Why We Started The Home Weeks Home Blog

Curious about how #HomeWeeksHome got its start? Find out here about our history & what is in store for the future!

Design and décor are often an afterthought. The cost of renting or owning a home sets the mortgage at centerstage. Is there a way to balance a budget while creating a beautiful home you love to live in?

This is the exact question we set out to answer when we started this blog. From studios to spacious dream homes, you'll find the tips and tricks that make spaces modern yet multifunctional. Home Weeks Home is designed to be a source of inspiration for those who love intentional house design and décor.

Read on to learn a little more about us and how Home Weeks Home got its start.

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First Things First

Let's Introduce Ourselves

Hi! I'm so glad you stopped by. My name is Annika Weeks, and this handsome fella to the left of me is my awesome, supportive husband Austin.

When we got married in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was just starting. Finding an affordable place to rent was difficult as many renters were raising their rates. While we finished school, we lived in a low-income housing studio apartment during our first few months of marriage.

The tiny studio apartment we lived in when we were first married.

This tiny studio taught us so much! At the time, I was offering kitchen and pantry organization services through my nutrition business, Anni Weeks. We utilized the heck out of that space and found creative ways to live in minimal square footage. We have many found memories of having the "office", "living room", and "bedroom" all-in-one.

On To The Next One

We had so many friends and family who got laid off or lost jobs due to COVID-19. Austin and I were both incredibly lucky to find professional success during this time, something we didn't take lightly at all. My business started to take off and Austin landed a full-time position -- something we still thank God for each and every night in our prayers.

This enabled us to move to our first dream apartment! We moved to a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom, first floor apartment at the end of 2020. It was actually the first one we looked at as an engaged couple but weren't sure we could afford at the time.

The 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment we absolutely adored as a young, married couple.

I'm not kidding you when I say it felt like a mansion -- we literally doubled our square footage moving from a studio to a 1-bedroom apartment. The tips and tricks we learned living in a studio were still well utilized . Minimal and multifunctional design and décor were key to keeping the clutter out of the main spaces.

Where We Are Now

A staged photo/model home based on our townhouse.

Towards the end of 2021, and after putting many offers in on multiple houses (and getting outbid in the crazy real estate market), we found our townhome in Santaquin, Utah. Where is that, you say?

We get that question a lot! Santaquin is a small town south of Provo, Utah, in Utah County. The funny thing is we weren't even considering moving south of Salt Lake County, but this new build stole our hearts. Our Saturdays were taken up by open houses for months, and the heartbreak of being ghosted after putting in offers on homes was almost more than I could handle -- I number of times I cried the day we found out we got the Santaquin home was probably in the double digits.

Moving a tad out of the way allows us to make a little bit more of our money. The housing market has its highs and lows, but we wanted to make sure we invested in something we love without having to compromise. A house may be about money, but a home is about the life inside.

Welcome Home Weeks Home

I (Annika) am a writer for a living! You can go ahead and laugh -- I surely wouldn't have guessed it. I used to watch Gossip Girl and make fun of the lead character because being a writer wasn't a "real" job 😂.

Jokes on me, because I absolutely LOVE it. I get to write about food and eat food and work with the best people over at www.anniweeks.com.

I mention this because writing is how I learn -- I'm a very visual learner with a love for design, décor. Talking, planning, processing, and writing are crucial parts of the learning process for me. So, while planning to move I thought, "why not start a blog?"

Home Weeks Home is a home-focused outlet for ambitious, inspired homeowners who are drawn to industrial elements.

What This Website Is and Isn't

Our ideal audience? While anyone and everyone is welcome, this website exists for two reasons:

1. For us- as a way to keep us accountable to a budget and as a creative outlet

2. For ambitious homeowners- as inspiration and ideas to intentionally create space

You'll find tips and tricks here you can apply to almost any living space! I grew to hate the term "house-poor" while purchasing our Santaquin home. It feels like such a term of lack to me.

Having started my own business and learning penny pinching tips throughout my first year of marriage, I know there is a way to save money while fostering a perspective of abundance. Instead of "house-poor" I use the term "home-focused!" I think it places the priority on the home instead of constricting decisions to what is in your wallet.

Moving Forward

I'm excited to share with you our tips and tricks for saving money, as well as learn from you, too. My goal is to share one post a week, and then evolve and adapt as need be.

We truly aim to infuse each step of the homeowning process with joy and intention. Looking forward to having you around!

With love,

The Weeks