Proface

I was living the “dream”. Making a 6 figure salary as a designer with a top firm just outside of Chicago. Had the dream husband, the two kids in the yard. The whole picture. Best of everything no doubt. Then the bubble burst. And boy did it ever. While my boss was sending me on jaunts to places across the USA (and me thinking I was really that great!), she was taking up an interest of her own. My husband. It took me three years to actually come to terms with this reality. But eventually it became a bit too hard for me to deny. Especially when they both confronted me on their wishes to pursue a life together. So things changed…and in a big way.

And the money was slow to come in. Very slow. The life we knew was gone. And it was scary. I took up a job with a very small firm, that I was clearly over qualified for. But I learned something there, that I had never learned before. Humility. People didn’t need to spend a fortune to be happy or to be surrounded by beautiful things. I took my creative skills to the table and worked up some great designs on budgets that my previous employer would have laughed at. But I was no longer that person and bit by bit, I was feeling much better about myself. I felt a great sense of reward helping families get a great design plan, without spending thousands and thousands. And I started to employ this tactic to my own little rented home. I’d have clients over and they would say, “Wow, this place must have cost you a fortune to furnish!”. And I would humbly reply, “A single mom, with two kids? Not a chance. We can do the same for you. You’ll be surprised!” I never felt better about myself. I didn’t realize just how shallow my thinking had been in my “past life”. And now, today, I have a great network of fabulous clients. you DONT need to be swimming in cash to have a beautiful home or beautiful you.

furnishing your home on a budget