So, a baby is on the way? Whether it is your first, tenth, or any number in between, babies can be expensive. This is especially true when you have gotten rid of everything remotely baby in the name of “I am finished having kids!” to find out just a couple months later that you are expecting. Yes, I speak from experience – this was/is my situation. So, I set off to find baby room furnishings with the goal of spending no less/no more than $150 dollars. Here is how I did it.
Don’t be Picky with Paint
I looked on the return rack first. Pink is pink and blue is blue, right? I painted the room 2 shades of pink to accommodate my wallet. I do not regret it.
Bedding Sets Can be Hand-Me-Downs
I was lucky enough to get a bedding set from a friend. It wasn’t the nursery theme that I dreamed about, but it is a pretty one nonetheless. My baby is sure to be sleeping in style. I would suggest making friends with people that are done having babies (or think they are, anyway!). Another suggestion is to assemble a bedding set together piece by piece. There is no reason why you have to spend more money on your baby’s bedding then you have ever spent on yours in your whole life.
Dress up a Dresser
I could have painted a dresser, but matching that clearance paint might have been a challenge. In the end I saw this option on Pinterest and loved it. Now, flowers fill the room and for $2.99 you can’t go wrong.
Wall Clings Can be Friendly for the Wallet
If you haven’t looked at wall art recently, you will be delighted that most wall art has gone down in price. This is mainly because machines like this one can cut vinyl for you, and many, many, scrapbookers and crafty people have one of these machines for in home use. This means anyone can make these things and sell them for some extra income. There are tons on Etsy. (Or even head to your local craft store for a “demonstration”! You may just get what you need there and just have to purchase the vinyl. Who knows!)
Another hint….When purchasing wall art, such as a tree, look at the structure and ask if the branches can be used as trunks and spread out from wall to wall instead of just one big tree on one small wall. (I did this!)
Changing Pad vs Changing Table
All of the furniture for our baby’s room were borrowed from friends, stolen from another room, or given to us, except for one thing – the changing table. With our other two, we opted for a changing pad on top of a dresser. Now that we have moved, we opted for a changing pad on top of a bench. We saved over $100 at least and still have a very functional changing station.
Party Decorations
I am a party planner. I love to throw parties and have an addiction to streamers. After these lanterns functioned as angry bird pigs at my son’s 5 year celebration, they now are featured in my garden room as lanterns. Decorations can pop up from the most random places. Especially if your room theme is also a birthday theme. Preceded with caution to avoid tacky, but be prepared to get decoration accents that are inexpensive yet tasteful.
Babies can break the bank, but their nursery rooms do not have to. Start with a budget in mind. Really, it takes 9 months to make a baby, and with careful planning, it can take 9 months to save for a baby’s room, too. When it came down to it, we spent less then $20 over 8 months to decorate a beautiful garden room for our little girl. We are delighted. Now, we are just missing one thing. The baby! Any day now…….. 🙂
Solve-It Saturday 2-9-13
