Search Results for: tag second hand furniture

Home Decor Trends go Vintage Too

If you hadn’t noticed, old is new this year in fashion. The same holds true for home decor. While this trend is certainly a side effect from a rough economy, you can’t help but be glad that you don’t have to spend a fortune on fall and winter decor to be in style. If you are looking for some new items to update your home you don’t have to look very far. Here is where you can find decor items for fall and winter 2009. Flea markets: Nicole Humphrey suggests some specific items to look for in Frugal Decorating with … Continue reading →

Need to Furnish Your Home? Act Now

If you are looking to furnish your home any time soon, whether that means rooms of furniture or a few art and decor pieces, you may want to keep reading. That is because now is the time for great bargains from antiques to durable family-friendly pieces. Why is it the right time to furnish your home? There are a number of reasons. First, right now there are a lot of younger baby boomers going into retirement who are ready to downsize their living space. At the same time, older baby boomers are moving into retirement homes or with family. They … Continue reading →

Getting Used to Used

Buying used can save you money, but there is one big obstacle to lowering your bills by shopping used. It is the “Ew” factor. Here is what it is, how to get over it, and the specific times when it can be your best friend. Buying Used is Yucky (Ew) When someone compliments me on something that I or my children are wearing, I usually reveal how little I spent on it. Not always, but since I am frugal, that is how I roll. There are two different reactions: the first is surprise that I paid so little, the second … Continue reading →

Learning to be Creative

When finances are tight you learn to be creative about utilizing things and making do. At one stage Mick and I could not afford a desk for me but we solved the problem. Here’s how. We used an old flat wooden door and two bedside cupboards, which had been bought years before at an auction. Bedside cupboards can often be picked up really cheap at auction, yards sales and second hand shops or from relatives who no longer want them. Since all three items were different colors, we sanded them back and then unified the whole thing by slapping everything … Continue reading →

Renting VS Buying

I am sure the title made you think about renting a home versus home ownership. When being frugal however there are alot more things that you need to ponder over when it comes to renting or buying. It amazes me the things people will rent and the prices they will pay for the rental when they could in fact, own the item. Here is a list of items that you should seriously consider purchasing if you are in the habit of renting. Tuxedo: To rent a nice tuxedo can cost $75.00. A really nice tuxedo can be upwards of $200. … Continue reading →

Money Strategies That Worked in Our Marriage

Today I’ll tell you some ways we approached the money issue in marriage. Mick and I always worked out our finances together. There were no secrets, except for the ones around Christmas, anniversary or birthdays. The main thing is to work out a budget and stick to it. But each person should have a little mad money they didn’t have to explain. This can be spent on clothes, saved for gifts, or used for whatever. Shop less regularly for groceries. We grocery shop once a month. Unfortunately fruit and vegetables have to be more often but stick to only that. … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Month in Review: June 2008

What a happy month is June, filled with the renewal of spring and the promise of summer. In the last month, we have shared so many ideas for frugal living and saving money. This past month has seen some pretty big increases in food, gas and other items (look for an upcoming post about strawberries increasing more than 100 percent). Now more than ever, it is important to save money where we can. This is why I decided to do a month in review. June 2nd Frugal Living Review: May 26th Through June 1st Garage sale shopping has got to … Continue reading →

Author Lauren Carr and the Many Animals That Inspire Her, An Interview

My next interview victim –er, I mean subject—is mystery author Lauren Carr. The thing that struck me most about her interview is how ingrained animals are in her life, and therefore in her books. Lauren shared a bunch of wonderful pet-related anecdotes that elicited more than one knowing head nod or chuckle from me. Will it be the same for you? Read for yourself and see if you can’t relate to her life with pets. Courtney Mroch: What kind of things do you write about? (Genre, subject matter, themes, what have you.) Lauren Carr: I am the author of the … Continue reading →

What Value Do You Put On Family?

How much time do you spend with your family? Is it more than three minutes a day, one to one? Karen Kingsbury in the after word of her novel ‘Family’ which is part of the Firstborn series, claims ‘national statistics say that most parents spend only three minutes each day having one-on-one time with their kids.’ As I read that sentence I found it hard to believe, perhaps because family has always been important to me. My husband and I made the decision early in our marriage that we would rather have a less spacious house in a less affluent … Continue reading →

Home Chore List: Weekly Cleaning Chores (1)

Ready for your weekly cleaning chore list? Saturday is a good day to review this, since it may give you time to get started and see what you need to do. Most people tend to make Saturdays their big cleaning day. Remember that this is only a guideline. It is okay to tweak it a bit to make it fit for your family. Me, I like to try and spread the tasks out throughout the week, if I can, to leave the weekends free for family adventures. I find that tackling one or two weekly tasks on a set day … Continue reading →