The backpacks are hung by the front door with care. New shoes are all nestled on the mud room floor. And visions of free time dance in your head. Yet, packing a school lunch that’s both healthy and waste free can often feel like a Christmas miracle. With a few simple changes, packing a lunch can be simple, inexpensive and green. Buy Bulk Single-serve packages are colorful, convenient and so tempting – but create unnecessary waste for our landfills. Choose larger packages you can divvy up as needed. Skip the tiny packages of crackers & pretzels, which are expensive to begin with, and go with a full-size bag to divide amongst your kids or use throughout the week. Reusable Containers There are a variety of kitchen storage option that will work for lunches. The key to actually using … [Read more...]
Mirror Dresser for $35
How you can get a fabulous mirrored dresser for $35 dollars. Here's what I did: Saved a mirror from bathroom redo. Received an old dresser for free. Had my local glass guy cut the mirror to fit, $20. Painted the dresser- Regent Metallic Silver base- from Ralph Lauren paints. Picked up some simple handles from the hardware store $15 Used liquid Nails Mirror adhesive to attach mirrors to dresser. Here are a few before pictures: This project was fairly simple. Basically just some painting and gluing. {I left the mirror cutting to the professionals.} Here are a few tips- Take good measurements of the piece that you want mirrored. Don't be afraid to think out side of the box....I almost threw away that old mirror. Paint can do wonders for just … [Read more...]
Dining Table Remodel on a Budget – Before & After
With just a little work and very little money- {Under $50} you can have a totally new dining set. Sander Seal the Old Table - Step one Using a sander sealer, spray all the wood. I used the type in a spray can. Paint the Dining Table - Step two Paint. I used antique white. Cover the Old Dining Set Seats - Step three Cover the seats. I used one painters drop cloth from Home Depot. {Just unscrew seats from chairs- staple new fabric to seats} Rough Sand the Edges - Step four Sand the edges for a "shabby chic" look. Add a Protective Top Coat - Step five Top the table with a polyurethane if you like {if you are using a light colored paint make sure to buy the non-yellowing polyurethane.} And there you have it, a new dining set for under $50. … [Read more...]
Save Money With Ready To Assemble Furniture
Do you ever watch those decorating shows on tv and just wish that the next house they visit would be your house? Yeah, me, too! And there is one show in particular, you know the one, where the homeowners want to sell their home and they have $2,000 to get it ready for an Open House? It always amazes me the amount of changes they can do on a limited budget. But then again, the labor is free and I would bet that most of the furniture that they buy is the ready to assemble sort of furniture. So, I decided to give this build it myself furniture a try. In the past couple of years I have purchased and (helped my husband) build: 3 section ladder bookshelf with laptop desk from Walmart.com Kid's dresser and bookshelf from Target (brick and mortar) Storage Bench for entryway and … [Read more...]
Why the Minimalist Lifestyle Appeals to Me
One of my favorite blogs is Zen Habits. I started reading Zen Habits for the productivity tips, but lately I’ve been fascinated with Leo’s posts on minimalism. If you were to come into my home, you’d never guess that I even think about minimalism. My home isn’t a disaster area, but it has plenty of clutter. It’s definitely well lived in. So why does the minimalist lifestyle appeal to me? I see several benefits. Minimalism Means Less Clutter I have lots of clutter in my house, and I hate it. I would love to actually have a place for everything, but in order to do that, I need to get rid of a lot of stuff. I don’t have a garage, and my outside storage shed is very small. So everything I store would need to fit in one of my five closets. I have to admit, I like the thought of only owning … [Read more...]
