https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 24 Aug 2026 01:09:07 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656346 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:46:42 +0000 LovelyPlum 656346@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We rent, and will be for a while. We've moved out of state 5 times in th last six years, and I always decorate Asap and we usually start with the kitchen. When the kitchen feels homey, the whole apartment...all 700 sq ft of it...does! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656333 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:40:19 +0000 Ree723 656333@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're renting and have yet to really make a place feel like home due to a whole confluence of factors. The nature of DH's work (infrastructure engineering) means that we move every year or so, so it's hard to make a place our own, knowing our time there is limited. And we also know we're not staying in Australia long term - our plan is to be out in the next two years - so everything we buy, is bought with that thought in mind. Therefore, we don't buy a lot of extras just because it's one more thing to dispose of or ship once we leave Australia. We've also been using DH's parents furniture whilst they've been overseas, so it's sort of hard to make it our own, but they're coming back so we've just gone out and purchased our own stuff.</p> <p>We're moving across country again in two weeks and I'm hoping to make the next place more of our home as it will be all our stuff in there and we've had this place secured for more than a month now, giving us tons of time to purchase home decor with a specific purpose in mind, if that makes any sense. </p> <p>Bottom line - I can't wait until we finally decide what country we're going to live in and can start establishing some roots! I loved being a backpacker travelling the world when I was in my 20s, but now in my 30s, with a husband and baby, I'm ready to settle! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656315 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:31:06 +0000 fussygal 656315@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We rent and I didn't plan on us being here past next spring, but now that we're expecting I think we'll stay here a bit longer. We didn't decorate too much before, but I think now we'll start since it will be home for longer. I am notorious for not decorating much though. Even my college roommate was irritated that I didn't decorate my half of the dorm room extensively! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656289 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:18:53 +0000 Grace 656289@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bare walls and that unlived in feel makes me squirrelly. I can't live like that. I probably wouldn't bother painting, if i was only going to live there a year, though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656250 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:04:45 +0000 MediaNaranja 656250@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We rent. I moved here two years ago with only an air mattress, and would have gone crazy without putting my "mark" on it. DH moved here a year after I did. He is home more than me and definitely wants to feel comfortable, and like it is his, too. So we did decorate. Nothing crazy (we didn't paint), but lots of art on the walls and little things around, and furniture that is a step up from what I've had in previous places, you know, since I'm now and "adult." That being said, we don't own anything that we are particularly attached to, and if it doesn't work in the next place we'll just sell it and get new stuff. But I would go crazy if it was empty and not mine! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656234 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:59:20 +0000 Freckles 656234@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We bought our house 2 years ago, and it's not our forever home, but we've decorated it enough that it feels like home. It's only our master bedroom that's a bit bare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656163 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:34:24 +0000 hummusgirl 656163@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are in a rental and have never owned. All of our previous apartments were, um...college-chic? Nothing was our style and definitely didn't look put together. It was hand-me-downs and stuff we found for super cheap. I was so tired of it that when we moved into our new apartment I hired an interior decorator. We were in our 30s with a kid on the way, dangit! It seemed like a crazy waste of money to my husband, but I figured I was going to be spending 6 months inside this apartment for maternity leave and I wanted it to feel like a real home. It ended up so worth it! We didn't paint, but the decorator told us exactly what to buy and where to put it. It took all the stress out of the process and I love our place now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656160 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:33:22 +0000 sarac 656160@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Certainly, I'd hate to live somewhere that didn't feel personal. I've been in a rental for two years while we rent out the home we own in the city where we used to live. I just bought a bunch of decoration stuff at ikea to mix things up, and it's all really nice. I'll just hang it up or reuse it in a future house, it won't go to waste. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656130 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:18:20 +0000 JessiBee 656130@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, we have made each home as homey as possible, even knowing it wasn't forever. Without our stuff on the walls, it doesn't feel quite like home! I always put off decorating walls and things, but once I do, I always regret how long I waited! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656107 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:09:55 +0000 Bookish 656107@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yep, we have always made our rentals as homey as possible. I love decorating, so I always have stuff hanging on the walls, paint (if possible), curtains, etc. The house we bought a year ago is not our forever home, but it will be our home for the next 5 or so years, so we are putting a lot of time and effort into making it *ours.* I just hate bare walls... lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656106 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:09:51 +0000 Mrs Hedgehog 656106@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We own our home but we are aware that one day we might outgrow it. Until then, this is our home and I adore it. It isn't super decorated but that is because we just haven't decided on what to put where still... even though we moved in in August. I blame it on the numerous projects still needing our attention. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656101 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:07:32 +0000 marionberry 656101@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are in an apartment and plan to move in a month but it feels pretty homey right now. However, when we move, it will be to another rental (working on saving for a house next year) and I'm upset that I won't be able to make our baby's room unique, because I'm sure a landlord won't allow wallpaper. It's really frustrating that I can't make a rental completely feel like home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656091 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:02:03 +0000 betsyboop 656091@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cole: Yes, I'm also too cheap to buy stuff that might not work in our next home! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656085 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:00:23 +0000 BSB 656085@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are in a rental. It's feels like our home but not our forever home. We haven't purchased a house because we do not plan on being on this side of the country come next year... we may move sooner. </p> <p>It's our 'good for now' home. ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656080 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:57:41 +0000 Cole 656080@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are in our forever home and are still working on making it homey but it was especially hard in rentals before this. I didn't want to invest money on things that might not work in other places, I am still bothered by the fact that the curtains I "splurged" on before don't work in our house! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-656029 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:36:24 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 656029@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had a rental for a year that barely had any decorations and it had shitty furniture we hated, but we knew we were leaving, PLUS it smelled smokey from previous tenants so we didn't want to bring any new stuff in.</p> <p>We built a new house and will move again at some point, but this is home for now (and we own) so we have decorated a lot! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-655999 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:27:25 +0000 chopsuey 655999@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our forever home probably won't ready for move in until April of 2014.<br /> Our current rental feels like home though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-655996 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:24:50 +0000 rachiecakes 655996@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We sold our house in 2009 and have been living in our rented townhouse since just before then. We never bought new furniture for this place (it doesn't exactly "go"), haven't painted (I hate the thought of painting it white when we leave - no thanks). I've put up curtains and a few things hanging on the wall but other than that? Not much. I wouldn't want to do anything that would take extra effort to undo when we leave. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-655959 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:03:09 +0000 yellowbird 655959@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope. Our apartment is bare. It's brand new, so any holes in the wall etc. would get taken from our deposit so we just didn't do anything. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-655954 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:00:56 +0000 KT326 655954@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have been in our rental for two years. The living room, kitchen and bathroom were the first things I decorated and made homey. Then when I got pregnant we did the nursery. I am just now getting to our room. We don't have any plans of moving any time soon so I'm okay with making our house feel like our own. The only thing I wish we could do was paint! I really dislike the color in our bedroom. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/if-you-rent-or-own-but-its-not-your-forever-home#post-655940 Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:56:25 +0000 betsyboop 655940@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>does your place feel like home? </p> <p>DH and I are both anti-clutter freaks and don't live in our forever home so we purposely haven't fully decorated. We have a few pictures hung up around the apartment but that's it. People have come over and commented that our place looks like a model apartment or ask if our place came furnished. Eek.</p> <p>I have friends who know they'll be living in a place for a year but will go all out decorating it! I wish I could be more like this but I'm too lazy! </p>