It’s not cheap, having a child, as just about every parent will tell you. There are food and clothes to be bought, expensive birthday and Christmas presents, days out, and so on. But when most parents tally up how much they need for their child, they usually forget one thing: the cost of putting together a room for them to sleep and play in. If you don’t have a plan, then you might find that the costs quickly get out of control. So it’s worth thinking about, and then some; it’ll help you to get the best value for money. Below, we take a look at nine ways you keep the costs down.
Small Room
First thing’s first – select a small room, because there’s no need for a child to have a large room. After all, they’re only small themselves; what are they going to do with any extra space that they have? Of course, having a small room has benefits that stretch beyond just what’s logical – it’ll also help you save money. The smaller the space, the less you have to decorate and fill! It’s not often you’re able to justify putting someone in a small room, but in this case, it’ll most definitely make sense.
Avoid Going Too Theme Heavy
Your child may be obsessed with, say, Spiderman, and demand that you give them a room with this theme. Whatever you do, resist their demands, no matter how much you just want them to stop crying. If you don’t, you’ll be hit with a larger bill than you think. For starters, kitting out a room with one particular theme is going to cost more. But more important than that is that you’ll have to change the look of the room faster than you would if you’d just picked a normal color scheme! Children are fickle, and though they might like Spiderman today, it won’t be long before they’re onto someone new. While a few touches of their favorite characters is just fine, avoid building the room entirely around the theme. You’ll regret it when you’re changing things around eight months down the line.
Do it Yourself
The good thing about a child’s room is that it doesn’t have to be perfect. A pristine room would be wasted on a child who can’t appreciate the effort that’s gone into it! So whereas you’ll likely want to get a professional to take care of your bedroom, when it comes to your child’s room, you can do things yourself. It’ll help save a pretty penny, and also give you the perfect risk-free setting in which to develop your DIY skills. You can paint, hang up shelves, and so on, and just leave the more complicated jobs (say, the electricals) to the professionals.
Ask Friends and Family
You’re unlikely to be the first person that you know to have had a child (if you are, unlucky!). As such, it’s worth asking around to see if any friends or family members have any old bedroom items they’d be happy to donate. People do this with children’s old clothing, so why not their old bedroom gear? It might help you to save hundreds of dollars, and all you’ll have done is asked a question. Later, when your child has outgrown their room, you’ll be able to pass them on to someone else in need (unless you’re going to have more kids, that is).
Protect What You Buy
You don’t need us to tell you that children can be messy – and sometimes dangerous – creatures. They’re a bit like untrained dogs; leave something out that could be destroyed, and, well, you can’t have too many complaints if it ends up in pieces. As such, it’s worthwhile taking steps to protect the things that you buy for their room. Invest in things like chair and bean bag covers, make sure there’s storage space for their toys, and let them know that they can’t take any stick drinks or food products into their room. The less damage their able to do, the longer it’ll be before you need to upgrade their room.
Avoid the High-End Stuff
Some parents go the extra mile when it comes to their children’s bedroom, buying high-quality, high-value goods. There’s no point in this! It’s like buying designer clothes for them. They’ll look good in the photos, but that’s about it. They’ll have no appreciation for the quality of the craftsmanship, so why buy it? That’s not to say you should forever cut corners when it comes to your child’s bedroom. While it’s not a good idea to buy the very best, it’s also not very smart to buy the cheapest option available; it’ll only break.
Double Up
Have you got two children within a couple of years in age apart from one another? Then you might want to consider putting them in the same bedroom. In so doing, you’ll free up a room and almost instantly half the amount you need to spend on your child’s home. While some parents think it’s not the best idea, if they generally get along then there’s little harm in it – quite the opposite, in fact; they may have more fun sharing a room than having their own space! This is something that has to be carefully managed, though.
Keep Things Preserved
Finally, have a think about your future plans when it comes to upgrading your child’s bedroom. If they’re making the transition from “toddler’s room” to “child’s room”, then make sure you don’t throw or give away all the old goods if you’re planning to have another child. You’ll only have to buy all of these items again! Keep them stored away, and you’ll have most of what you need when it comes to setting up a bedroom for your next child.
Conclusion
Children are expensive, but there are always ways to keep the costs down, including when it comes to their bedroom. With a bit of care and planning, you can create a budget room that isn’t short on the fun!
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