In this material world we live in, with Pinterest at our finger tips to inspire us with design and décor it is very easy to want to transform your home, baby room or kid’s room. This can be so fun and uplifting. Especially when DIY becomes more possible with YouTube tutorials on how to do almost everything we thought we needed carpenters and painters for.

This blog post is some real talk about budgeting and the reality of doing these amazing changes in the home. It is about the pressure you can find yourself facing, a lot of it being self-inflicted. I will tell you my story, it’s a short one, but has a personal message I would like to share.

Let’s Rewind to Baby Number 1

My 3yo’s baby room was one that we designed using Pinterest. My mother in law, lovingly spearheaded the whole project. Thanks to her, because I was pregnant at the time with way too much going on in my life. I did not have the capacity to make the Pinterest ideas come to life and without her it would not have looked so amazing. We had just moved into the place and so it was the perfect time to decide how we wanted it to look and feel.

We went for a gender neutral theme, working with yellow, grey and white. Chevron patterns on the blinds and pattern blocking on the scatter cushions on the day bed. Her room looked absolutely amazing (currently in a state with new baby stuff, so I sadly can’t take pics to share).

Fast Forward to the Present

3yo has grown into a toddler and we are expecting number 2 any day now. The cool thing is that she can move into the baby room without any alterations needed. 5 months ago, I decided it was time to move 3yo into her own room and I was making a big fuss about her moving into her ‘big girl room’,.

I had grand plans of Pinteresting this project too and turning into a magical room. The problem though is that this time our budget. This time around our money is being channeled into so many other real life related expenses that budget for a room makeover is feeling a bit like a luxury.

I mean the room has a decent sized bed. It has great cupboard space. We painted and did the flooring in the house when we moved in 3 years ago. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the room. But for some reason, I felt the urgent and burning need to paint all the drawers, change the headboard, buy new bedding, cushions and décor items to make the room personalized for her. This would be amazing and I felt it would make her happier in her room.

However, back to the money situation, we have bigger priorities. Like buying a bigger car, fees, extra-curricular activities, prepping for baby, medical bills that come with a high-risk pregnancy and just general life! So, I moved her into the room as it is, put up some of her paintings from school. I brought in her toys and books and somehow the room looked okay. It isn’t straight off a Pinterest board but it is functional, Absolutely perfect for play and comfy sleeping. Guess how much I spent? Zero cents. She is as happy as ever and sleep time is just as great as it was in her former Pinteresty room.

Do What You Can Within Your Means

My point is, do what you can within your means. Don’t put yourself under pressure to spend money you don’t have. With time you can do up your place, it doesn’t have to be a three-week makeover project if you can’t afford it. I am doing her room up slowly and manage-ably.

If I go back to when we were kids, my siblings and I shared rooms that were very basic without an element of design and we were the happiest kids!