Your Style, Your Budget

Tired of ogling the latest styles in brand name home furnishing stores and catalogues, only to find that the price of one little
coffee table equals more than half your monthly salary? Don't be discouraged -- with a little ingenuity, your home can be as
beautiful and stylish as a Hollywood celebrity's, for just a fraction of the cost.

* Start with the walls. It's easy to forget that sometimes just adding a fresh coat of paint or changing the color of your walls
can give your living room, bedroom, or dining room a brand new look and feel.

Wallpapering is another way to jazz up a room -- but don't break your budget hiring a contractor. Consider wallpapering
just one wall, or only wallpapering borders.

* Create atmosphere with Light. Don't overlook the power of a lamp. The right lighting can transform any room. Forgo overhead
lighting for lamps, and stay away from halogen unless it fits into your modern decorative scheme.

Wall sconces are another great way to add a stylish touch to any room. Look for the type that lends itself to easy,
self-installation.

* Accessorize. Another inexpensive way to create a designer look is to buy a few key accessories, like silk pillows,
chenille throw blankets, and fresh-smelling candles. Choose an elegant centerpiece for your dining room table or coffee table,
like floating white candles, fresh flowers, or a ceramic or glass fruit bowl.

Pictures, photos, prints and paintings can be hung around a room to create whatever look or feel you desire. Shop flea
markets and thrift stores for prints and interesting photographs, or go to a discount store for frames and hang some
of your own creations.

* Buy furniture that won't break the bank. Shop smart for couches, lamps, tables, entertainment centers, and more. Estate
sales, consignment stores, flea markets, junk and thrift stores can be gold mines for second hand but stylish furniture.

If you don't want second hand, shop clearance sales or online. Online furniture stores can be treasure troves for good deals,
since they generally have little overhead and therefore don't pass those costs on to you, the consumer.

* Can't afford a new couch? If you are somewhat handy with a sewing machine, use discounted fabric or beautiful sheets to sew
yourself a couch cover. Still have energy? Create more cheap but beautiful "new" furniture by sewing upholstery covers for your
armchairs or dining room chair seat cushions.

If you can't sew, buy a shabby chic slipcover or tuck in a large beautiful sheet or blanket for a homemade slipcover.
Finally, consider simply rearranging your furniture -- finding a different wall to put your couch against can create a whole new
look for your living room.

Use any or all of these tips to achieve the style you want at a low, low cost. Amaze your friends and family with your stylish
home, then dazzle them with the shoestring budget you had to work with. Go ahead! It's your home and you deserve the best
without having to spend the most. Please find the original article and more information about this subject at
http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=YourStyle
YourBudget When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read for
www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short
stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.

If you would like to publish this article on your own site, please feel free to do so. Please let us know the URL of the
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author information, this disclaimer and the following link. Find great home furniture online at www.homeandliving.com...

About the author:
When Yale graduate, BatSheva Vaknin is not writing helpful and insightful articles like the one you just read for
www.homeandliving.com, she writes plays, screenplays and short
stories. In fact, she has just completed her first novel.

Your Wedding Budget: Setting It And Sticking To It

Want to make sure your marriage doesn't end up on the rocks before you get to the chapel? Then set a realistic wedding budget -- and stick to it.
In the process of planning a wedding, budget concerns often is a source of disagreement for a couple. They may have different ideas about what kind of wedding they want, and about what they can afford. To make the wedding a truly happy occasion, it is important that the couple discusses financial constraints early.
Set A Budget And Save For It
The first tip is -- discuss finances before the wedding plans begin. Everyone involved in the decision-making process needs to understand exactly how much money is available for the wedding.
To maximize that budget, you should start saving early for your wedding. Advance planning and saving will allow you to maintain or even exceed your budget, comfortably. And that will make wedding planning easier and more fun.
Get Everyone On-Board
Once your wedding budget has been established, set it aside for a few days and then review it again. This gives everyone a chance to let the information sink in. The budget review after this waiting period gives the participants a chance to verify that they understand and agree to the budget. This is vitally important, because someone who does not agree with the budget may overspend in 1 area, leaving the rest of the budget in jeopardy.
Budget Line Items
When you've decided exactly how much money is available for your wedding, the next step is to divide the total into budget categories, such as the venue, food and drink, bride's attire, groom's attire, transportation, entertainment, photography, favors, centerpieces, and gifts. It is also advisable to set aside money for unforeseen expenses.
Who Pays
Part of establishing a budget is to be clear on who will pay for what.
Shopping And Negotiating
You will need to negotiate contracts for services, and so you must know the budget for each area of the wedding. If you have allotted $250 for entertainment, look for a DJ whose rate is approximately that amount, then negotiate to ensure that you remain under budget.

It's wise to shop around and compare prices for services. A company may come highly recommended, but if they are outside your price range, let them know why you are going to have to choose another company. You may be surprised at how willing they will be to give you a better offer.
Substitute Creativity For Cash
Doing things on your own is another way to stay under budget. Homemade invitations or making your own favors or centerpieces can greatly reduce the wedding cost, freeing up funds for other areas of the wedding.
Do not fall into the trap of viewing your budget as restrictive. Instead of thinking about what you can't afford, focus on how you can make your wedding and reception truly unique. You will be inspired to create a wonderful, memorable wedding regardless of your budget constraints.
Anticipate The Unforeseen
Realize that there are bound to be snags along the way. If you go over budget in 1 area, you will need to cut the budget in another area. As long as you stay aware of your spending and realize the ramifications of all your actions, you can roll with the punches and alter your plans to accommodate any needed changes.
Make It A Wonderful Memory
A wedding budget can cause emotional strain on a couple and their relationship. It is important for them to discuss their finances and establish a clear budget for their wedding plans. Doing this early in the wedding planning process can help the couple to avoid conflict during the planning phase of the wedding. It can also make the wedding more fun for everyone, and start out the marriage on a positive note.
After all, working together is what a marriage is all about.
About the Author
Visit Wedding Ideas to learn more. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

Zero-based budgeting - start fresh, achieve more!

Every year, good business executives develop a budget. Peek into the planning sessions and operating mode of any well-run company and you will find a strong budgetary process at work. Simply put, a budget is a financial tool -- sort of a "spending-guide'. But, it can also be a healthy discipline forcing the company to think and constructively debate the investments and priorities for the coming year. As such, senior executives should demand a tight alignment of corporate goals to the annual budget. A well-developed budget puts into place the necessary structure to measure, manage and control the variety of spending within the enterprise. Savvy company leaders also utilize the budget process to communicate to the rest of the company the priority of various projects as well as the amount and timing of the funds allocated. The annual budget and its monthly review and quarterly updates memorialize and documents the companies financial intentions for the coming year. This fulfills a requirement demanded by most banks and lending institutions. However, there is an inherent trap that most companies fall into when developing yearly budgets. And it is so insidious and subtle, that most senior executives unwittingly become part of this annual charade without realizing it. Global Marketing calls it the ‘creep-factor'. What is the creep-factor? Some clients of Global Marketing have guessed it is an apt description of their firm's newly hired CFO. Some have indicated that, as in the likes of ENRON, WorldCom and etc., it must be a new method that defines profit. And others thought it might be a ratio of lost customer revenue to the firm's competitor. All reasonable guesses, but none correct! Global Marketing Inc. has many clients and sooner or later the topic turns to ideas on cost-cutting measures. At this point the Global Marketing team asks to review the summary budget schedule for the past 3 years. All key expense items are analyzed with budgeted increases from previous years highlighted. With few exceptions, we find that budgets grow (creep) by 5-12% per year usually without an increase in the revenue (shipments) line. And even if the top line does increase, this only temporarily masks the expense increase and the inevitable cost-cutting sessions to come. This insidious budgetary creep-factor is routinely accepted in many companies, but it can be effectively neutralized through a simple business technique called zero-based budgeting. Here's how it works. The CEO or senior department head demands that everything...that's right everything (including his own expense) in the budget be open for healthy debate and defended logically if it is to get back into the newly created budget. These managers and senior leaders should ask their people to start with a clean sheet of paper. Then, and only then begin to put together the expenses (people, projects, supplies, etc.) that gain the organization the best return. Sadly, many firms begin or start with a budgetary baseline made from last year's expense run-rate. This is a fundamental budgeting mistake and the root cause of creep-factor. New and more innovative thinking occurs when zero-based budgeting is inserted into the annual budget process. Instead of automatically increasing the travel expense by x%, new ideas begin to emerge. If you tie certain bonus considerations to the budget process and pay on achievement of reaching this budget - you may be surprised at the outcome. Now the thinking becomes more non-linear (out-of-the-box) and interesting results usually happen. Global Marketing has always found that good people like (demand) to be challenged. The courage to act and insist on this type of annual budget process will challenge your good people and ensure that your firm receives a fresh, annual start and perhaps you'll achieve more! About the Author
Frank Williams is a marketer. With many post graduate courses in management, leadership, marketing and technology to his credit, Williams is a widely respected speaker, author and technologist. He has significant knowledge in marketing strategies and is the founder and CEO of Global Marketing, Inc. - a leader in business, marketing and sales consulting Other valuable articles can be found at: http://members.cox.net/glmarketing/glmarketing/index.htm