This is the second in a five part series entitled ‘Your Frugal House: Five Ways to Save Money in the…’. We will be looking at five different areas of the house and at five different ways to save money in each area. With all sorts of prices on the rise, and the need to make your money stretch even further than before, frugality is more important then ever. Stay tuned for the other installments, or better yet, subscribed!
1. Love your linens
Linens are one area where you can find reasonable quality at a reasonable price. Here’s a frugal way to save money on your linens without sacrificing quality: spend a moderate amount of money on 2 pillowcases and a matching comforter cover and then buy two bottom sheets in coordinating colors; if you like lots of pillows buy more plain pillowcases as well. I like having two bottom sheets that go with the comforter cover, in case one gets dirty before wash day. You’ll spend less money than if everything matches, and it’s almost certain that you’ll be the only one looking at your bottom sheets anyway.
2. Change your decor
Many of the frugal decorating ideas that we’ll talk about later in the week for the living room also apply to the bedroom, but here’s one that is only for the chambre à coucher. An easy and frugal way to update your bed’s look is to change your headboard. In fact, the most frugal bed option is to buy a good quality mattress and boxspring, add feet to elevate the bed off the floor and then create your own headboard.
Here are some frugal and easy ways to do so. You could paint the section of the wall behind the bed to create visual interest and then add shelves for your books or alarm clock. Or you could create the look of a built in closet by using Ikea Billy bookcases on either side of the bed plus shelves anchored on the wall. Another homey frugal idea is to hang a quilt on the wall behind the bed. My favorite, by far, is to create a padded headboard using a curtain rod and pillows.
3. Stretch it out
Try pushing back the day you change the sheets by one day every wash cycle until it’s a day too much. If you normally change the sheets once a week, that’s 52 times a year. Changing them every two weeks halves that to 26 times a year (which is still a lot of laundry in my book!). If going 14 days without clean sheets is a bit too much, try changing them somewhere in the middle; a ten day cycle means that you wash the sheets 37 times a year. When you factor in the costs of doing a load of laundry (electricity, soap, water, time) it all adds up. Not to mention, it’s that much less laundry to fold and put away.
4. Make your room a haven
Think about how nice it feels to be able to have a place for you, a place to relax, to think, to read, to do nothing. Think about how nice it is to go to a place that is clean and comfortable, calm and a haven for you to escape to. If you have a place where all is right with the world, will your dissatisfaction drive you to find fulfillment at Target?
5. How many bedrooms do you need?
It’s a modern invention of our Western world that each member of the family (apart from the parents) sleeps in their own bed, in their own room. Throughout history people have slept together, especially in the non orgy sort of sense. So why is it that so many people upon expecting their first baby automatically think that the baby needs a room of its own? And then the sibling arrives and another room is needed and that means a house in the suburbs and a mortgage and longer commute and two cars and, and, and. OK, not always.
Why not have all the kids sleep in the bedroom and have another room designated as a playroom? One of my uncles has four children and even now, as teenagers the three boys share a room. They have another room for their computers and other toys, but there is one room just for sleeping. My kids sleep in the same room and I foresee this solution working for several years to come. Doing so allows us to stay in a smaller house and pay less rent than we would elsewhere, giving us more flexibility in our budget.
What are your frugal tips for the bedroom? Share them with us in the comments! And make sure to stay-tuned for tomorrow’s installment, or better yet, subscribed!
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{ 9 comments }
My mate was one of four boys and they all slept in the same bedroom. One set of bunkbeds on the left and one set of bunk beds on the right. This was only 10 years ago not the 1940s!
This was possible because the bedroom was only the place where they slept at night – not a room used for socialising or hobbies.
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Our boys share a bedroom as well and will for as long as we live here. They actually prefer it that way!
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I love this series – very fun!
I saw a door as a headboard recently and just love that idea!!
Another frugal thing: keep your entertainment in the bedroom… he he 🙂
My kids have separate rooms – guess I’m too American – I have one girl – age 8 and one boy age 3. They shared a room until he was 2 – glad that’s over.
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Wonderful ideas! I have been fixing up my bedroom as of late and will have to make sure I incorporate these tips!
As for the headboards, if you search Apartment Therapy’s site you will find more DIY options than you probably ever wanted.
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Re. linens: I would add, wait for the sales.
Gorgeous sets of bedlinen always end up getting reduced by 50 per cent – even though it’s not like bedlinen designs go in and out of fashion!
Also: ironing. Don’t bother ironing fitted sheets. Do bother ironing pillows and duvet covers – especially if they are old, as they’ll look 100 times smarter when pressed.
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When we were kids, my sister, brother & I shared a room. Then was we got older, just my sister & I shared a room. We lived in the same house for 15 years. After that, we ended up moving to a little bigger place where we were all able to have our own room. Now even in our late-teens/early twenties, we all still live at home with our parents. It’s not because we haven’t grown up. It’s just with the economy as bad as it is & the cost of living increasing so much, we thought it was best if we all live together like they did in the olden days. It helps all of us save a little money.
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@Miss Thrifty,
I agree with you on not ironing the bottom sheets. Although, even though ironing the cover makes it look nicer, I still can't bring myself to do it!
@Lucie,
Thanks for the link- I'll have to take a look.
@Luna,
I moved back in with my mom after having lived on my own for a number of years. It can be a great way to save money- assuming you get along with your parents!
I love the idea of kids being able to share a room, although my husband isn’t keen on the idea at all. But it would mean we could be living in a smaller (easier to clean/maintain!!) house for the (nearly) four of us. Especially when they are younger, and don’t need their own space for study etc, I don’t see why they can’t share a room to sleep in.
I think the bigger house syndrome is a generation thing…
My parents, sister and I all lived quite happily in a three bedroom, one living, one bathroom house for nearly 22 years! And so did most of our family and friends. But my sister and I didn’t ever have to share a room, and I can just imagine the fights we would have had if we did!