Time for a change.

My mom and I had a long conversation the other day about my frustration about the toys in my house. We are blessed with our home, but I don't have a toy room. It's called my living room. :) My daughter is a little bit older so most of her toys are in her room, but my son is smaller so he's not quite happy to play in his room just yet. Mom and Dad started in a trailer when my oldest sister was born and then spent many years with all three of us kids in a VERY small house. In fact, when my oldest sister was having friends over and wanted privacy in the living room, my parents would go sit on the washer/dryer to talk because there wasn't really another place to be! (My room was attached to their room.) To put it this way, my mom totally gets it. My couches have been "loved on" by my kids and are smooshed and stained. The carpet has a trampled path and toys are creeping up on me in all directions. Mom gave me some very helpful advice that I thought I'd share with you:

1. If you can't change it, clean it. Just because we can't afford new furniture or carpet right now doesn't mean it can't be cleaned. There is a lesson to be learned in taking care of the things you've been blessed with instead of just running out and getting a new one when you're tired of the old one.

2.  Change it up. Move your stuff around so that everything has a new place. Rearranging is free and can make a whole new room. If you have some spare money that you are willing to put into your home, even changing the paint color can make a difference.

3. Dream a little. Walk into every room and allow yourself to think of all the things you would do if time and money were not issues. Write it all down. Look for inspiration online and in magazines. Sit down with a book and some coffee at Barnes and Noble and dream a little. Dreaming is free too. :)

4. Prioritize. Take your dream list and prioritize it. What needs to be done first? What things are less important to you and can fall to the bottom of the list? Once your list is prioritized, you can cross items off one at a time or work toward a financial goal to make them happen.