Try home improvement resolutions. They are easier to measure, and will give you a great sense of achievement.
1. Unclutter and rearrange
The easiest and most affordable ( but least fun way) to get your home ready for the new year is to clear out. Without clearing out, our earthly belongings soon start to suffocate us. A bigger house is not the only solution.
Take room by room and throw out everything that’s broken, unloved and unused. Donate it to a charity shop – some of them are even willing to collect bigger furniture pieces.
Sell valuable, but unwanted furniture to a second-hand store. They generally pay you 50% of the resale value. By selling a few items you could buy the new bedside tables you’ve always wanted. A gem in Joburg is Discount Trading (011 837 9023) in Brixton. There are many similar stores countrywide.
2. Make a DIY to-do list
Walk through your home on 1 January and list everything that bothers the eye - peeling paint, holes that need filling, pictures that’ve been waiting on the mantelpiece to be hung, broken kitchen cupboard hinges, etc.
Allocate each item to a specific month to fix or book a handyman to come in and fix everything at once.
3. Change what frustrates you
Some home changes might seem like a luxury, but if it frustrates you enough, treat it as a priority.
Whether it is repainting your home, simply because you’ve hated the colour since you moved in; a shower with low water pressure or a tree that lifts the pavers and drops fluffy seeds in your pool. Remove these triggers and live happier.
4. Replace décor that embarrasses you
What is standing in the way of you inviting new friends home?
Wishing for a new couch is one thing, but if we feel so embarrassed by something to the point that it impacts our hospitality and social life, it’s time to do something about it. Choose 1 item that embarrasses you most and make a plan to replace it in 2017 – save or pay it off over six months.
5. Create ambiance
So your home is perfectly fine, but it leaves you uninspired. It probably lacks ambiance and that can easily be achieved with décor accessories and by painting a focal wall.
Decide what mood or look you want – a home that would make you rush back home after work. Find pictures online or in magazines, use the same colours and style of accessories to replicate the look in your home.
Be happy at home in 2017!