to wonder how people afford to decorate their houses?

[Blelibo]

Me and DH both in late 20s, both on 30k a year, own our own house, we have one child together and DH has a daughter from previous relationship... we hang NO money to decorate our house with. We've lived here a year and it's completely empty!!

Anyone else in same boat?

@blelibo ignore them. I love these threads as it gives me ideas, your personal finances are your concern.
What kind of ‘look’ are you going for? Then maybe the none twats people of mumsnet can give you ideas

Save yourself £1200 a month by not sending your DC to nursery while you're on maternity leave. You could get your whole house done by the time you go back to work.

I have PND and this thread has stupidly made me cry (like the million other things that have today) so I'm going to 'flounce off' for good this time. I'll hide this thread now.

I remember the shock of moving from a flat to a house, calculated on two full time salaries, swiftly followed by reduced pay during maternity and then nursery fees and shortly afterwards.. a move to somewhere cheaper!!

We painted the house ourselves, bought IKEA instead of what we really wanted and searched high and low for secondhand things. I am still looking for a bookshelf for my kitchen but happy that today I have finally finished making some lampshades for my son's bedroom, we have been in this house for three years. The kids chest of drawers in their bedrooms came from a friend, my sister was downsizing and she gave me some things and DH and I buy each other things as presents.

Oh no... @blelibo. ..I am sorry you feel like that. Don't take it to heart lovely.

@Notacluethisxmasif I asked this question openly in my office at work and people answered to my face with many of the answers on here I would be pretty shocked.

Honestly, my work is great. But if someo e who earned decent money and who had a dh earning decent money, asked this question. Yeah, people would take the piss. Sorry.

You bring home just short of 4k per month. There is somethi g very wrong if you have nothing at all left, to put towards a TV Cabinet. Even a second one?

In a year you have bought what? Nothing?
Of course people will want to talk about your finances. Because people can't understand that a couple bringing in 4k can't afford to furnish their house at all. The only answer can be you outgoings are to high.

I bring in 1700 per month. 800 of the goes on bills, petrol and other monthly costs. The 900 left is for food, clothes for us, school trips, savings, bits for the house, treats and I can afford to furnish my house. It been done cheap, second hand and taken a few months. But I am happy with it. It's home.

So even if all you outgoings are just over 3k, you would have the same as me left over. And it's possible to furnish your home.

If you're on a budget then buy the things you really really like not just any cheap tat to fill a space (since if you buy for the sake of it you pay twice). It takes a long time but eventually you'll get there. Use your mat leave to wander around charity shops and go to furniture auctions. Our house took about ten years to fill (although its quite big) and we're still low on "stuff" ie mirrors, paintings and other purely ornamental things.

Trawl eBay for original art, mirrors and interesting objects to display on bookshelves etc. I've had some major bargains including an enormous oil painting for £20 which goes perfectly in our living room and some lovely original watercolours.

It used to be the norm that when a 'child' bought their own place the parents would use the chance/excuse to refurnish their own house and pass on the old stuff, hence we had a suite that I had almost wrecked as a teenager doing somersaults over the back and a dining table that came for MIL's house that she had got from another relative! We got some decent stuff off gumtree for our daughter's flat.

there is a site called preloved, where people give things away for free. may be worth having a look. there is are some sofas and even a dining table on there! link

Why not use your maternity leave to pick up a few bits and start making it more homely?

Personally I save a bit each month for things I want new to replace stuff I was given or got 2nd hand.

I had to furnish a home quickly and with very little money.

I asked around friends and relatives to see if anyone had anything they could spare. White goods I got from someone moving abroad. A bed from a Church notice board. Freecycle for textiles and some kitchen stuff. I kept an eye open in local second hand stores.

A friend went to 'Brighthouse' and is still paying.

Sorry you're feeling low, OP.

You buy cheap/secondhand/borrow/go without and then replace it over time as you can afford it. It's not rocket science.

That said, I got my first mortgage around 20 years ago (yikes!) and I know I still have some cookware from the car boot sales I went to after I moved into my first flat! If it (literally) ain't broke...

For decorating I used to save up Nectar points and buy paint at Homebase on their 10% weekends (and I still do wait for special events like that now, even if the nectar/homebase thing is defunct). I also made use of some interest-free credit for my sofas, so the money I'd saved for it sat in a high-interest savings account (remember those days!) for another 6 months.

OP, if you are still here, Christmas is coming - why don't you & your DH treat each other to something nice for the house, and ask your parents/in-laws if they are around for the same.

One step at a time.

Also, asking friends and family for handmedowns will often elicit a surprising amount of items! It's amazing what people keep 'just in case'!

Ah love, a home isn't a home because of what it looks like or what furniture is in it. At least, I hope it isn't as ours is a permanent project. 😂

So long as your house is clean, comfy and happy nothing else really matters - you'll get the furniture of your dreams one day if that's what you want x

In all seriousness, most people's homes are work in progress. We have been in our house for more than 20 years and we are over 60. We are still living with my PiL's heirlooms cast offs . The next phase is retirement and moving somewhere smaller, so we won't replace the ugly victoriana or the 1930s repro stuff. We shall keep the furniture we like, and need, and offer the rest to the next generation, then Freecycle what's left over. Mind you, I shall need a kitchen the size of Mars!

Don't flounce

Freecycle, Freegle and Preloved are your friends. Also charity shops, particularly BHF furniture stores. We furnished our entire house with good as new secondhand or free furniture and white goods. You don't need to spend a fortune to get a cosy home.

Shocked at some of these replies

The Op is a new home owner, new mam and has worked hard for a deposit and mortgage, they are saving money out of there wages (smp at the moment) to get ahead on nursery payments so its not to much of a shock to their pay packet once back at work.

Herself and partner appear to have planned well in advance for some of their future plans, everything that is a must on MN, yet she is being spoken to like some sort of irresponsible idiot

Some readers have not read the thread properly, accusing her of putting child in nursery while on mat leave, others have then followed with the misinformation just to have a pop

OP when your on mat leave and have just had a baby you receive a lot more visitors and spend more time in the house, it becomes your sanctuary or jail depending on how you look at it.

Perfectly normal to look at your surrounding wishing things could be different and improved, it just takes time and more planning once your ready and able to do so.

I collect four dining chairs through freecycle yesterday. Am going to shabby chic them and cover the seats with material I have already. I store pieces of fabric found at car boots and charity shops.

Last week I found a chest freezer through freecycle.

should read "collected".

Often DIY stores have three for two on paint - a 2.5l tin of coloured emulsion is about £16, you can buy a huge 10l tin of white for around £15-£20. A 2.5l tin of wood paint is about £15. By thinking clever and a little forward planning you can decorate a room yourself for around £50 or less.

Is it a castle?A venetian Palace?
60k is quite a lot of money.
Paint some newspaper bright colours and hang it up.
Or pull the other one.

You have nothing to apologise for. Your combined income to someone on close to minimum way who lives in a cheap area, may seem like a lot.

I earn considerably more and haven't been able to re-decorate my place to get rid of the almost black walls the previous owner did; however, I refuse to get credit to do so and I'm not fortunate enough to have any donated furniture.