Hi Blissful Home Readers! I’m so excited to be here contributing to Blissfully Domestic!

We’ve all heard the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”.  I think that’s a great saying. And you know what, these old-time (or is it Country Time) words don’t stick with us for nothing.

They stick because they make sense.

You want to see a picture of Remodeling Guy lemonade:

It may not look like lemonade, but it is.  Let me explain.

I’m hearing more than my share of talk about the economy.  First, because I’m in the construction business. Second, because I’m a blogger.

We’re talking about a couple of somewhat vocal groups here!

The Lemonade?

Right, back to the lemonade.  The economy, and all the concerns about it are making an impact on the choices people make with their homes.

The family who had plans to add on 700sf , may be considering holding off. The family that was planning to build a new home, is thinking about doing an addition instead.  Everyone is backing off a few steps.

Does that mean your needs go away? Do you no longer need more storage, more beds, or more counter space? Of course not, your needs are the same, but your resources or comfort level are different.

What can you do?

I love what the answer says about human nature.  People improvise. They think creatively to solve the problem with the new parameters.  It’s really inspiring to watch.

So the family that needed more storage finds it under the bed, as seen above.  The family that needs more sleeping space creates a cool built-in bunk bed, or a trundle bed.  The family that needs more counters in the kitchen goes beyond lemonade (what’s that stuff at Red Robin “speckled strawberry lemonade”?…kicked-up lemonade).  Look at this idea:

This little bump-out addition only adds a small amount of space, but the cost is a tiny fraction of a regular room addition.  Properly utilized, this could make all the difference!

My point is that if you find yourself in the position of having bigger ideas than budget, get creative!  What you end up with might just be better than the expensive alternative, and you’ll be blissful!

(blissful: full of, abounding in, enjoying, or conferring bliss.)

photos: BHG & Cottage Living