More Baby Saving Tips...
Ah, the joys of motherhood, the shopping, the planning, the painting or yeah and the paying. We want to help you outfit your nursery in style and under budget. Check out our money saving tips!
The Baby's Nursery...
You spend hours poring over baby magazines and web sites, oohing and ahhing over the adorable nursery themes – and then your "ooh" turns to a "eww" as you look at the price. It's funny how even "shabby chic" décor, things that are made to look secondhand, can cost an arm and a leg! With a bit of creativity, you can have an enviable nursery for an unbelievable price.
* Paint is relatively cheap, and can really change the look of a room. You aren't limited to simply painting the wall one solid color; try fun techniques like rolling, ragging, stamping, or sponge painting in order to achieve different prints and textures. Choose a color that will still be suitable as your child grows; baby blue might be perfect for your newborn son, but will he still like it when he's five?
* As an alternative to wallpaper, try a wallpaper border. It's a lot less complicated to put up and can still "pull together" your nursery décor. Or you can use a little paint and some foam stamps, which are available at any craft store and come in a variety of shapes from stars to duckies to flowers, to create your own border design.
* You can buy themed nursery accessories, but matching patterned and character-printed items are pricey. Instead, buy plain, unprinted sheets, curtains, and lamp shades (these are cheap) and then accessorize with accent items. For example, if you want a Pooh-themed nursery, pick out a few accents – a Pooh wallpaper border, a Pooh rug, a Pooh wall hanging – and then buy your crib sheets and other basic items plain, in a shade that coordinates with the accessories. You'll fork over some cash for the accessory items, but it won't be nearly as expensive as springing for an entire coordinated set.
* Choose gender-neutral colors and themes to decorate with, so that you can use the same nursery décor for subsequent babies, no matter what their gender. * Be a do-it-yourselfer. If you have any creative talent whatsoever, put it to good use when decorating your baby's room. Can you sew? Try making your own curtains or fabric wall hangings or slipcovers. Purchase good-quality used furniture at a yard sale or thrift store and refinish it on your own (if you're painting the furniture, be sure the paint isn't lead-based). Go through home décor magazines and keep a scrapbook of the nurseries that appeal to you; that way you have something to use as a reference while you're shopping, painting, or redoing.
* Skip the bedding altogether (except for the crib sheet). Experts advise against using pillows or blankets in the crib anyway, due to the increased risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) when those items are present.
* Comb thrift stores, yard sales, swap meets, and auctions (even online auctions such as eBay) to find nursery items at a fraction of their original price.
* For inexpensive art, frame pictures from children's books. You can buy used books for next-to-nothing, or use books you already have that may have a few damaged pages.
* Use assorted sizes of family photos to create a collage on Baby's wall.
* When you buy a crib, consider spending a little more on a model that can be converted to a toddler bed later on.
* Decide which furniture pieces will be crucial, and which you choose an alternative for (or do without). Instead of purchasing a dresser, for example, save money by storing Baby's clothing in decorative stacking baskets.
* Ask around! Sometimes friends, neighbors and relatives are your best resource for hand-me-downs. The bonus to this is that you'll know what kind of homes the items came from.
0 komentar:
Post a Comment