(amazing built in/mantle progress by David!)

Then I get frustrated because I felt like I was making progress by planning out each room, only to realize I was setting myself up for immediate disappointment. And THAT'S SO DUMB!  Because I'm actually so so grateful to be in this house and to be lucky enough to get to improve our home at all.  

I don't know if you've ever let comparison sneak up on you, but I made a list of a bunch of free home improvement projects I do with a ton a immediate satisfaction. Some of them I've done but are good reminders so I can reference back when I fall into the wanting it all now trap. 

1. Declutter & Organize Some Closets/Drawers

Check out the Magic of Tidying Up on Overdrive (free audiobook app via your local library) and go to town on decluttering. Right now I need to work on a couple closets and make sure everything has a place. I also was thinking I could sell some of things I get rid of on Facebook marketplace & make a few bucks- so a definite win-win. 

The best part is these projects don't have to take long. I just did one drawer that was bugging me today and I feel like my life is 10x better and it didn't cost me anything. Plus, I love how clarifying it is to focus on the things you already own that bring you joy right now.

2. Clean Some Doors/Walls/Cabinets

If you happen to have a magic eraser around I'd grab that and go to town on any kitchen cabinets, doors or walls that have smudges, dirt and children's artwork on them. You can also just put dish soap and water in a bowl and use a rag and that works pretty well too.

I did this in our upstairs hall on the three kids room/bathroom doors there and it looked just like I had repainted because it was so dingy before. It just took some elbow grease and time.

3. Touch Up Your Baseboards

Along those same lines clean your baseboards or touch up paint them if you have the more of that color paint hanging around. You know when you sell your house and you scrub and scrub and suddenly you have so much pride in your house and you never want to move? Cleaning or painting baseboards gives me that "I love my house" feeling.

4. Shine your kitchen sink

Get your sink wet, sprinkle baking soda on it, then take some dish soap and a rag and scrub away. Rinse it and watch it sparkle. Pretty sure this works for stainless steel or ceramic sinks. Again, a you'll get a free "I love my house" feeling. 

5. Rearrange Furniture/Accessories 

When we moved in I didn't want to just put everything up without thinking about it. I put out some pictures and some pottery and then I started a little accessories storage area in a basement closet. It's fun to go shop my own stuff and to really look at what I have out and decide if I like it where it is. 

Take some art or nicknack that's feeling tired and store it away until you figure a better home for it and put all your unused decor in one spot so you can have that shop your own stuff experience.

As far as furniture, are you sure yours is working it's hardest for you? I noticed online people with a similar floor plan as ours were arranging their sectional differently in their family room. I moved ours and every person that saw it previously makes a comment about how much bigger and more open the room looks. I suddenly went from being kind of dissatisfied with my couch to loving like I did when we bought it for a different room. 

6. Make a list of the top 2-3 Home Accessories You Want to Buy on Your Phone

It's smart to keep your eye out for treasures when you're at Ross or browsing Facebook yardsale groups. But don't compromise and buy random stuff just because it's cheap, semi-fits your criteria or Joanna Gaines designed it, you should be specific about what you want. 

For example: a woven basket that's flexible so the kids won't break it but is cute enough to store their toys in the family room. 

or

A lamp because the guest bedroom is dimly lit. Hoping to find a slightly more intricate, maybe brass colored one to match current hardware.

It's smart to think about purchases in advance so you don't buy stuff you don't need and plus it's fun to "window shop" with a purpose. 

7. Start Saving!

Don't just go buy something and bring it into your home because you have an empty wall or empty room. I really, really believe waiting and saving money with a purpose. So take your time not spending money aimlessly to figure out exactly what you want.

I actually opened up a separate savings account (make sure you're not paying fees) just for me to save for furnishings. David thought I was crazy until that motivated me to start a side hustle that actually brings in some good cash every month.

I knew if I didn't have a separate account with that specific purpose, I wouldn't feel like that money was actually allocated for furnishings. Now if I sell something on KSL or Facebook, I put it in that account. I have the side hustle direct deposit into that account and if I go under my shopping budget I can transfer what I saved into that account. And it's exciting to save for a specific rug or couch I really, really want.

Honestly, there are a lot of ways to make money on the side for moms this days. There's Turo, Rover, VIPkids or Qkids (that's the name right?), Airbnb, Etsy, Upwork, Flexjobs, babysitting/in-home daycare... If you're motivated you can make your goals happen, you just have to get clear about what you want.

What things do you do that make you fall in love with your space again?