Happy 2012! I hope this New Year brings joy and good things to all of you. The season of renewal and resolution is upon us and it’s time to gear up for the best year you have ever had. It is also a time of considerable stress and budget restrictions, especially if you overspent at Christmas.
The best thing you can do to start 2012 is to be very good to yourself; de-stress, de-clutter and delight in the simple things that bring you happiness. If you are hoping for a revitalization of your home, start with a thorough cleaning and repositioning of your furniture and decorative items. This is an absolutely free mini makeover for your home that will renew your spirits and give a fresh perspective of your environment. Not having to look at the same arrangement of your favorite things can be an easy renewal for your mind and soul.
Take the time to organize your precious memories, photos and possibly cherished artwork your kids have brought home throughout the fall of 2011. Find creative ways to display photos of favorite moments of 2011 or organize them into albums and memory boxes. This activity takes very little cash and I promise it will make you smile as you relive some of your memories. There is nothing like looking over photos and memories to relax you!
If you are truly in need of some retail therapy but don’t have the budget, it may be time for you to organize a ‘new to you’ potluck party.
Whether you are using decorative accessories or clothing and jewelry it is a fun and completely FREE evening! Each person brings an item or items that they no longer need and an appetizer. Once everyone and their wares are assembled it is time to exchange your items for your friends’ treasures. The purse that you have not used in ages may be the perfect accessory for your friend’s new outfit – you never know.
You may have been looking for that perfect ornament for above your fireplace and your friend has brought just the right thing! The rules are simple, if you bring three items you leave with three items, and so on. Free, easy and you get something new out of it!
Phone a friend and invite them for coffee. You may have received one of the new Tassimo coffee makers for Christmas which gives you the perfect excuse to have a friend over that you may not have seen in awhile. Most of us have Christmas baking leftover and this would be a wonderful opportunity to get rid of a little more (it saves us having to eat it all!).
There are ways to get through January on a shoestring budget without having to hibernate all month!
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre. Contact her at 403-343-7711 ext. 227 or email her at klewis@carpetcolourcentre.com.
