When asked if you shop your house before you go shopping – what do you think?
Maybe you think that the person asking you has gone slightly crazy, perhaps you have done this forever and don’t see the concept as new, or maybe you’re intrigued and want to know more…
If you’re in the latter way of thinking, then this post is definitely for you!
The concept of shopping your house is a secret that many successful organisers and stylists do with their clients, and one that I have been doing successfully in my own home for years – and it’s one that I wanted to share with you today in the hope that you can use it in your own home and reap the many rewards that you can enjoy as a result.
So – let’s go, shall we!
What Exactly Is ‘Shopping Your House’?
As someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy shopping, I lOVE LOVE LOVE the concept of shopping my house before I start to look in the shops for things I need.
It’s basically using your home as a shop – in the sense that you can often find what you need in your home somewhere, and therefore you avoid the need for shopping externally.
It’s the idea that a lot of us actually forget what we have, and with a little hunting can uncover forgotten treasures that would work so well in new places in our homes.
And it’s fun!
It’s a concept that I’ve long been a fan of, for so many reasons: –
- Keeps costs down – you avoid spending on things you don’t need
- Prevents waste – if you end up buying more of something, then you will no doubt end up not using some of it – which is just wasteful in every sense, not to mention that it creates clutter you really don’t need in your home.
- Helps you enjoy what you have more – you can see things in different ways, and have some creative fun.
- Makes you really look and appreciate what you already have – we can all too often become blind to what’s around us each and every day – so changing things up a little can make us see them again and love them.
Use What You Already Have – And Reap The Rewards
Hopefully now I’ve got you thinking about your own home, so I want to go one step further and give you some ideas and inspiration for lots of different parts of your home life that would benefit from a little shopping of your home.
#1 – Shop Your House For Storage Items
We are often trying to find ways to store things in our homes – but I am a HUGE advocate of not shopping for storage until you absolutely have to and need to,
One of the many reasons for this is that we often have what we need already – we just don’t realise it yet.
Related: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Storage Products For Your Home… Yet
If you know what you need in a specific place, there is often something in your home that would work really well.
And it may work BETTER in the new place than in the place you currently have it.
Here are a few examples: –
- Shop your Recycling Bin – Cardboard boxes can easily be used as drawer dividers, hidden storage boxes in cupboards etc….
- Shop your Kitchen Cupboards – They are no doubt full of serving dishes / trays that could be used as containers on surfaces around your house. For example – I use small trays for my bedside table to protect the painted finish, and I use a large tray on my ottoman in my living room (which I change around regularly – CLICK HERE for the full post). Other ways to use trays or dishes would be to collect spare change on a hallway table, or to contain jewellery that you take off each night on your dressing table.
- Shop Kitchen and Bathroom Cupboards – Old bottles can be used to store homemade cleaning products, or as vases
- Shop Your Vases – They can have more than just flowers in them. We keep one for wine corks as I’m currently collecting them for a future home project and I like how they look so I’m using them for display at the moment. You could also use them for baubles at Christmas – this makes a great centrepiece to your dining table.
- Shop your Garage and Loft – There are often LOADS of things in these spaces that have long since been forgotten. I have found all sorts of storage items that can be used in my house once again, because I now have a need for them.
#2 – Shop Your House For Restyling
Having a cohesive style around your home can pay dividends when it comes to shopping your home to restyle it.
Let’s face it – we can all get bored of the same old look in our homes – and it comes as no surprise that restyling a room is on the top of a lot of peoples TO DO lists.
But that costs money.
Usually a LOT of money.
So – what if you could get a new look for nothing?
Yes please!
If you have the same style in your home throughout each room then you can so easily shop and change where things go. It doesn’t have to mean that every room looks the same, you could have a different colour in each – but if the main theme stays similar throughout, then this works so well.
I LOVE changing my home around a little when it starts to look tired – and having a neutral/natural/industrial style throughout means that most items can work well in most rooms.
Here are some ideas of things you can easily swap from room to room: –
- Cushions & Throws
- Bedding
- Artwork / Mirrors
- Rugs
- Accessories
- Plants
- Chairs
- Smaller Furniture items
Other things to think about when styling your home is to shop your outside spaces. You can cut plants and use them in vases in your house, you could use plant pots inside, you could plant herbs on your kitchen windowsill… Basically, you don’t need to always be buying flowers to still have some greenery in your home…
#3 – Shop Your House To Declutter
My definition of clutter is anything that doesn’t belong in the space it’s in – whether that means it shouldn’t be in your house at all, or whether it is just in the wrong place right now.
The last part of this definition is why you need to shop your home to declutter.
It stands to reason that there many be things in your home that right now are clutter – but when moved around will be clutter no more.
Before you completely get rid of something, make sure it doesn’t belong elsewhere first – you may be surprised!
#4 – Shop Your House For Enjoying Your Day To Day More
Last but very definitely not least is the fact that you are probably not even using half of what you own.
I used to be very bad at saving things for best – because I thought that lighting that candle I was given on my birthday had to be saved for the right time.
But now? Well, now I totally love just getting that candle out and lighting it one day – just because.
And when I looked at what I had squirrelled away over the years “for best” – and got it all out in one place – it really was like I had done a huge shopping day and had treated myself fully.
So – why was I keeping it all hidden?
It makes no sense, does it – but we all do it to some extent – so shop your home and see what you have – and start to enjoy it more!
Related: Why You Shouldn’t Save Things For Best
And that’s how to shop your house!
There are so many hidden treasures in all of our homes that we aren’t making the most of right now, but could make all the difference to how we feel about each space, and how we live each day.
My challenge to you today is to take a look around your home and see what could be used in different ways, what you have been saving for best, and to change/use them a little more.
And next time you are writing something down on your TO BUY list – stop. Take a second to think whether you already have something that would work. Because you might. And that, my lovely – would be fantastic, wouldn’t it!
P.S. For a great example of shopping your home, why not take a look at my Ottoman Tray Styling post next? This shows a few of the different looks I achieved easily by shopping my house. You’ll get LOADS of inspiration from it I’m sure!
