Let me start this post with the disclaimer that our house is not going to be featured in "Better Homes and Gardens" any time soon. I am well aware of that and actually feel good about that, seeing as that means I can "forget" to dust as often as I'd like and no one will judge. I do enjoy decorating, though, and if there's one thing I love more than decorating, its decorating on a budget. Its a challenge, and seeing as my mental stimulation these days is limited to helping Libby put colored blocks into a shape sorter, I'll take whatever I can get in the way of challenges. Besides decorating, a house can eat up a LOT of a budget (and that's not even including that dreaded mortgage). There are repairs, maintenance costs, etc. etc. You know the drill.
A few things we do to keep costs down:
Craig's List, Craig's List, Craig's List. For everything. I cannot preach the wonders of Craig's List enough. If you are a Craig's List virgin, I urge you to stop reading immediately, go to Craig's List and run a search for any item or service you are currently considering spending money on. I guarantee you will find that item or service at a cost much lower than you would pay in store. A few things we have scored off of Craig's List: kitchen table and chairs, a desk, baby clothes, baby toys and gear, a "leather" chair, dog crate, and a fabulous HV/AC guy who charges us a THIRD of the price of what the "other guys" do it for. And don't just buy on Craig's List--sell, sell, sell. Any time you have anything to get rid of, sell it on Craig's List. Someone will want it and will be willing to pay for it if you price it right, I promise you. We have sold an old, rusted wrought iron table that had the glass top missing, we've sold end tables, we've sold exercise equipment, we've sold old cell phones, an old lawn mower that didn't "self propel" anymore, and clothes we were getting rid of. And we've made good money doing it (I made $100 by cleaning out my closet and selling my old clothes!). And for those of you who are wondering (Nana and Granddad, this is for you)--you will not get kidnapped or murdered for responding to or posting a Craig's List ad. You run more of a risk of something terrible happening when you get into your car and drive to the grocery store. Craig's List is basically an online version of the newspaper's classified ads and those are safe too. Rest easy.
If you really have no interest in Craig's List (shame on you), shop exclusively at HomeGoods, IKEA, Target and the like. Pottery Barn is for
Stay warm. In the summer, I mean. And keep cool in the winter. We keep our thermostat set at what some would consider to be an absurdly high temperature in the warm months and an absurdly low temperature in the cold months. Let's just say that when the mom's group I'm a part of ran an online poll on thermostat temps, our house had the most extreme temps of any other member. But, it saves money, and we really aren't uncomfortable. We just turn on ceiling fans if needed in the summer and wear socks in the winter (advice heeded from my dear mother).
If there is a way to do it yourself, do it. Tom had a neighbor teach him how to change the oil in our cars (I'll come back to this topic in a minute). Anytime we have anything break, we Google it. It sounds ridiculous, but we have saved ourselves so much money by Googling home repairs. Clogged garbage disposal? Solved by watching a how-to video we found online. Garage door opener won't work? Solved by reading an article and following the steps listed online. Try it next time you're thinking about calling a repairman. If there is a way to do it yourself, you can quickly and easily find a tutorial online telling you how to do it.
REdecorate. If you're like me, you get bored with your decor quickly. Going out and buying new things every time I'm tired of looking at something isn't really an option. But trekking into the attic or into another room of the house and swapping this table for that table and this picture for this mirror is TOTALLY do-able. And free!
Freecycle. Like Craig's List, but everything is free. You have to sign up and then you will get e-mails telling you when new things are available. The stuff is usually in "not as great" condition as stuff on Craig's List, but you know what they say...one man's trash is another man's treasure! We got Libby a Jumperoo (kind of like an exersaucer) off of Freecycle and it was in great shape! You just have to be patient.
For home repairs and car repairs that you can't do yourself, I will say it again--Craig's List. Like I mentioned before, we found a GREAT HV/AC guy advertised on there who charges us significantly less than the big names. You can find computer repair on there as well. For car repairs, call your local high school or community college and ask if you can bring your car in to the auto shop program. They will only charge you for parts so you skip out on the labor costs all together. Autozone has free diagnostic testing for your car so that you can determine what's wrong without taking your car to a mechanic. And while you're at Autozone, buy your parts there too, so you don't get charged the ridiculous mark up that most repair shops tack on. Since I mentioned community colleges, some technical schools that have carpentry programs and the like will build your new kitchen cabinets, shed, custom bookcases--whatever it is you want, for significantly cheaper.
And finally, once your house is in working order and looks fabulous, keep it that way by making sure its clean and tidy. And save money in doing that by making your own cleaning products. A few spray bottles, some white vinegar, baking soda, borax (and lemon juice and dishwashing liquid if you feel like going all out) and you're set. Here are the recipes I've used (although, I admit I oftentimes get lazy and just use a 50/50 vinegar and water mixture on just about everything):
- For windows, I use 2 c water mixed with 1/4 c white vinegar and 1/2 t dish soap.
- For bathrooms, I use 1/2 c dish soap in a spray bottle and fill the rest with white vinegar. I sprinkle baking soda on the counters, in the toilet bowl and in the bathtubs as needed to scrub.
- For kitchen counters, I use a mix of 1/2 water and 1/2 white vinegar (you can add a couple drops of essential oil if you want it to smell yummy). Sometimes I add a little Borax to this mix as well, and its a good all purpose cleaner.
- For floors, I refill a Swiffer Wet Jet bottle with water and vinegar in a 2:1 ratio. (Side note: if you have a Swiffer Wet Jet, stop buying the bottles of cleaner! You can make your own cleaner and refill the bottle you already have! Just bring a few inches of water to a boil and stand the Swiffer bottle cap-side down in the boiling water for a minute. The boiling water will soften the prongs that hold the cap on, so you can easily twist it off. Once you have twisted the cap off, use fingernail clippers to clip off all of the little plastic prongs on the inside of the cap so that you can easily twist the cap off and on again in the future.)
- For wood furniture I use 4 T lemon juice mixed with 1/4 c white vinegar and 3 t olive oil in a spray bottle and fill the rest with water.
With a few simple changes, its easy to have a home you love and money to spare!
No comments:
Post a Comment