's going to give you a whole lot more use?
4
If the answer to three is yes, will it really, truly make up for that
in enjoyment alone?
Think hard, and be brutally
honest with yourself. Make a list of everything you think you'd like to
have for your ideal apartment, and prioritize based upon how essential
the item truly is to your home comfort. Make sure you have the funds to
cover the basics before you start spending willy-nilly on the frills.
Generally, you'll find that it's a lot easier to figure out a no- or
low- budget way to accessorize than it is to scare up a good mattress
with little money.
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