Not a pro, but I'm starting with this statement: "Messy, dirty, needs repairs, many items need to be replaced or fixed." I'd suggest that before you think much about prettying it up with decor elements you focus on making the space neat and functional. Prioritize spending money on furniture and storage solutions. Then, as budget allows, you can make a wish list and gradually dress it up with fun things like a new bedspread, curtains, rug, art, maybe painting a feature wall or adding wall-mounted sconces, etc.

Start with furniture. What furniture do you have in the room that you want to keep? Or are you thinking of replacing everything? Do you have enough storage, or (as I suspect, from the comment about it being "messy") do you need more? If you want advice on furniture options, a diagram of the room with dimensions and showing the location of the door, closet, any windows, and the sloped wall would help.

Some options to consider for storage:

-A wardrobe. Ikea has some of the most affordable options (check out Pax), but placement might be challenging given your slope

-One or more dressers

-A storage bed with drawers underneath

-bedside tables that contain storage or alternatively small (even wall-mounted?) bedside tables that take up as little space as possible

A room like this with unique dimensions can be a great candidate for custom built-in wardrobes (we also have a weird-shaped bedroom of about these dimensions that was totally saved by a custom wardrobe) but those are usually a few thousand dollars and I recognize this may not be in the budget.

Ty so much for your suggestions. It's funny because I decided that today I would start with something simple that I can do by myself, that was free, and that wouldn't take much time to complete. (I have some mobility issues due to a combo of obesity, having been sedentary for a while, and arthritis. But am slowly working on improving those too) so I just started by picking up the items on the floor, so we can walk unobstructed in our room. A tiny start, but a step in the right direction. And something I can actually do right now (which feels good).

We could keep the bed, though my husband would prefer a new one. We also have three dressers that we could keep (one, two, or all) or not. They would need to be cleaned up, repainted, repaired. We have two bookshelves in the room, a tall metal shelving unit, two low to the ground long shelves, two tray tables that were using as as bedside tables, and an armoire.

It feels very crowded. Not sure whether it's too much furniture or the way it's arranged. It's all in decent shape. I'm not crazy about the tray tables because the placement is awkward (especially on my side), but that could be because the big shelving unit is in the way. Also, the tray tables aren't great because there's not much surface area and no storage. But we might be able to make them work for now.

Also, not crazy about the armoire as is because it doesn't offer much storage in it's current state. Its fairly narrow but sticks out pretty far into the room. Currently it doesn't stay closed, so we'd need to fix the door or remove it.

I'm not sure how to make a diagram on here but will try to figure it out. I did write out a description but I know it's much easier to visualize things with a diagram.

Thanks again for responding, and if you have any further ideas please let me know.

Good for you on doing an initial pick-up! A great (and free!) next step might be further decluttering -- go through your closet, armoire, shelves and chests of drawers, figure out what you can get rid of and set it aside to donate, and reorganize drawers etc so things are grouped in a logical way. Then see if you've freed up any space. It does sound like a lot of furnitre and maybe if you get your stuff a bit more organized and pared down you can get rid of some of it!

Another idea: it sounds like you're kind of fed up with the furniture you do have, but aren't sure you have the capacity to fix/refinish it, while not really having the budget to replace it all. What if you could replace some of it for minimal cost? I've found some really great deals on furniture on Facebook Marketplace in recent years, particularly for clunk things like dressers and wardrobes that are annoying to get rid of/move. Why don't you take a look there and see if there are any affordable pieces you really fall in love with? If you can find something that catches your eye without breaking your budget that might be a really nice starting point.

You have my admiration for starting this journey.

I say plan carefully for what to do with each item. Take your time. Be gentle on yourself but firm in your resolve to get to where you want your home to be. Be prepared to have stops and starts. It takes effort to do a thorough job. Reward yourself with some pretty flowers.

I did this many aeons ago. It worked out for me but I still struggled for a long long time with where exactly to put things and how much energy I could expend each time. My disability is chronic migraines. Every single step of every single thing is a mental and physical struggle. The illness can't be ignored but it can't be used as an excuse for me at least.

The following is one example of how I overcame one of my problems. To put clothes in the closet which is where I put all of my clothes I use a coat hanger and I roll up and drape all of my soft clothes t-shirts pants and leggings and shirts etc. I put five items to a coat hanger. It helps me with my need to see many items at once and they are up off the floor. I've always had this problem where I need to see everything at once. I'm not really sure if it is part of my slight learning disability or not. Regardless I am relieved that I have finally figured a way to satisfy my personal requirements for myself.

That is one of the examples of cleaning in such a way that I end up being served by the cleaning not just cleaning for the cleaning police.

KC Davis is a cleaner that has a unique approach to cleaning when coming to grips with difficult times. She might give you some ideas that at least will address your mental approach to all of the aspects of getting your room together.

https://youtu.be/M1O_MjMRkPg?si=fXIe_jZF-b0vgb7m