Home improvement projects seem to be the talk of summer. This is when everyone gets together and decides it’s time to make the home look better, feel better, smell better. It’s the time to spruce up the garden, do some landscaping, get rid of some unnecessary items, and get some new stuff.
Well, what if you don’t really have the budget for any of this? What if your dreams start fading into the summer of 2008, or 2009, and nothing ever happens. I am here to tell you that you can start making it happen, without having all the money you think you need. You can have your summer home improvement project with a tiny budget.
I have this cool idea. What you are going to do is decide what ten things in your house you can’t live without, and go from there. How’s this going to work? How’s this going to do anything? Okay, before you choose to move on to some other home improvement article, give this a chance.
We’re going to have fun. We’re going to get crazy. And the end result is that you are going to reduce the clutter in your house, get some extra money, and have some money then to buy some new things.
You will decide what ten items in your house you can’t live without. Then, you will get rid of other things, one by one. You can donate them, and get the tax deduction. You can have a yardsale. Or, you can sell them on Ebay. With this money, you then can start to refill the house with things you want, one step at a time. Before you know it, you will only have really useful, beautiful things in your home, without spending a bunch of money you don’t have.
So what are your ten things? Here are mine….
It took me awhile to really understand this concept. At first, I thought I would be truly practical, and keep only things that were 100% practical. But then, I realized that sentiment would not allow for this. And, what about family heirlooms and antiques? You have to think about the whole picture when you come up with these ten items. They’re going to be the basis for your whole new house!
- My computer. The computer is new, so it has to stay. It’s also the way I write all these brilliant articles you get to read each week. Without it, I really wouldn’t have my creative outlet and link to the world. Some may say that technology should never be the basis of the important things in your life, and I would agree with that. But, we’re being practical here, and we all have to make a living.
- My pictures. I have to have all the memories. They’re irreplaceable. If you get rid of the pictures, you have no proof you existed. Well, I know I could load them all into my computer, by spending hours worth of scanning them, and getting cd’s made at Walmart from the negatives, but who has the time? I would rather just keep them all in their little scrapbooks, to remind me of my beautiful past and childhood.
- My bed. It’s a nice bed. It’s a full size, so it’s not huge, but neither is the bedroom it’s in. So, a queen might just take over the whole place and be too much. I have no reason to need a new bed- this one is in good enough condition to last awhile. I think I’ll keep it. It also has had the privilege of being slept on by me for years. It has thus obtained some status in sentimentality.
- 75% of my clothes. I have so many clothes, they fill almost two entire rooms. Many of them are old, but alot of them have never been worn. I pull stuff out of my closet sometimes that is ten years old and has come back in style. I will consider this my luxury item because many would feel that I should get rid of most of them and start over. I am willing to part with some, but not many. These bring back so many memories of yesteryear!
- Speaking of yesteryear, I also want to keep my record and tape collection. Why? Because I want to have something to show my children someday that doesn’t exist anymore. I want to show them there was a time before cd’s and dvd’s and blueray’s. I like looking at the old tapes and bringing up memories of the past. Each song has a memory of a time when I was growing up. Legitimately, these songs could be downloaded from ITunes and made into cd’s. But, call me a fool, I’ll keep the old records and tapes.
- Wow, only five more items. This gets difficult . I mean, what if you don’t pick something and then you have to get rid of it and you really needed it? I think probably most things can be replaced. But the point of this is to keep the good stuff so you don’t have to buy it again. With this in mind, number six is going to be my travel stuff. I have some great waterproof hiking shoes and snowboots, an awesome winter coat, and some nice stretchy pants. I’ve got travel guides to Switzerland, Germany and Europe in general. I have maps of different European countries, and little language books. These are things that are in near mint condition since I just got them last year and so far have only used most of the stuff once. I’m really prepared for more adventures!
- College books and papers. I have kept many of my college books, and some of my papers I wrote. I like having them to refer to. I used my college German book last year to relearn German to go to Europe. That may be the extent of the actual use so far, but I feel tied to my schooling. And, I could use any of these books at any time. They’re here, ready for my engagement…
- Stuffed animals. I have to keep the stuffed animals. I’ve got them from everywhere. I’ve got a baby seal from Sea World, a tiger from Busch Gardens, and a little cow from Switzerland. This is what I collect when I take trips. I can’t get rid of these.
- Blankets, pillows and towels. I have all sorts of towels and blankets I’ve collected over the years. Some are beautiful, and are quite cozy to curl up with. Some are from places I have visited. I have a cute little off-white throw I bought in San Francisco in 1993, for instance. I have to keep these because many of them are irreplaceable, again. And, it would cost alot to buy these new all over.
- A few select toys from childhood. I have a few things left over from childhood. A few select dolls, a few select games, etc. I want to keep these, because of the memory value.
Now that I’ve looked over the list, I see that it’s mostly sentimental. That’s interesting. I will end up with a bed and computer, and then all this sentimental stuff. I won’t have a washer, dryer, refigerator, stove, or anything. I wish I had thought about that more. But, you know what, I decided what was important, and now I can take the first step to the summer home improvement project- keep just the ten things you can’t live without. The rooms will start to open up, and I’ll be on my way. Good luck in your endeavors!
I want to hear what your ten things are. Post me some comments! I also want to know if this works to get you started on redoing your home! (I know it really gets you thinking about what’s important.)
