No More Soda: Saving for Improvements

Unemployed a year after my first job at age 21,  I was the person who drove from meter to meter down the street from the unemployment office looking for one that had money already in it so I wouldn't have to put any quarters in. (Okay, I still do that.) My husband finished his 6 year career in the Air Force and was a full time student for the first four years of our marriage. What didn't go into paying our bills went toward tuition costs and books. Needless to say, we know a thing or two about being on a tight budget. 


Even now with decent jobs, the high cost of living in our area made it hard for us to find a decent house even in a town that has a strip club, 2 Ninety-Nine Restaurants and very few zoning restrictions. It's not a bad place to live but I don't expect Martha Stewart to visit us anytime soon. 

For a more detailed overview of our town, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRltuxHSvkw


It's expensive enough to buy a decent home, let alone fix it up and then pay for all the stuff that has to go in it. If you're like us and are moving up the property ladder in microscopic increments, you didn't start with much stuff. Also, each home has different spaces and styles so sometimes the old stuff doesn't work in the new space aesthetically or functionally. 


When you are on a tight budget or really any budget with minimal disposable income, the temptation is to try to get one small thing here and there, to slowly piece together your home. 

What I learned by doing this is: 


1) I could never find anything to go with the last thing I got.


2) By the time I had money to get the next thing, I had changed my mind about the look I wanted and now didn't want the other thing.


3)When I decided to sell said things on Craigs List my husband said I can't make up my mind and we will lose money in the big picture with this pattern of shopping.


Who wants to lose money? Nobody. Then I remind him about the X Box he sold on Craigs List..... well it all comes out in the wash.


So fortunately, we have some very wise friends when it comes to saving. They have a special savings account set aside entitled "Home Improvement" that they put a small amount of money in each month. Once it reaches a certain amount, then they can go out and get what they need all at once and in the meantime take their time to research and figure out what they want.


For me, this means that I can shop for a whole room at a time, and make sure everything works together, or I can maybe invest in a few pieces of furniture that we need or a rug or something. It also keeps me from making purchases on a whim or out of emotion at the store. 


We started adopting this habit and it has made life so much easier let me tell you. Instead of me hemming and hawing at the store (wasting time and energy) trying to decide if I should buy something, feeling pressured by the great deal on this item, worrying I won't like it in two months and what could I get for it on Craigs List....


I now spend time (and less of it) planning for the big picture. I use a computer program to design rooms and try different things that I can see visually, so I know what will and won't work. It saves me time out of the house and it saves my back from all the times I have rearranged the furniture only to be dissatisfied and move it again. I still look for the best deals and stretch my budget as much as possible, and keep track of when things go on sale. I can do more of it in advance with good planning. 


It's just like planning for a new computer, or new kitchen appliance, only for your decor.

It saves time, stress, and my back.


So for all you who are feeling the squeeze, start saving. Maybe you can give up soda at the grocery store or a that bagel sandwich at the coffee shop each week and put that money into your home account instead.

For us, we decided it's a much better investment.