What to do when you’re contemplating home improvements after a move and you don’t know where to begin
Most of us don’t know what it’s like to change continents with a family. But a big home project can feel like too much for anyone starting out or going through a big life change. Adding to the pressure, in this age of instant everything, it’s easy to think that you ought to have a perfectly appointed home within seconds of moving in. I think we’ve all seen the before-and-after articles in which a designer gives a house a makeover in less time than it takes most of us to buy a can of paint. If you are in my friend’s shoes, looking around your place worrying and wondering, this is what I recommend.
When you are worn out, you need to acknowledge that and give yourself a break. Decide you are going to set things aside for a few weeks or months, even years. It’s important to make it a conscious decision; otherwise all the projects will be hanging over your head.
Most things can wait, and there is a very real benefit to living in a place for a while before making any changes. I know several people who have bought houses knowing what changes they wanted to make but couldn’t do the work right away — and in the end were thankful for the delays, because they were able to see other, better possibilities.
The point was how little money was spent, but for me it may as well have been $100,000, because our renovation and decorating budget was $0. It can be disappointing to wait because of money, but accruing a lot of debt to do a house project will not feel good.