The main difference between an expectant parent and the parent of a toddler is the expectant parent thinks they’ve completed the house the moment they’ve finished their kid’s bedroom, while the parent of a toddler knows just how crucial a playroom is. Trust us: kids have an incredible talent for taking over your entire house.
This is a contributed post and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meet The Harris Family.
The problem isn’t lack of space, it’s more the cost of transformation. This includes the toys, decorating, and kids furniture. This could mean your hopes for an early retirement will be pushed back. That’s why we’ve come up with a few superstar ways to pinch pennies when creating the cutest little play area for your kiddies. Yup. All the benefits, none of the broken bank. So, let’s get on with it shall we:
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Re-purpose Everything You Can
One thing every playroom needs plenty of is storage. You want storage, storage, and a bit more storage. But instead of heading out and buying a load of new units and seeing your money drain away, try looking around your house for things you can easily re-purpose. We’re talking about that entertainment center sat below your wall-hung television, those picnic hampers you’ve never used, and that trunk from your school days that’s full of old newspapers you’ll never read again. All of these can save you a fortune and give your playroom a far more homely feel. It’s what IKEA’s lacks.
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Think Outside The Box
While it is super-duper-awesome to re-purpose what you can, we accept it won’t be possible to design your whole playroom using just this tip. You will need to head into town and buy some new storage bits to fit in their tidbits – their puzzles, cuddly toys, dolls, art boxes and whatnot. But that doesn’t mean you have to pay over the odds for a specific “toy chest”. In fact, we advise against this because there are plenty of not specifically designed products that will be equally great at holding toys. Like we mentioned above, hampers are a great shout. Open box shelves are top notch too, as are lunch boxes. It’s all about thinking outside the box when it comes to saving a handful of cash.
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Rotation Works Wonders Too
If you don’t have much space for much storage, or just don’t want to spend much on storage, the other great trick you can adopt is the rotation approach, which is a fantastic way of making old toys feel like new toys. Instead of having all your kids toys out at once (and thus taking up the entire room), try putting half of them in plastic bins in the garage or stacking boxes under your bed. Of course, you may want to clearly label what’s in what box should your child ask where the dancing robot is. It will happen, so do yourself a favor by being organized.
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Total Transformation Needed
If you have a room that is easily transformed into a playroom – a conservatory or guest bedroom – then great. Your job has just been made a thousand times easier and cheaper. If, however, you need to put in a little more effort to make a playroom – convert the loft, build an extension, renovate the basement, invest in a garden room – then you might want to visit here quickly. It’s a website that gathers data for you to study in order to make an informed decision before you get a loan. Yup. That means you can make the best investment you will ever make based on all the information you need to make the best financial choice possible. So handy. So-so handy.
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The Best Kind Of Wall Art
A playroom is not complete without tons of fun and vibrant art adorning the walls. It’s what sets the tone of the room and makes this the super-fun space you hoped it would be. The problem is, art can cost a lot. Even the stuff on Etsy can cost a lot. And rightly so. Art is a skill that deserves to be compensated fairly. Luckily, you can get the desired look while remaining frugal. If you’re kid paints anything, pop it in a frame and hang it up. Draw some fun pictures yourself. Print off your kids favorite book covers and frame them. Stretch out some fabric using wooden stretch-bars. There are so many ways to create adorably cute pieces of art on a tight budget. And the best bit about it: they will mean so much more to you.
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Give The Floor Multiple Functions
Another great way to save a small handful of notes and coins is to be careful about what you place on the floor of your kid’s playroom. Our advice: save big and go for something that has more than one purpose. That could be a rug that doubles up as a hopscotch design, or a rug with a train track printed on it. Whatever it is, you will find you save space (because you won’t have to buy them a separate train track or whatever) and you will save money (because you won’t have to buy them a separate train track or whatever). If you don’t know where to get one of these, Amazon is always a great source, as is the wonderful world of IKEA, which is where we got our hopscotch design rug. It was a huge success by the way. Not just financially but in terms of entertainment.
And there we have it, a ton of little ideas that will help you save your sanity, keep control of the chaos and not see all your savings slip through your hands like sand from a beach.
