Having a beautiful home is really the result of small choices and decisions. It’s certainly true that large rooms, expensive furniture and professional decorating skills produce a beautiful home, but those of us living in average sized homes with well worn furniture and our own decorating skills can still have beautiful living spaces!
Here are three simple things you can do to make your home look beautiful and well cared for – it’s all in the details!
- Line your trash cans with actual trash bags instead of grocery bags – Dollar Tree sells 35 small trash bags for $1.
- Replace the toilet brush with a new one (make sure you get one that has a base) – Dollar Tree also sells these!
- Buy a pretty hand soap dispenser and fill it with dish soap – it’s almost always cheaper than buying them empty! Mine came from Burke’s Outlet, but TJ Maxx, Ross, HomeGoods and even Dollar Tree are all great places to pick these up.
Here’s another choice that will make your home more beautiful – choose contentment.
I’ll be really honest with you. I’m having to work very hard on this one right now. There are so many things I’d like to change about my house. It was quickly flipped before we bought it six years ago and the “new house” feel has vanished. The carpet, the paint and elements of the exterior could really use attention. My living room furniture is at least 20 years old and looks really worn.
Don’t get me wrong – I love our home! I’m very thankful for it and enjoy every day that we live here. Still those feelings of discontent creep into my heart. Choosing contentment doesn’t change my furniture, but it does change my perspective…and my attitude.
Read More —> How To Enjoy Living In An Ugly Home
Let’s take it a step further.
“Contentment is an inner sense of rest or peace that comes from being right with God and knowing that He is in control of all that happens to us.” (Steven J. Cole) When I look at my living room, certain relationships or any other circumstance in my life, it’s easy to be discontent because things are not the way I would choose for them to be.
Today I’m choosing to rest in God’s sovereign control over my life instead of fighting for my own control. It might be a minute by minute choice, but that’s my goal. Won’t you join me?
Come Home For Comfort 
Great post! Choosing contentment is the best tip. With alot of people posting the “perfect living room” or “perfect house” on social media, it can get discouraging for those of us who don’t have an endless budget or don’t want to go into debt. We have a mixture of hand me downs, gently used furniture and some new pieces. I love my home and it’s been my only home beside the home I grew up in. My husband and I have lived in our home for over 25 years and I understand about projects you want done. I’m thankful my husband is very handy around the house. He does practically all of the work. One tip that helps me to stay content is I only follow a few people on social media, people that are genuine and down to earth. You have practical ideas that are great and you love homemaking! ❤You are always encouraging and you have a lovely home! It’s alwaya looks so cozy.
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Thanks, Nikki! Limiting social media and choosing contentment make a big difference – I definitely agree. 🙂
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Love the Dollar Tree! Good tip on the trash liners. I use the grocery bags but try to turn them so the brand isn’t so visible. Contentment is something we all struggle with at times. We move with my husband’s work so we rent. We do have a house we have kept and go back to in another state and will eventually live there. I often remind myself it is a house and we make it a home. The longer we are away from OUR house the more it doesn’t feel like home. You have a lovely warm home that seems inviting and cozy.
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I love that, Diana – we DO make it a home! I have used grocery bags as trash liners for years, but with shopping at Aldi so often I don’t have as many of those bags on hand as I used to. I grabbed one of the liners from Dollar Tree and was impressed with the difference it made!
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All those simple, thoughtful home decor tips really make a big impact. I loved your message today. It’s so easy to get caught up in wanting the newest, nicest, trendiest things for your home. But, that’s not reality for most people. We have been married for 14 years and are slowly, but surely swapping out some of our original furniture for newer and nicer things. I’m currently disliking our coffee table, playroom couch and kitchen table. BUT the ones we have still have some life left in them so I’ll be content with what I have.
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You’re right – it’s good to remember what is reality for most people and to then count my blessings!
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So, so true about choosing contentment! I can get really wound up thinking about all the things I want to do to my house…and all the things “wrong” with it…when it’s really the people I share it with that’s most important to me anyway.
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You’re right, Shelly! It is SO easy to make a long list of what I don’t like instead of counting my blessings!
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Contentment really does change the view of just about everything! And thanks for the tip about 35 trash bags for a dollar – great idea (and one I didn’t know!) Happy Wednesday!
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You are welcome, Jennifer! They are called “kitchen trash bags,” but they are not big enough for that. They’re perfect for the bathrooms, I think.
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Whitney, I totally understand your frustration with furniture etc. When we first married we had hand me downs from all the family. Back then there were no bloggers to help us come up with ideas for making your hand me downs look good!! We were on our own.lol It did take a while but we were slowly able to exhange the hand me downs. One thing I did learn, buy quality in furniture. We made the mistake of buying cheap replacements at first and we learned that is not really saving money as you spend more money in the long run! With Social Media we see other homes and we start comparing. It is human nature but as you say, we need to focus more on what we have and not what we think we want.
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You’re exactly right. My sister and I were talking just last night how that owning our own home is a huge thing that we should not take for granted! Thank you for the tip on new furniture – I will keep that in mind!
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