Long Term Impact On Finances
Knowing the real cost of cheap home decor across an extended period of time may change your shopping habits. When we start out as young adults it is natural and common to just get by with what we need. Still these costs for furnishing an average apartment can run somewhere near the 8 thousand dollar range before its over.
As we get older it seems that too often we are playing catch up to life. Once children come into the picture the needs grow as well as the expenditures. The question becomes what is of more value in what is needed through time? Will the longevity of an item give more in return than a cheaper option?
In terms of home decor many items can encompass its meaning. From beds to curtains, down to the pictures we hang on the wall, it all is included. What areas should receive the most focus?
Most people agree that the bed, couches, and chairs should have priority. Things such as wall accents or pretty things are delayed until you have the basics covered.
But how do you work the dollar in the best way while getting the most for it?
Adding The Costs
If you were to take the cheapest options on the market the dollar signs rack up quick. Looking at Ikea to have a bookshelf of any real use or meaning you need to spend near the 70 dollar range. A coffee table would run 100 dollars for the mid range option. Side tables are back to that 70 dollar area to have something really functional and with a drawer.
If you order online by the time you count taxes and shipping you begin to push 300 to 350 dollars for just these three items. The problem is you also have received items which for lack of a better description are junk when compared to quality furnishings.
It will not take long for these pieces to begin showing their wear and tear and you will need to replace them. Here is where compounding the costs over time begins to take their toll. Yes Ikea does have some items which will last longer, yet you are paying considerably more for an off brand. At this point it begs to question whether or not you should stay this course.
Let’s take the coffee table as an example. Once you buy the second Ikea coffee table you have spent near or a little over 300 dollars. Did you know you can order a custom live edge coffee table of comparable size for near 500 dollars? Keep in mind this is solid hard wood, no prefab parts.
Locally to me you can find these cheaper. The 300 dollar range can be common for the smaller tables and they are beautiful. Suddenly Ikea does not sound like such the great deal that they at first seem to be. Selling yourself short up front for cheaper products is not always the best way to go for all items.
The moment you begin to compound this across each item within your home you can see the impact. Adopting a minimalist mindset in decoration but with a focus on function and aesthetics can in fact reduce long term costs. In exchange you get so much more for the money.
Additional issues come with these cheap brands. Malm dressers for example have been the cause of multiple deaths to children and many injuries. In 2016 Ikea recalled 29 million units in an attempt to fix design flaws which resulted in these unfortunate events.
The real problem is that consumers attempt to do to much too fast. Instead of having it all right now it would be better to grow into furnishing the home as you can afford it. This gives you quality while at the same time adding in savings.
The Solution Is One Step At A Time
Instead of attempting to furnish an entire home from day one take it in pieces. Focus on the absolute necessities. Save money and then buy according to what you really need and then want. Leave some rooms unfurnished if needed.
A dining room table should be a long term purchase not the Ikea special. Quality wood design will give stability and longevity. The added bonus is how beautiful it will be within the home for years to come.
If you cannot afford one of these handmade tables then wait. There is nothing wrong with getting by for a while on a fold away. We all have been there, or at least my generation remembers those times. Kitchen tables are too expensive to cheapen out on when custom made options are merely 25 to 40% more on average in costs.
I remember for the first six months of having my first home the bed was a mattress on the floor. The sad part is that after being in the Marines I thought that was comfortable. It is important to grow into our homes just as we grow in life. It certainly saves a fortune of money in the long term.
Budget On Greatest Needs First
What is the greatest need? Is it a washer or dryer? Perhaps it may be a stove. Once beyond these pieces of function you need to begin reviewing personal needs vs home appeal. In other words can you accept the mattress on the floor for a little longer to have a nice looking living room?
It may be that you have personal needs for medical reasons which require a good bed. In this case sacrifice the visual appeal of the living room for what you need. Those balances must be weighed. In time the pieces will start to come together.
The want can wait. What you want matters far less than what is needed at first. If you have to pay an interest rate on furniture than you are throwing money away by financing. It is not worth it. It becomes even more ridiculous if you do this with electronics. Just be patient and disciplined, do not finance this stuff.
Attempt to buy the best quality you can afford at that time. For those of us who are older and have some miles of life behind us custom made pieces are a great way to go. They offer the best longevity and provide the most unique beauty that no show room can touch. The bonus is typically they do not cost much more than the higher tier branded items and at times can even be cheaper.
Home Decoration For Walls And Top Surfaces
When starting out in life our home decoration should not be on the list at all. At least not until you have all the basics covered and the home is furnished. Decoration is something which will come in time. What is surprising to many is how similar rules apply to quality and longevity in this area.
Decoration is typically not functional by use. So why does quality matter? Let me ask this question. Do you want your home looking like Walmart or Hobby Lobby? If the answer is no then consider an alternative idea. An example is unique custom wood pieces can set apart the visual appeal of your home like you can not imagine.
The problem with these run of the mill mass produced items is that they can appear as cheap as they feel. In turn it gives that same cheap feel to the decoration within the home. If you want to create a truly comfortable space that is unique to you alone it cannot be done via super stores.
Handcrafted bowls, cutting boards, wood wall art, or other pieces made by craftsmen and artists are set apart. There may in fact be only a few like them ever made. When placed within a space they create a new feel that cannot be replicated by brands.
In this way the home becomes a representation of you not a store. Who you are is not manufactured in some factory. Your personality and the definition of what you love should be captured by your space. To obtain real comfort the goal is to surround yourself with the best qualities of who you are in these visual representations.
This is how art is to really be used within the home which many have forgotten in our time. In order to achieve this effect one must also consider the costs. Let’s look at the real costs of these aesthetics and how to best achieve it.
Costs Of Art And Handcrafted Decoration
Know up front that costs can vary widely. Much will depend upon the artist and craftsman which you obtain the item from. Wall pieces from my collection can easily run into the 700 dollar range. Yet what one obtains is so unique it cannot be duplicated.
In the case of my work the wood I use is so unique that the grain itself often is an art of nature itself. This wood art cannot be sourced from other places. Your local lumber supply cannot give you anything in terms of lumber that can compare. I have boards where the wood cost near 1k usd.
Not everyone is looking for something this unique. There are many craftsmen which offer special items far cheaper than I ask for mine. A woodworker I know often will make beautiful serving bowls and sell them at near the same price of the local chain stores.
There may be nothing unique within the wood itself but his designs are different. He is retired so for him it is a hobby that he enjoys. Having no social media or online outlet he is only known by a small group locally. It is in places like this that you find little gems that can make your home beautiful.
With this said you gain an idea of how wide the variety can be in what is offered by artists and craftsmen. The bonus is that they can often be local to you and in turn it supports the local community. Yet it does require you getting to know your community rather than the one stop shop import store from overseas.
An alternative to gaining both function and art can be found in some pieces of primitive decor. Artisans create these pieces for both aesthetics and purpose. It is a viable option when money is of concern.
Seriously, I will say this again, take the time and get to know the local craftsmen. It would shock you as to what you could have for the prices offered in many cases. There is a reason why I work with far more exotic wood in my wood art. To command higher prices I must be unique in wood as well as within my art itself.
How To Build An Art Collection
If you begin down this path of collecting handcrafted items to decorate your home it will not take long to get hooked on the idea. Yet for those nicer things how do you achieve gaining the best and afford it? The same principles apply here as with furnishings.
Begin by selecting the space within your home that is most important to you. Some enjoy entertaining so the common areas such as the living room would be in focus. Others do not entertain but relaxation is the primary focus. Maybe the bedroom would have greater impact here.
Yet by selecting one space you can focus on the decoration for that room to become what you want it to be. Each piece tailored or chosen by you allows it to better represent who you are in personality. You will also get much more out of what money you spend in terms of what that item gives back to you.
It is a piece by piece process over time. There will be items which will cost more than others. Yet patience wins the day. As one room is finished you then move to the next. It will not take as long as you think to achieve the end goal.
The end result is a home decorated fully by you to what you need. It is completely unique to your taste and cannot be copied by any showroom. No one will walk into your home thinking it is an Ikea catalog.
Is Art More Expensive Than General Decor?
Yes it is more expensive. Often times it can be exponentially expensive depending on what you want. Then there are those small gems which can be the same or cheaper than the store offerings. The difference is longevity and purpose in use.
Typically the more we spend on an item the longer we hope to have it and use it. Also one does not spend a lot of money on something which will be seasonally thrown away. These seasonal pieces do have their purpose yet they are not the defining pieces of a home.
The key is found within what pieces of art do you want to define your atmosphere within the home. These pieces should be the focal points. They should set the overall tone to the room. Additionally art will most often go with many other changes in furnishing and outlast the living room couch.
While cheap decor does have a function the point is to minimize financial waste. Placing a focus on fewer pieces that are of quality and often within art you get far more in return for your dollar. This has been the premise behind the minimalist mindset for many years. No one gets anything out of an over decorated room.
The long term savings you gain from quality furnishing and decoration far outweigh the initial costs. In turn you get a home which is uniquely yours alone. With this comes all the benefits of hosting events, entertaining, and relaxation that you can afford.
It is unfortunate that the marketing world places focus on so much that is plastic and cheap. While items of function do matter they are not the sum of what or who we are. Not every solution should be just to get by.