HOW TO PLAN AND BUILD A NURSERY (WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK!)

We live in a very material world. We are continuously bombarded by images from commercials, advertisements and t.v. sitcoms that tell us that feeling special comes from spending money, buying the lastest and greatest products, and owning much more than we need. Planning my nursery I often felt slightly cheated that I couldn't SHOULDN'T go out and purchase a brand new everything.

I decided on three easy guidelines to create the nursery of my dreams without spending loads and loads of money.

1. Look for used furniture. Furniture is the largest (and most expensive) items that go in a nursery and they can be pricey! While being necessary it is not necessary to spend a fortune. I purchased a used crib from KSL.com for $30. To make it more special I painted it gray and distressed the edges. I spent a total of about $50 when you add in the spray paint. Compare that to the baby store! Other furniture items I found used (and for free) are the changing table, nightstand and glider. I bought baskets for the changing table, fixed up the nightstand with paint and new hardware and completely redid the glider, but all for a fraction of the cost.

2. DIY whatever you can. DIY-ing takes energy. Sometimes you are just not in the mood. But overall I feel like you can get an incredible sense of accomplishment by adding these elements to your room. Some of the items I chose to DIY were the crib bedding (minus the crib sheet), the bird mobile, and a hand-stamped curtain. I had a lot of fun doing this and it is easy to create a one-of-a-kind, special feeling in a room if you are willing to get creative!

3. Purchase only a few small items. I like to treat shopping as an activity. I can fill a whole day by tripping down to a special store to look for a small item. I treated myself to a darling patterned crib sheet from PB Kids. Not only was it fun to head down-town with my mother-in-law, grab some lunch and check out a few stores, but I felt very special getting to pick out something from PB Kids and take it home to my house! By picking small items to buy you can get the same feeling of taking home a whole new nursery without your wallet feeling like you did.