Most people enjoy making improvements to their homes or the spaces they are occupying. However, when you are aiming for a new design or decorating & furnishing a brand new home, it can leave you feeling swamped.
Now is a great time to plan ahead for the year to come. I know, I know this breaks our usual Caribbean tradition of getting all new bright and shiny things only for Christmas but planning and budgeting ahead of time can help immensely and….. it will be less stress on you! Remember this is just a plan. So let’s go ahead and make it easy on ourselves, shall we?
Patience
What does patience have to do with formulating a budget, you ask? You need to be calm, clear and realistic. When you begin your budget plan, you need to patiently go through what changes you would like to make. You should not be beating yourself up about anything. We all tend to be guilty of wanting more and more, so we can get our spaces to look as if you walked into a home fresh out the pages of a magazine. Which is all good but we need to be patient to achieve our goals.
The 6 P's To Budgeting Like a Boss!!!
Plan
Look around your space, identify what needs to be changed, fixed or even designed from scratch. Write a list of everything you think you will need to improve the space, don't leave anything out.
Prioritise
Of Course being human, we want everything done right now!! This however is usually not the case for the majority of people. Look at that list you made and begin to prioritise, separate your wants from your needs. For Example: if you have a choice between a toilet that is not working and a brand new rug, I'd say the toilet is more important, wouldn't you?
The 6 P's To Budgeting Like a Boss!!!
Price check
Once you have made your priorities clear, you should do a price check on everything you would like done. You can include the things that you want done but may not necessarily need as well. You now have a budget outline.
Precision
You know your monthly income and how much you can afford. Here is where you need to be realistic and precise. If you have enough extra income to put aside every month to cover your entire budget, go for it!! If you can't manage the entire list, that's fine too. Make your priorities clear and aim for those. If they are too much as well, it's time to narrow down those priorities. Choose your top three, two or even one. Whatever you accomplish, is a step forward. Don't forget that.
The 6 P's To Budgeting Like a Boss!!!
Pat yourself on the back
When you reach one of your goals. Please don't forget to pat yourself on the back. Reward yourself with something! A movie, a piece of cake, a glass of wine or even just a nap. You earned it!