Time to Go Shopping ... in Your Home! • Hilary Bernstein

Before you start an online shopping order or head out the door to a store, what if you would choose to stay home, browse what you already have? What if you would shop your home?

Shopping for my home used to be my favorite pastime. For years I used “retail therapy” as a way to deal with the stresses of everyday life.

Rough day at work? Better go shopping.
Cranky, wild kids at home? Head to the store for a little peace and quiet in the sales racks.
Disappointing news? Forget your troubles with a trip to your favorite store.

However, that attempt to cope with my challenges only created more problems. Instead of dealing with issues head on or wisely taking them to the Lord in prayer:

I spent much more than was in my budget.
I tried to soothe my problems with materialism.
And I ended up amassing way more belongings than I truly needed.

Looking for more insight into this? You’ll love the chapter “Too Much” in my book The Tension of Tidy.

I can assure you that retail therapy will not solve anything. You might initially feel better after a dopamine rush, but once the high is over, you’re left with guilt and a bunch of stuff you’ll now need to care for and find room for in your home.

(After spending last week preparing for and hosting a yard sale, I know firsthand that getting rid of too many belongings takes a lot of time and energy!)

The Benefits of Shopping Your Home

Instead of rushing to order or buy something new for your home, either because you’re bored and feel tempted to shop or you notice a pattern that you buy things for your home just because, let’s try to put the brakes on needless spending.

And let’s save some money in the process!

Before you start an online shopping order or head out the door to a store, what if you would choose to stay home, browse what you already have? What if you would shop your home?

Once you’ve acquired belongings for your home, it’s actually fun to skip the stores and use, place, and repurpose items you already own. But how do you do it?

Shopping your home requires a few steps.

How to Shop Your Home

Step 1

First, you need to know what you already have. Depending on where you live, you may have a little space where you can easily see all that you own. But if you have a larger home with closets, cupboards, nooks, and crannies, it may seem more like a treasure hunt to track down different elements you can use.

If you’ve already thoughtfully considered and culled your belongings, you hopefully only own things that you love or need. When this is true in your home, you can confidently pair things together, knowing that you’ll appreciate the decor.

Step 2

Once you’ve found what you own, consider how you’d like to decorate. Would you like to focus on a specific color palette? Is a holiday approaching? What is the seasonal color scheme or vibe would you like to spotlight in your home?

Personally, I love to decorate my home but I also recognize that I get bored easily, so I switch up the decorative pieces in my home every month. Because of the quick changes, I gravitate toward particular color palettes each month:

January: Blues and silvers
February: Pinks, reds, and hearts
March: Aqua and teal
April: Springy pastels and Easter eggs
May: Purples and flowers
June: Turquoise and seashells
July: Red, white, and blue
August: Orange, sometimes paired with turquoise
September: Some years I prefer navy, other years I prefer reds, browns, and apples
October: Orange and pumpkins
November: Gold, yellow, and orange, pumpkins and turkeys
December: Christmas! Red and green often are the main colors, along with metallics

Step 3

Now that you know what you have, as well as the color palette or theme you’d like to focus on, it’s time to shop your house! What items can you use? Don’t be afraid to mix and match. Similarly, if a particular belonging has always been in a specific room, don’t hesitate to move it to another place in your home.

The fun part is that since you’re saving money by not buying anything new and you’re saving time by not shopping, you can take your time and try pairings you’ve never considered before.

Do you like what you see? Wonderful! Keep it up and snap a photo so you can remember the arrangement next year.

If you don’t like what you’ve matched, there truly are no worries. Simply try something else. Keep adding and subtracting elements until you find groupings that look right to you. (The rule of three is a simple decorating hack: simply group three things together on an end table, mantle, etc.)

When you already own things you love, it can be so refreshing and fun to mix and match things you’re storing away or have in different rooms to bring together a fresh update to your home decor.

The Secret to Shopping Your Home

And that truly is the secret to shopping from your home. Know what you have, pick an overarching theme you’d like to stick with for the moment, find different items you already own, then try to pair items together as you decorate your home.

You might be surprised by the different combinations you pair together! Not only will you get some use out of belongings you already own, but you also will be able to enjoy or admire your possessions, instead of tucking them away and never appreciating them.

If you already shop your home, what are your favorite items to decorate with?

Want to read how other women shop their homes? Read How to Shop Your Home and Make Your Old Decor Feel New Again on Jane at Home. Or, read Always Shop Your House Before You Buy Anything New from Organise My House.

Hilary

Hilary Bernstein is a Christ follower, wife, homeschooling mama, and writer who helps women experience God's perfect peace in messy, imperfect life. She's happiest when she's hosting friends and family for dinner, going on date nights with her husband, singing along to the radio, traveling with her family, and spending cozy nights at home. The author of fifteen books,Hilary also is Women's Ministry Director at The Chapel in Green, Ohio.