Get ready to make some goals about your home! Anything you’d like to complete this year—from little projects like making a new coaster set, to renovating an entire room or creating a patio, making a list of resolutions is a great way to make sure that this year, you’ll actually move ahead with your projects.
To help you complete that goal, download and print this handy .pdf file for every room in the house, and use it with this article to start making changes!
Click here to download your home resolution worksheet
Pick your goals. Just like making personal resolutions, you’ll have better success if you’re more specific with goals for home updates. For example, “renovate the kitchen” is vague at best. Instead, make a list of every single thing you’d like to do: paint cabinets, replace knob hardware, find a new refrigerator, change window curtains, and so on. Don’t think about budget yet—just jot down everything you’d like. Once you have a list of every single change you can make to your home this year, you can start to. . .
Set a budget. This is the toughest part of making these resolutions! It takes the most research, but simply knowing even rough prices of things is one of the biggest hurdles you can jump to reach your goals.
- Research a budget—overall and per project. If you have a set amount you know you want to spend overall, write that down at the top of the page. Next, calculate the rough cost of everything you’d need to renovate, change, or update. This is where the research comes in; browse catalogues, the internet, or call up your local home repair or décor store to get estimates. Write down the cost of everything next to its space in your notebook or in the budget area of the home resolution worksheet.
- Stop and prioritize! Figure out which projects you need to complete most of all and which ones can wait. It may help to make sure you have a decent amount of both larger and smaller projects—some that may take only an hour, and some that could take a few weekends of work. Circle the projects you can and will complete during the year.
- Do research on how you can cut back the prices. If several projects will require the work of a contractor, look up reviews online or ask your friends to recommend one, then give them a call to get estimates and write down each estimate. If your goal is to get some new décor, factor in trips to the thrift store and some spray paint instead of buying all new.
Break it down. To start, split your goals into monthly segments. You could tackle small projects every month, or if you have a big project or two, give yourself a blank month before it to plan out and prepare for that big project. That way, you could designate a month for each room (in February, do everything that needs changed in the kitchen; in April, tackle the bedroom, and so on). You could split up the months by project types (take care of all painting projects in February, all gardening projects in June, all hardware replacement in September, etc). Whatever works for you! If you’re using the worksheet, it doesn’t have to go by room—use it however you like.
Stick to it. Once you have rough dates written down, grab the family’s master calendar and start scribbling down dates to see what you can fit in here and there. Clear your calendar for the weekends you need to do these projects. If you have a year-long calendar, make sure you write down each weekend or weekday you’ll need for the project, and make sure you don’t schedule anything in its place. It should be a standing appointment that you keep no matter what!
Talk to the family. It goes without saying that you’ll probably have worked out much of the above with your significant other, or at least the other adults who share your space. Once you have it all mapped out, gather up the rest of the family sharing that space to talk about the changes you’ll be making over the next several months. They need time to mentally prepare for it, too. Of course, changing out a set of dishtowels doesn’t require a family meeting, but any big changes—re-painting the bedrooms, installing a deck, DIYing some large built-in shelves in the living room—that will be good to know ahead of time!
Are you planning any major renovations or changes to your home this year? Tell us about it below!
Dress Up a Plain Suit
