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Informative Articles

Baby Room Decorating V Nurturing - Head to Head
When decorating baby rooms and children spaces there are many considerations to take into account to satisfy your need to create the "WOW" factor. There are color choices to be made, paint techniques and finishes to be decided on, the needs of...

Crafty Country Decorating Style Ideas
If you've ever seen Frank's decorations on TLC's Trading Spaces, then you know all about the country style of design. From stenciled drawings to wooden cows to ruffled curtains, country design has all the frills you might expect from our dear...

Decorating a Kid's Room
The most important thing to consider when decorating a child’s room is to make the child comfortable. You want to surround them with fun, playful items. The way this room is designed is going to have an effect on the psyche of the child, so...

Decorating a Mis-Matched Dining Room
Many of us start our adult lives with hand-me-downs. These items are usually given to us so we'll have a place to start, and they're usually neccessary pieces of furniture, appliances, and utensils or dishes so we have ways to cook and eat. As we...

Decorating For the Artist Within
There is an artist lurking within all of us. The creative fire burns in every human, propelling us to create, to express, to shape the world around us. Even though we may be unlearned, or perhaps even unskilled, still the urge to impact our...

Decorating on a Shoestring Budget
Right now one of the most popular shows on television is, “Trading Spaces.” If you haven’t gotten an opportunity to watch this show, the object of the game is to decorate one room in someone else’s house with a budget of a $1,000. The decorator’s...

Dorm Room Decorating
College Prep: Decorating a Dorm Room The average college student will spend $3,184 per year to furnish their dorm room. That adds up to much more than a couple of posters from the campus bookstore. Making the transition from high school student to...

Innovative Kitchen Decorating Idea Brings the Look of Oil Paintings Into Your Kitchen
Designer dishwasher panels are created from original oil paintings and reproduced on high quality vinyl. They will make a truly unique gift ideas for practically any occasion. Tilghman Island, MD April 26, 2004 –- The kitchen has long been the...

Keep Things In Order With A Written Home Decorating Plan
Begin your written plan by choosing one room to start with. This helps keep you and your budget focused on the project. Which not only guarantees it’s completion, it’s going to save you money. Why? Remember impulse buying, well it’s less likely to...

Spring & Home Decorating - A Fresh New Look
Open Windows … Curtains fluttering from a warm breeze … The air smells fresh and clean … Buds on the trees are beginning to open … Tiny flowers are popping up threw the ground … Finally that little bird with the red breast is back All of these can...

 
 
 
Budget Decorating Comparison: Real Life vs. TV

Have you ever watched those tv decorating shows, you know, the ones that promise to help you redecorate your home on a tight budget? Were you ever amazed to then find, by tight budget they mean $500, or even $1000? I have, and I don’t know about you, but their budget is WAY out of my budget! Now don’t get me wrong, these shows have great ideas, I watch them all the time for ideas myself. But I thought it might be fun to do a breakdown of a simulation of a typical show, and then show you The Budget Decorator’s way!

Typical Living room re-do on tv:

Paint$25
Fabric for Curtains$80
Accessories$100
Extra Furnishings$150
Rug$150

Grand Total$505

Typical Re-do for a Budget Decorator (Not unlike yourself!)

Paint$15 (Decent brand on sale)
Fabric$12 (Sheets on sale, stamped or stenciled yourself, even extra for pillows!)
Accessories$10 (A few dollar picture frames filled with garden catalog photos, ceramic pitcher from the kitchen filled with flowers, books stacked, dollar store candles on homemade

 


candleholders, plants from cuttings, you get the idea!)
Extra Furnishings$15 (Tables made from glass rounds and clay pots, garage sale dresser painted by you for a side table, thrift store entertainment center with a great faux finish, done by you, of course!)
Rug$16 (Floorcloth painted by you on a clearance piece of vinyl flooring, I even included the price for a quart of sealant!)

Grand Total The Budget Decorator’s way? $68.

Now that is a difference of $437. I don’t know about you, but I have a whole lot of better
places to spend my $437. A little creativity and a little work, and you can spread your
expenses over time if you need to. And visit me at TheBudgetDecorator.com for more
great ideas!
Copyright 2002 K. Wilson

About the Author

Kathleen Wilson is the editor of The Budget Decorator, a free ezine dedicated to the
“budget”impaired” home decorator, and author of “Quick Decorating Ideas Under $20”.
Visit her at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com for more great ideas and projects.