Do you have a hard time staying on track when decorating your home? Me too. Do you ever feel like you can’t have a nicely decorated room on a very small budget? Me too. Is it hard for you to put together a plan of action, or know where to start? Today I’m sharing a Decorating on a Budget Worksheet to help you break down the steps to decorating a room. I’ll explain each section of the worksheet, plus give you examples from one that I have filled out for my living room.
Why did I create this worksheet? Because I have been a total decorating spaz as of late. When I started blogging about 6 months ago, I shared my Master Bedroom Before Pictures with the intention of having a reveal of the finished room within 2-3 months. 6 months later…and I have no finished master bedroom to show you.
There’s a long list of reasons why, but the short list is that I got a good start and then made the big rug mistake of buying a rug that was way too small for the space. When Spring rolled around we wanted to spruce up the patio so we could enjoy it a little more this year. Then I went to an antique store and found some really great pieces for my living room. At the same time, I read a great decorating book that reminded me to think about how I use a space and to let that space reflect who we are. I realized that our formal living area is not functioning well at all and I wanted to tackle it immediately. I told you, a decorating spaz.
Now I’m looking back at the last 6 months of working on my home, and it’s not that I have nothing to show for it, it’s just that very few rooms are finished. I know that my home will never truly be finished, but I’d like for some of the rooms to have more than 2 pieces of furniture in them. I created a Decorating on a Budget worksheet to help me stay focused. The word budget in the title is key. My monthly budget for decorating is pretty small. The time that I have to dedicate to it is fairly limited as well. It’s always helpful to have a plan when you’re decorating, but maybe especially so when funds and time are limited.
Here is my plan: I’m going to walk you through my worksheet, and then invite you into the step by step process of getting my living room finished. I chose my living room because it is the room that is closest to being finished. I really wish that I could just do a grand reveal like a lot of bloggers do, but my hope is that by sharing the “behind the scenes” of it all, you will see that decorating can be done on a small budget and with small children at home. I can get discouraged by before and after photos sometimes, because it makes it seem that it all happened in a flash. In my home, slow and steady is winning the race, so let’s just get started and stay focused. Here is a photo of my living room so you will know what I’m working with.
And here is the breakdown of the worksheet:
- Choose the room you will be working on.
- Set a monthly budget. This will be different for everyone, and will determine a lot of choices you make, so take some time to determine how much you can spend.
- List your must haves for the space to function. Does your room have enough seating and lighting? Do you need a full length mirror or bedding for your bedroom?
I’ve already let you know that I’ve picked my living room to work on, and my budget is $200. For some of you that my seem really low, and I realize that some of you may not have even that amount. There have certainly been many months that I didn’t have that amount to work with, but you can still make progress with whatever you do have. If you feel you need more than what you have, what can you sell? What can you repurpose? If you don’t like something you have, paint it! Search craigslist and don’t be afraid to offer less than what they’re asking. Go to thrift stores and antique malls. There are plenty of options for a small budget, you just have to be willing to invest the time to find the deals.
My “Must Haves” might look a lot different than yours. I have to get rid of the orange in my living room or I might go crazy. That means a new rug, new pillows, and new art above the fireplace. I also have some art that is a little too modern for my new vision for the space, and I really need to figure out how to hide the cords behind my TV.
- Now list items that you would like to have, such as certain color and/or print for the bedding, the style of the couch, or a gallery of art on the large blank space on the wall.
- Estimate your cost per item: this step helps you get an idea of how long it will take to complete your project with your budget, and helps you know where you can shop for certain items.
- Have a rough design plan for the space. You need to know if you will be going more modern or more farmhouse, you need to pick at least one color to get started, and it would be helpful to choose a few adjectives to describe how you want your space to feel, such as restful, calm, and cozy.
I really really want a new couch, but there is nothing really wrong with ours. I plan on keeping it if I can’t get the price I want for it. It feels wasteful to get rid of it just so I can change the design of the room at this point. I love tufted ottomans, and I want something that can double as a foot rest since I will hopefully be getting rid of the chaise lounge. I do not understand why the builder put the fireplace off center on the wall, it makes me crazy, so I’m going to look for something to put on the wall to the left of the fireplace. I would also like some bigger art for above the TV, to finish styling the console table the TV sits on, and to replace the builder grade light fixture.
These are the amounts I feel comfortable spending at this stage of decorating my home. I don’t want to spend a lot on a couch or rug that my kids might will stain. I also want to be conscious of how my budget affects my timeline. The more expensive the items I choose, the longer it will take me to save for them.
I called this section a “Rough” Design Plan because sometimes you change your mind. Sometimes you shift your plan because of budget or availability. Sometimes you just don’t really know what you want until you get out there and see it in person. More than likely you have an idea of how you want your room to look, so write it down. I made up my own style category, you can too if you don’t feel you fit neatly into preset styles. I highly recommend decorating with your favorite color. If you want to use more than one color, look at a color wheel and choose an accent color right next to or right across from your main color. Also try to describe how you want your room to feel. Because I said cozy, I probably need to stay away from bold colors (orange) and be careful how much pattern I bring into the room.
- If you are having trouble with the rough design plan, go to Pinterest, Houzz.com, or magazines to get ideas. Notice any themes of images that you like and try to use adjectives to say what you like about the space. Keep all of these ideas in one place for referencing later.
- Decide what your priorities are for your space, or what you are going to tackle first. I am working with a budget that does not allow me to finish the room in 1 month’s time, so I’m going to assume that you are in the same boat with me. Choose what you are going to purchase first, if you need some functional items like a bed and/or bedding, or a couch or other seating, this might be a good place to start. If you have those types of items already, ask yourself what is bothering you the most about your space. Can you not see to read because you need better lighting? Is the blank wall making you crazy? Do you really not like your paint color? Choose the 4 things you want to start on.
- Get measurements for your space. Before you go shopping, you need to know how long curtains should be, how big your rug should be, how much wall you actually have to fill with art, and how tall/wide/deep nightstands and coffee tables should be. Write these measurements down on the worksheet or keep them in your phone so that you know you will have them with you when you need them.
- Pick 3 stores to start shopping. The stores you choose will be determined by your budget or your patience. If you have Restoration Hardware taste on a Target budget, you may have to save for a few months to buy some of the items you really want.
Here you can see where I keep my inspiration, what my priorities are, and some of the important measurements of my space. These are some of my favorite places to shop for my budget.
- Notes. This is a place to keep track of things like paint colors to try, art pieces to buy next month, a more detailed budget breakdown, or whatever else you want to remember.
Ok, I have a plan for my living room, I know what my budget is and I know where I need to start. Do you? You can download my worksheet for free by subscribing down below (below the social media icons) or in the sidebar towards the top of the page. I would love to hear what room you are going to tackle. If you run into any problems or need feedback on something, let me know! I could talk about decorating all day long. I’ll be back next week with some updates on my living room, it already looks different! Until then, have a great week!
