Not all makeovers are created equal. Makeovers spawned by the need to clean an area or fix one of its components might be designated "utilitarian" makeovers. While me may derive satisfaction from the end result, such projects aren't undertaken primarily for the sake of enjoyment. By contrast, changing a color scheme in a room could be categorized as a "cosmetic" makeover -- you don't have to do it, and it doesn't serve any function beyond engendering a feeling of joy.
And beyond the joy brought by the specific change, there's deeper joy behind such makeovers. To understand it better, consider this: Our living spaces -- whether they be rooms in a house or outdoor living spaces -- are extensions of ourselves. Making over a living space gives us a sense of empowerment, since we effect a rebirth in that space. And precisely because the space is an extension of ourselves, we, too, feel brand new after the makeover.
But if our living spaces are, generally speaking, extensions of ourselves, then that goes doubly for those spaces we create specifically with an eye to self-improvement (whether mental or physical). These are special spaces, spaces not encompassed within the framework of the typical house plan (kitchen, bedrooms, etc.) or landscape plan (lawn, foundation plantings, etc.). You have to go out of your way and break the mold to create one of these special spaces for yourself.
For instance, in terms of special spaces for physical self-improvement, you can devote one room in your house totally to exercise (a home gym). For your mental well-being, why not transform a room into a special space for meditation?
You can also create a meditation area outside, as long as you can find a private spot -- or make one -- somewhere in the yard. Surround yourself with soothing plants. In terms of flower selection, blue and purple are considered "cool colors" and are more likely to relax you. If ever there were a place in the yard for garden fountains, it is here, in the meditation garden. There's nothing like the tranquil sound of bubbling water to put us into a reflective mood. Project #6 in this Do-It-Yourself Landscaping resource shows you how to make your own garden fountain.
Now that's what I call a makeover! Imagine ending a long day by retiring to your own meditation garden, serenaded by a fountain and ensconced in a living sea of blue and purple! Such a makeover will allow you to make yourself over, mentally, in preparation for the dawning of a new day.
When a conversation turns to the subject of saving money, I’m always surprised – being the confirmed cheapskate that I am – to find some people less than enthralled with the idea. Oh, I’ll grant you that even these folks won’t pass up a bargain when it falls into their laps! That’s not what I mean, though. By “saving money,” I’m talking about a sustained, consistent, deliberate approach to living, whereby one avoids spending needlessly and socks as much money away (including into tax-deferred investments) as possible, as a means of building a better future.
Mind you, no ascetic speaks here, preaching renunciation of earthly pleasures. I crave the good life as much as the next person and hope that, by keeping my finances in order, I'll be able to enjoy it for a long time: filet mignon, wine, travel.... I just don't want my travels to include a trip to the poor house!
Nor am I denigrating the present in favor of the future: The right balance needs to be struck between the two. By all means go for the gusto right now! It’s just a question of how you define your “gusto.” Living simply can be fun, too. It’s those who know how to appreciate the simple things who derive maximum satisfaction from the moment, not those who spend the most. Besides, a simpler lifestyle is a more sustainable lifestyle, one you’ll be able to enjoy for many years with a minimum of worry.
Erin Huffstetler is About’s guru on frugal living, and she says it best when she remarks, “Frugal living isn’t about sacrifice and deprivation; it’s about living smarter, so that you can afford to live the life that you want to live—the life that you dream of living.”
I know what she means: It’s not about being cheap just for the sake of it, it’s about prioritizing and developing a strategy so that you can live life on your own terms. Frugal living is a means to empowerment: Are you ready to take charge of your life?
I'm sure that those of you who disagree with me will let me have it in the Comments section, below. But I'm also sure that I have plenty of frugal friends out there who would enjoy a link to a good "cheapover" (i.e., cheap makeover) project.
Perhaps an inexpensive home office is in your plans? If so, congratulations! I work out of my own home, and I'm loving it! The tide is turning: Many of us are reversing the flow caused by the Industrial Revolution, when folks started leaving the home to go off to work.
A home office needn't come at an exorbitant cost. Rodika Tchi, About's Guide to Feng Shui, invites you to ask yourself a simple question when setting up a home office: "What feng shui colors, images, items make you feel happy, appreciated, successful, creative?" See, it's the "little things" that can sometimes make or break a home office.
I feel no shame in admitting that I'm cheap. In fact, I'm rather proud of it. I'll spend money to go out and have a good time, but I hate spending more than I have to – for anything, including makeovers. It's just too darned hard to earn money in the first place, only to throw it away needlessly!
"Procrastination" strikes me as a big word for such a simple concept. Do we really need a five-syllable term to refer to the way in which we put off what we should be doing? It's as if the word itself procrastinates in making the journey from the lips of speaker to the ears of the listener.
The cras in "procrastination" is Latin for "tomorrow," and many of us do, unfortunately, put off till tomorrow (or till next year, for that matter) what we could be doing today. But in my prior post, I introduced three steps that will help you stop procrastinating over your makeover projects. And in today's post, I elaborate on steps #2 and #3: namely, staying small and patting yourself on the back.
For step #1 (getting organized) I talked about cleaning the clutter out of your storage areas. Don't know where to begin such an undertaking? Well, don't worry about cheating a bit and jumping ahead to step #2 for some help. Because step #2 is all about the virtue of thinking small when it comes to makeovers. It's the perfect approach to take when organizing a cluttered storage area, because thinking small is an effective way of cutting your procrastination problem down to size.
For instance, if you have a large garage that's filled with junk, don't expect to be able to clean all of it out in the course of just one day. Divide the garage up into four areas, so that you can pick a corner to work on each day. Likewise, if you have multiple storage areas (garage, storage shed, attic, etc.), work on one at a time. That way, you won't overwhelm yourself and become discouraged.
Once you finish organizing your storage areas and turn your attention to "real" makeovers, apply the same principle of staying small. For example, in her tutorial on how to start a new garden, Marie Iannotti writes, "You may have visions of drifts of color, wild flower prairies or bushels of tomatoes, but get your feet wet first."
Just as the "small" approach can help you get your storage areas organized, it can also aid your efforts in step #3: patting yourself on the back. The latter step may seem simplistic, but don't underestimate the importance of positive reinforcement -- it may be just what you need to beat procrastination and begin those long-awaited makeovers.
We humans thrive on positive reinforcement. But often, in the midst of a mammoth makeover, we're just too short on time to treat ourselves to a pat on the back here and there, as the project unfolds. So when the makeover is done, we may find ourselves more conscious of how exhausting the work was than of how good a job we did. That's not conducive to a feeling of satisfaction; it could even serve as a disincentive to take on future makeovers.
Thus the wisdom behind thinking small, especially if you're just a beginner at DIY projects: You'll be less stressed out during small projects, and you'll be able to enjoy them more. Take not only before and after shots, but also project photos at various junctures along the way. Post the pictures on a bulletin board in your house or on the refrigerator, and use them as a source of inspiration for future makeovers.
If you're a procrastinator when it comes to makeovers, there's no need to fret. I'll offer help for overcoming procrastination in today's post; just don't put off reading it! You can beat procrastination in three easy steps:
Organize storage areas
Stay small
Pat yourself on the back
Many people put off makeover projects because they've become paralyzed by the clutter in the areas where they store tools, supplies, etc. Clutter provides some compelling excuses not to get going on a makeover:
When there's too much junk in the way, you might dread having to look for what you need.
Even if you overcome that dread, it's easy to have your attention diverted off the project, as you may stumble upon something else that "needs fixing."
A tool you need for the project may simply not "turn up" at all.
You clutter bugs out there know what I'm talking about: a garage, for instance, where a little of this and a lot of that are piled on top of each other, indiscriminately. If the owners of such a messy garage were to commission me to do a sign to hang over their garage door, I'd have it read, "You Never Know." Why? Because when confronted over their clutter, such pack rats often argue that, oh well, you just never know when you're going to need this or that item -- and when you do, eventually, need it, you want access to it (without having to buy a new one).
Problem is, they may not really have access to the item when they need it, precisely because it's buried under a bunch of other items that, in reality, they may never get around to using.
Frugality is wonderful, but it shouldn't come at the expense of organization. I'm a cheapskate (and proud of it!), but even I have to admit that, sometimes, it's better to go out and buy small items, as you need them. Remember, your time is valuable, too. Rule of thumb: Don't store away more than you can organize.
So the first step in overcoming procrastination is to clean the clutter out of those storage areas and get organized! Organization will empower you, and you'll be more likely to undertake makeovers in the future. Shedding clutter may even foster, albeit on a lower level, the feeling of rebirth you experience when you shed pounds on a diet.
In my next post, we'll have a look at steps #2 and #3.
In my prior post, I mentioned undertaking makeovers on behalf of children (to make your property safer for them). But people sometimes make over rooms or outdoor spaces for their pets, too. Surprising? Not really: For many people, their pets are their children.
In her article on how pets can reduce stress, Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About's Guide to Stress, acknowledges that owning pets does have its drawbacks.
"However," adds Elizabeth, "for most people, the benefits of having a pet outweigh the drawbacks."
So what are the drawbacks? Well, for one thing, be prepared to make some concessions if you become a pet owner, in exchange for all that stress reduction you derive from your cat or dog. You may be familiar with the ongoing debate between dog lovers and cat lovers. Depending on which camp you listen to, either:
"Dogs rule, cats drool" or
"Cats rule, dogs drool."
Well, you can forget all that if you become an owner of either one of these pets. Instead, you'll have to get accustomed to the idea that it is you who drool, because pets rule! Thus the need for pet-oriented makeovers.
For instance, if you have a dog running around outside, forget about taking a business-as-usual approach to landscaping. To avoid dog spots and muddy messes, you'll have to make over your yard to suit your dog -- to some degree, at least.
But don't think that owning an indoor pet necessarily eliminates the need for pet-oriented makeovers. My wife and I have a long-haired indoor cat with gray hair. The cat's hair, as you can imagine, got all over the pink carpeting we used to have. When the time came to replace the carpeting with something more practical, we half-seriously talked about buying a gray rug.
As a fan of the TV show Frasier, I couldn't help but think of how mightily Kelsey Grammer's décor-conscious character would have frowned on all this. Imagine it: Human beings reduced to choosing a rug based on the color of their cat's hair!
Do you have any funny stories to relate about concessions you made for a pet, be it indoors or outdoors? If so, please tell us about them by using the Comments section below.
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