Take off your shoes, stay a while

When we got married and moved into our current home, it felt like a temporary thing. It's located very close to the college, has been well kept, and is pretty small. And by "small" I mean that it's not really any bigger than most apartments. We thought we could save up for a little while, buy a second house, and rent out the one we're staying in currently. I still love the idea of renting, but Dave Ramsey has caused us to change our plans.

Rather than take on a second mortgage (and just hoping we have a steady renter paying off the first), we decided that it makes a lot more sense to just hunker down for a while. With devotion to our budget we could pay that sucker off pretty quickly. As nice as it sounds to have a slightly bigger home, it sounds a lot nicer to not pay a mortgage. Besides, we aren't living a lower quality of life just because there's not an excess of space.

So, I think I'm ready to take a plunge of sorts. I'm ready to make improvements to our home. Thinking that the house would go to the mercy of renters, I thought I might as well leave the neutral tones on the walls, the stick-down tile on the floor, and the dishwasher-free kitchen as they are. But no more!

I'm kind of excited. And inexperienced. And on a budget. It's going to be great. :)

Because I know I have some exceptionally creative readers, I will probably be calling upon you for advice. For one: what colors make a room look bigger?

I just love knowing creative people.