Spring Cleaning and Decorating - Decisions, Decisions

It's that time of year. Stop groaning, you knew it was coming. Even though the sun is shining, the snow is melted, and the world of life is awakening once more, its not all fun and games in the spring. No because now, its time for spring cleaning!

That's right, its time to dust out the vases, clean out the closets, and breathe new life back into the home. However, this also means making some tough decisions. Clutter and chaos have grown up around the home over the stagnant winter months. However, it is now time for you to cast off these useless accessories, relegating unused items to trash and charity, making room for air and life to flow throughout the home.

That means making some decisions. If you spent money on something, you probably don't want to throw it away. It's like throwing cash out the door. Unfortunately there's no other choice. Sometimes we make bad purchasing decisions, and other time, things just become obsolete in our lives.

One way to systematize your de-cluttering is to take a box, and throw anything that hasn't been used in the last 30 days into the box. Throw it all in there and don't look back. If you're an organized individual, you can even make a list of the items you toss in there. Then stick the box in a closet, and wait another 30 days.

If after that time you haven't thought about, needed, or wanted to go into that box for a particular item, then its clutter; its time to set it free, and set your home free from its clogging influence.

Another common habit during the spring is to change up the look and feel of your home. Many people use the new season as an excuse to completely redecorate their spaces, replacing old furnishings with new ones, and generally giving the environment a fresh new feel.

However, you can't create a new look without destroying the old. If you feel yourself getting sentimental for décor from days gone by, you can always snap a few photos of the room before dismantling it. In this way if you ever get nostalgic you can simply look at the old pictures, or even use them as a guide for recreating the old look.

Spring cleaning and decorating is about making choices. Clutter and chaos have to be cleared away, and stale rooms have to be renewed. It's up to you to have the strength and fortitude to make the decisions necessary to ensure that your home stays looking fresh and elegant, in this period of transition and change.

Dorm and Apartment Decorating on a Student Budget

Welcome high school graduate or returning scholar to the fantastic world of college. Continuing your education in the institution of higher learning in hopes of making more money, acquiring universal knowledge and perhaps evening finding out whether you have what it takes to survive college life is an honor that should be fully recognized by all. But to make money you have to spend money, which is the first lesson you'll come to terms with when paying for tuition, parking, books, and other expenses you may accrue. If you reside on campus or in an apartment close by, the first thing you may want to do is make your den as livable as possible while on a tight student budget.

A few tips to help you on your way to make your apartment or dorm just like home:

If you can spare to loosen up the purse strings, try to invest in a bed or comfortable sofa or futon bed. Beds can be expensive, and sometimes you can only afford the mattress and boxspring, but it's really not recommended to just leave them sitting on the floor. Moisture can develop under the mattress and boxspring, which can result in an unsanitary and nasty growth known as mold. Now unless you're a biology student and you're growing culture samples to fulfill your lab requirements, I advise against keeping your mattress on the floor and suggest that you buy a bed frame.

Sofa and futon beds are an option to buying beds. Easier to transport than a full on bed, these alternatives double as lounge chairs in the day, and beds at night (or between classes). Perfect for studying or playing video games, sofa and futon beds will give you your money's worth, something that you'll appreciate throughout your college career.

Additional lights like table lamps, floor lamps and maybe even some pendant lighting will bring some personality into a somewhat lifeless dorm or apartment can be affordable if you know what you want and where to go. Places like second-hand stores carry a wide selection of lights, from Tiffany-styled lamps to desk lamps.

Now that you've got the basics of home decorating down, you'll be able to turn your dorm or apartment into a living space even your mom would be proud of, so long as you don't leave the laundry on the floor. Just remember college scholar, decorating and living on a budget are skills do you will master during the duration of your college career.