apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

"In the beautiful world of blogland it can be easy to forget that."

Yes! And I know there's been plenty of struggle with this in the course of this cure, so thanks for bringing up the topic. The point you make about clutter is key.

Here are a couple of my thoughts on Making Due:
My friend has a philosophy which I've instilled into the clothes and furniture I purchased: "If you love it, then buy it. But if you like it, then don't." In the past, there have been so many clothes I bought because I liked them, wore them once, then gave it Goodwill. Now I shop a lot less and waste less money. I know I love something if I'm think about it for days after I've seen it. Then I know I have to have it. It definitely cuts down on the clutter.
Another "rule" I've adopted is only buy it on sale. EVERYTHING goes on sale, so why should you pay full price for something. Granted this does away with instant gratification, however it does put more money in your pocket. If you can get a $400 chair at 25% off, you've saved $100 bucks! I would recommend signing up for email lists so you know immediately when something goes on sale and making sure you will have the money to buy it immediately when it does. Don't sign up for a credit card to get 10% off b/c it's not worth it in the long run.
And finally, if you are buying new furniture in the Spring, get a second job for the holidays at the store you want buy from. This is a great option for two reasons: 1- you'll know immediately when something goes on sale or clearance, 2- you typically get an employee discount. Plus you'll have extra cash and bought your furniture for less. Working during the holidays isn't a large commitment. Two or three nights a week and it's over by mid- January.
Just some food for thought.

This is definitely food for thought. I am in the same situation with my living room, except that I am dying to replace old crappy furniture I took when I moved in. Usually my frame of mind has been "well, it's better than nothing" but this challenges that idea. I think that sometimes it IS better to go with nothing rather than something that you don't love and that will just be a thorn in your side, and prevent you from getting what you really want, until you ultimately break down (or settle).

So yay! for no clutter and working towards goals/purchases/other changes that you love rather than settling for the time being with things you don't.

great advice, jlandry! we could all do with a little less iinstant gratification inour lives, i think, and short-term work can work for you :)

This is a worthwhile discussion. But please remember for future reference that it's "making do," not "making due."

When we first moved out on our own we brought the boyfriends futon, and *gasp* some ugly, plastic, and completely uncomfortable outdoor chairs we borrowed from my parents patio. It was pretty funny because we had won for $20, if you can believe it, a saarinen tulip table back when my boyfriend used work for a company that would test furniture for DWR, they would raffle off any furniture that was still in good shape (and give the money to charity). Ours looked brand new since they had multiple samples to test from.

Anyway, if you can imagine $5 plastic chairs around a saarinen table. We stuck with them for 9 months until we could anti up the money for something we really loved. I am glad we waited because if I would have let the boyfriend talk me into getting ones from Ikea that I really didn't care for but would have been leagues nicer at the time we'd probably still have them today, not be as motivated to replace them, and I wouldn't truly be satisfied with the space.

I think unless you truly need something, you don't want to be eating or sleeping on the floor, then hold off until you find something you really adore and/or can afford.

ps. I am not dissing Ikea, I have some things I really do love from them.

I just wanted to add: find out when a sale ends. If it's something clearance, then you have to buy it immediately because it may not be restocked. However if just a "sale" you might have a month to budget for your item. Often if stores don't have something in stock at the end of sale, try to buy the floor model (you'll get a bigger discount) or you may still be able to purchase the item at that price and pick it up when it's in stock. It "buys" you a little time ;-)

Oh that's rough. Our bed was the one big purchase when we got married. I believe Lynette Jennings taught me to make that the first purchase.

I can very much relate to the making do because my husband is still in school and I'm a stay at home mom. I really love it though. It's quite a challenge.

Thanks goodness for the "cure", house tours, and instruction posts. People can be so creative!

Yikes! Thanks for the correction, Joan. Sometimes we have to "make do" with a few mistakes in the process of self-editing :)

I like to take my time and decorate. I am also in the process of redecorating my bedroom. It's scary but I am glad I have the time to do my research. If I find something I truly want I hit all the homegood stores in my area.

I love that you brought this to light... I've been reading about the cure and I actually "make do" regularly. It was really nice to hear that it can be good and creative from someone else, especially as I sometimes worry it's more about procrastination and not being able to commit to a plan.