When times are hard people get creative

It's no secret that financially speaking the news is still fairly depressing.  We are in the fourth year of a recovery and there are no quick fixes around the corner.  We have gone seemingly overnight from a country of people who have everything but still want and keep buying more, to a country of people who have had a massive wake up call.  Yes, there are still many out there buying what they want when they want it but for most of us it is a time to buckle up and get creative.

In terms of interiors think improve not move; think Kirsty's homemade home; think Help my House is Falling Down but I'll get on and repair it using a bit of initative and hard graft because that's what I can afford to do; think upcycle and Freecycle.  Think old furniture given a new lease of life with a fresh coat of paint. 

People everywhere are getting creative.  

With the recession has come an appreciation of quality not quantity.  People are saving up for something special not blowing it all on a quick cheap fix.  The more is more ethic has largely been abandoned and style and substance have been embraced not just substance over style.  When money is tight people want quality but they also want value for money.  With the tightening of belts has come a refusal to be fobbed off with cheap rubbish.  If it's a bargain it must also be a worthwhile bargain that'll last longer than 5 minutes.

And what's more creative is good, thinking outside the box is healthy, finding skills you never knew you had - how can that be bad?

So go forth and stretch your money to produce something you can be proud of... dust off a sewing machine, brandish your knitting needles, paint that old table instead of using it for firewood  - in short enjoy being creative.  To coin a phrase used by a well-known supermarket - 'Every little helps'.