The No-Spend Zone

No bleeding heart

Pearl has no mercy.
I cut my finger today trying to untie her daughter Kayla's cable cord.
We needed a longer cord to connect her new tv with the newly fabulous media unit - a custom built thing of beauty that Ms. Pearl has scored almost gratis from Ralph. 
She knows she is eternally indebted to him, but I digress.
As I tried to stop the bleeding, Pearl relayed one concern to her son Aaron who'd called her to locate the band aids - make sure she doesn't get any blood on my new laminate!
Ouch. Thanks Pearl.
Did I mention that this frugal budget of your's  will make it impossible for me to finish furnishing the space? Hmm. I think I'll take tomorrow off to nurse my wounds.
Rule of thumb: be nice to your designers and contractors.
p.s I spilled a few drops on the laminate just for good luck.

Design tips from Interior Designer Cecil Hayes

So even the great design maven, Cecil Hayes, wants you the average penny-pincher to have great design on a modest budget.

Well, she is the only African-American Interior Designer to make Architectural Digest's Top 100 designers list, and is responsible for the design at the African American Research Library, spruced up the home of many celebrities, so rest assured that she knows her stuff.

Ok, so you'll be hard-pressed to afford her fees, but she recently dished some secrets at a series of chats at her Parkland home: Furniture scale, best distance for tables for seating, when best to select color for your space, how accessories are the soul of any great design et al.

The secrets and invaluable tips can also be found in her recent books. Cecil Hayes, The Art of Decorative Details and Nine Steps to Beautiful Living. Copies are available online. Enjoy.

P.S. Penny-Pinchers, our $1000 bathroom renovation tips are on the way. I haven't forgotten ya'll. Stay tuned too for our series of photos and video clips as we transform the master bedroom of our makeover winner, Pearl Bethel.

The Reveal and then some....

Happy Sunday and Happy Mother's Day to my comrades in the frugal design world.
Today was our official first day, so check out the full column in today's Miami Herald
Blessings to all for the calls and emails.
Spread the word so we can help save some homes/yards, one Penny-pinching pad at a time...
So I promised you a reveal and a reveal it is.
Here are some of the photos from Debbie's condo.

I'm happy to report that she has not left the room since we finished last week. Ok, ok, she leaves it long enough to sleep in her master bedroom which alas, is my next challenge. I've created a monster, but a happy one at at that.
I'll break down the budget in tomorrow's post and give you tips on how to do a similar design on an even tighter budget plus reveal some of the inevitable challenges on any project - believe me something ALWAYS goes awry.
Crazy week ahead and it will involve yours' truly, plenty of cement, a client I affectionately call the Diva, her husband with a penchant for REALLY penny-pinching. He has a knack for hiring pookie and brethren to tackle some projects with how shall we say this? some interesting results?
Did I mention that this is an outdoor project? Have ya'll noticed that it's been like 100 degrees outside? Lemme just say this: that cute hairdo in that picture above will not survive. It aint gonna be pretty. Stay tuned..

Calculating our spending is depressing. But googly eyes help.

In the post below you'll see the rough breakdown of how much Amanda and I spent on things for the house we're renting. And you can read our views on our spending in our personal finance story in today's Miami Herald.

I don't think either of us expected to spend this much. I know I didn't. More than $3,000 on home stuff? Sigh. I figured maybe $2,000. But when you spread all this stuff out over two months, you don't realize how much you are spending! This wasn't all bought in the month of April. Much of the furniture was bought in early March and spread out over several weekends.

And then there is still the rent and the cell phone bill and the car insurance bill and the car repairs and the groceries and GAH!

It's very depressing when you look back on how much you are spending in a month. But I'm glad I did, because even though I'm Miss Coupon-Cutting-Bargain-Hunter, it gave me a good wakeup call that I need to be more disciplined.

Maybe gardening will cheer me up. Just this week I bought a $15 plant for the front porch. Why? I don't know. I've never had a green thumb, but when I went to Home Depot I got this Martha Stewart urge to have the perfect garden. It was an impulse buy because it had pretty pink flowers. After watching the gardening tips in the video below, I think I'm going to need to buy googly eyes.

Saturday Night Live - Googly Eyes Gardener

Breakdown of the home expenditures

After a month of tallying up our home expenditures, Amanda has spent more than me -- but only by a few hundred. Of course this isn't counting our rent, utilities, food, gas, clothing, entertainment, car repairs, personal electronics... just stuff we bought for the new place. So keep in mind that Amanda just bought a $900 computer and I just fixed my car for $800, which hurt even more during this busy month.

My running total is so far at about $3,271, and Amanda is at about $3,921. Our story in today's Miami Herald goes into those totals and how we both influenced each other in our spending. Read here: Roommates learn how to spend together.

The following is a basic comparison between our spending. It's not super exact because in some areas we didn't include tax, and in some areas we did. The [B] stands for me, Bridget, and the [A] stands for Amanda, of course. It is designed to give you a general idea about our spending:

BEDROOM

• Dressers
  • [A] 8 drawers: $249
  • [B] 3 drawers w/ mirror: $249
  • [B] 6 drawers chest: $249
• Nightstand
  • [A]: $50
  • [B]: $50
• Bedframe
  • [A] Queen: $179
  • [B] Full: $150
• Mattress
  • [A] Got used one from family
  • [B] Full: $456
• Comforter & Sheets
  • [A] $210
  • [B] $62
• Desk
  • [A] $119
  • [B] $85
• Desk chair
  • [A] Used one from family
  • [B] $45
• Runner rugs (two each)
  • [A] $60
  • [B] $19
• Mirror
  • [A] $20
  • [B] $6
• TV stand
  • [A] $225
  • [B] Put TV on dresser
• Mattress pad
  • [A] Gift from parents, memory foam: $104
  • [B] Gift from parents, egg crate foam: $30

LIVING ROOM

• Coffee table, sofa table, side table
  • [B] $588
• Couch, love seat
  • [A] $777
• Drapes, rods
  • [A] $288
  • [B] $288
• Paint
  • [A] $70
  • [B] $31
• Lamp
  • [A] $50
  • [B] $50
• Rugs
  • [A] Area rug gift from parents: $139
  • [B] Rug for front door: $30
• Decor (statues, artwork, clocks)
  • [A] $961
  • [B] $25
• Entertainment
  • [A] Play Station 2, games: $200, Stereo: $64
  • [B] 32" LCD HDTV: $529

KITCHEN

• Dishes, glassware:
  • [A] $25, gift from parents: 24-piece glassware set
  • [B] Plates: $87
• Silverware
  • [A] $24
  • [B] $18 (paid for with gift card)
• Misc
  • [A] Toaster oven: $30, Wall clock $25
  • [B] Place mats: $6 (used gift card), chair cushions ($10, gift from parents), Dry Erase board: $4, Napkin holder, $2.

BATHROOM

• Towels
  • [A] $19
  • [B] Used college set
• Rugs
  • [A] Two total: $10
  • [B] Four total: $51
• Paint
  • [A] $12
• Misc
  • [A] Used college items
  • [B] $53 (includes shower caddy, mat, toothbrush holder, art)

OTHER

• Garden/yard stuff
  • [A] $15
  • [B] $66
• Frames/art
  • [A] $54
  • [B] $60
• Maintenance
  • [A] Dust Buster: $30, Tools: $81, Cat supplies: $64
  • [B] Swiffer: $10

This, that, and cats (again)

If you might be tired of hearing about cat issues, then I'm tired of writing about them.  I didn't think we had another issue, even...but since I woke up to a new post concerning Tootles, I suppose we do.  Needless to say (since it has been mentioned) the cat litter box has been moved to a more out of the way location, complete with a modesty screen (see picture).  I'm pretty good at cleaning it once a day or once every other day, and if a whiff of poop is detected that simply means she has gone "boom-boom" again and it hasn't been covered properly with litter.  Fascinating reading material, I'm sure.  But when living with any type of animal, there is only so much that can be done in regards to their toilet procedures. 

I was told recently that my entertainment center wouldn't be complete without an Xbox, but seeing as I have yet to play my PS2 buying a new gaming system is the last thing on my mind.  Also, whenever I think about an Xbox the only games I can picture are 1) Halo, and 2) Dead Rising.  Being a girl-gamer who's not a particular fan of shooting games (being that I am a chicken), I have no interest in Halo; being that Dead Rising is basically a video game-version of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, I'm dying to have it.  But seeing as the Xbox is around $280, I really have no intention of buying it.  The one draw (that being Dead Rising) is a good one, but when I'm too scared to even play the game...what's the point?  I've also been thinking: if anyone would buy an Xbox in this household, that would be Bridget.  When I was flipping the thought of buying a Playstation around in my head a few months back, she was the one to suggest I go for an Xbox instead.  Bridget has also been the one to whimper and swoon at the thought of buying Rock Band for my PS2, so we'll have to see - because while she talks it up, I have no interest or intent on buying it on my own.  Guitar Hero already frustrates the heck out of me.  But what are your guys thoughts about this?  Since I own the system, should I buy (all) the games?

Turning trash to treasure

We just got a free used barbecue grill, thanks to a family friend of Amanda's. Her dad was the one that knew about the deal and called Amanda -- apparently these people bought a new grill and needed to get rid of the old one. So her dad helped with putting it in his truck, and now we have a grill!

And Amanda was not against this "used" item, like she is with other used items, so hurray for that. The only thing is that it needs a bit of work to get it cleaned up. That's going to be my project today.

And there was an old fountain in our front that was dried up and collecting leaves. I'm still in the middle of trying to get that fixed up with help from Amanda's dad (thank goodness he knows how these pump things work).

I also want to fix up the patio this week. There are old wicker chairs left there from before, with old cushions. Some need to be thrown out, but maybe I can stick a few in the washing machine. After  checking out the prices of cushions, we would have to spend a pretty penny to get all new cushions. Maybe we can salvage a few of these.

There's a barstool that is broken, but I'm thinking I can find a way to fix that, too.

There are metal pool chairs without cushions. I told Amanda I would like to find some cheap cushions for these. She says she rather just buy some new pool lounge chairs -- probably plastic so they don't need a cushion.

What would you do? Spend money on a cushion for the lounge chair, or buy a new one? I saw a chair wrap thing at Bed Bath and Beyond for $30... and saw a pillowy cushion at Wal-Mart also for about $30. I think cushion is the way to go, because I doubt we'll find a new chair that cheap. But I have more bargain hunting to do before I decide.

It's almost Summer time... common stores, I'm counting on you to give me some pool/beach Summer sales! Momma needs to pretty-up this porch and soak in some rays!

A TV drama: Fix it, or buy new? You vote!

Why did I have to open my big mouth to Amanda that I was looking at TVs? Our original living room TV, a big box set that was here when we moved in (aka her grandfather's TV), stopped working about two weeks ago. Right as we were about to move in, this thing kicks the bucket. So in the meantime, we put a smaller 20-inch in the empty spot -- a bed-roomish size TV.

But it's not working out. It just looks... too small. I figured we would deal with it... but when we want to play the Wii, people have a hard time seeing from the distance of the couch.

Out of curiosity, I wanted to see how much an LCD would cost. The lowest priced 32" 720 p I found was a $570 Dynex at Best Buy.

I've been wanting a cool TV to impress guests, but that's a lot of money. So I figure, hey, I can wait until the holiday sales. The tiny TV now won't kill us.

But I had to open my big mouth to Amanda this morning. She now wants one... rather *NEEDS* one. Amanda "Veruca Salt" Conwell Needs it nooooow.

Our conversation at breakfast this morning went something like this:

Me: "Well... I wanted to wait until it went on sale during Thanksgiving."

Amanda: "Wait?! We can't wait! Living with that small TV is like living in Slovakia! It's like sh**ing in a hole!"

Then I said, OK, so you want to pay $600 for one?

Her reply: We should do it 50/50.

NO WE SHOULDN'T DO A TV 50/50! You got to have ownership of these big ticket items. If I'm spending money on a TV then I want to own the damn thing when I move. Or she should own it all so there isn't a question of who owns it.

Plus it's a problem if we both want it when we move apart.

Fixing the current TV could be a waste of money. Dragging it to a repair shop and then paying just to have someone give us an assessment of how much it will cost... bleh. And if we're going to spend a few hundred to get it fixed, why not spend more to get a really nice one that has HD.

Amanda already ran out to Costco to check prices, and she wants me to go with her to BrandsMart this evening. Oh boy. What do you think I should do? Vote on the poll below. Spend money with her to fix it, buy a nice (but cheapest one you can find) now, or wait until Thanksgiving and tell Amanda if she wants it now she should buy it herself?

Opinion Polls & Market Research

And yes, the carpet matches the curtains!

Bridget and I finally accomplished one of the last big hurdles of our move-in: purchasing a large area rug to tie-in the new furniture with the huge living space.  You have no idea how long we've both looked for and angsted over the size, shape, price, and availabilty of a rug that both fits the space and our budget.  Who would have thought that the answer would arrive via a Super Target...though I really should know better, as I can easily spend half my paycheck in there.

The total cost of the rug came to somewhat over $130, and happily my mother has agreed to pay for it as a housewarming gift (among other items *cough*).  Again, thanks Mom - I shall not forget that Mother's Day is soon approaching!

Our next project that I'd like to tackle is the back patio, which still harbors all of my grandfather's creepy old wicker (and falling apart) furniture.  I'm afraid to even touch the stuff, because I might either end up 1) haunted, or 2) with tetanus.  Also, the back yard and pool area sorely needs a proper sunning-chair or two.  Since my weekend has just begun (my days off are Monday after 9am, Tues/Weds/Thursday) I'm excited to go out and look at patio set options, but I know I'm going to end up frustrated because Bridget is going to have to approve before we make a purchase.  Though I could always just use Tootles as a "good taste" reference...she approves of the carpet, after all.

A different kind of freebie

As stated previously, my mother came to visit me yesterday.  Our main goal was to purchase a large area rug for our living area (see picture), so we first headed over to IKEA (because everyone knows the Swedish are stylin'). Unfortunately most of the rugs there proved to be excessively large for the space.  We strolled around the Shops of Pembroke Gardens for a bit before heading over to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

While, once again, no appropriate rugs emerged, I did end up getting a new glassware set in the process (courtesy of my mom...or rather, my stepfather's Discover card).  While Bridget seemed to be satisfied with using her motley assortment of plastic cups, it's nice to have something that matches.  Freebies are always nice to receive, especially when you're trying to budget your expenses in anticipation of this month's rent/utility bill.  In fact, my dad just gave me this amazing decorative clock/mirror (see picture) from his recent trip to Italy that fits perfectly in our living room (and helpfully fills up the final blank wall).  If you can't tell, I have a very open-door policy, aka "gimme! gimme!" when it comes to gifts from my loving parentals.

And while we still haven't solved the rug-issue yet (alas!), our household walked away with some good necessities/not-so-necessities.  In conclusion: thanks Mom!  Thanks Dad!  I have a futon with your name on it if you ever should need a place to sleep!

The cat fight/catfight has been broken up

Hurray! This morning Amanda and I have talked through our concerns about her cat and I'm happy to say we came to a compromise. When it came to the cat's litter box, she had it in the living room because she said there wasn't room in her bathroom. It was an eyesore, so she said she'd get a screen to cover it.

Problem is, she bought a screen that I thought was terrible to put in our living room by our fireplace, and she didn't ask me before she bought it. It's cute, just more for a bathroom than by the fireplace. But the compromise was that we'll put the kitty litter in the den/library room so it is out of the living room. I don't know why we didn't think of this sooner.

And as for my need to clean, we'll just split the costs of cleaning supplies (specifically, the Swiffer wet pads). No need for maids and I don't have to feel that I'm bearing the burden of buying all the cleaning supplies.

Amanda's mom is visiting today. I won't be able to see her because I'm working, but I'm sure Amanda will have some shopping adventures with her.

[And if you couldn't tell, Amanda and I are now IN TECHNICOLOR! to help you tell our posts apart.]

Decorations to die for

Without a doubt, the biggest non-essential expense that I've made towards this house is in the purchase and framing of my four The Haunted Mansion portraits.  If you're a Disney fan you'll recognize them as the stretching room paintings from when you enter the. most. amazing. ride. in all of Disney creation.  And if you don't recognize them, allow me to explain: they're from the. most. amazing. ride. in all of Disney creation.

Now I've been rather obsessed with The Haunted Mansion since childhood (cast your eyes to the side picture for four separate poses taken in front of the Mansion), and it only got worse into my teen/young adult years when I started to obtain an income of my own.  Money = souvenirs, obviously.  I even have my car decked out in Haunted Mansion-gear.  So imagine my astonishment when Bridget happened upon these limited edition portraits at the Disney outlet store in Sawgrass Mills Mall!  I didn't even look at the price tag ($65 each, totaling about $200) - I had to have them, as both a collector and as an new home-owner/renter.  Problem was, there were only three out of the four portraits available.  Blasphemy!  And not only was it missing a portrait, but it happened to be the best one out of the bunch! 

About four months go by with me feverishly checking Ebay every other day in the hopes that someone will make available the one portrait I need (ironically, every other picture was available on Ebay EXCEPT the one I wanted).  Finally I see it: the picture I need, with a "Buy It Now" option, at $150.  Done and DONE.  Take my money, my first born, whatever you want...just give me that portrait!

With my set complete I took them all over to Michael's to get them appropriately framed (all custom, of course), which cost me about $130 for each.  So $520 later, and adding on the $350 cost for the pictures, I spent $870 on a set of four pieces of artwork.  ...holy crabapple.  I actually never stopped to total up all the $$ figures but that's a lot, even for me.  Still, look at the big picture: these are limited edition (only 250 of each were made) collectibles from my favorite ride, from my favorite theme park.  Though the total expense makes me cringe, I know that there is no way that I would take that money back and give those beauties up.  I'll be taking those babies with me to the grave...and beyond?

Trash is something you throw out, not buy

While I might accuse Bridget of having some odd quirks, I should probably take the time to turn the mirror upon myself and admit to one of my own: used items scare me.  Thrift stores, Goodwill, and yard sales are all the stuff of nightmares (take for example the included image, circa 2005, of my first and last time inside a Goodwill store).  There is an unknown history to these items that I neither care to know or guess at, and I’d rather invite a vampire into my home than a dubious piece of furniture or clothing (though I must pre-requisite that the vampire should resemble Interview with the Vampire's Tom Cruise, pre-crazy ).  I don’t care how big of a bargain I’d get – I’d rather buy full-priced and new than opt for half-priced and pre-dirtied. 

Such was the case a month ago, when my stepmother, Patricia, spotted a $200 leather sofa for me during one of her weekend yard sale adventures.  Bridget and I were looking for a sofa/living room set at the time, and Patricia was being nice enough to keep an eye out.  And while I’m sure there is some satisfaction in uncovering the hidden gold in another’s man’s garbage, no amount of potential savings could entice me to even go and look at the sofa that she was offering.  Bridget & I ended up picking up a very reasonable (and new!) living room set at Rooms To Go  for about $1300 (which includes a sofa, loveseat, coffee table, side table, and sofa table).  So though I agree that savings can be obtained through swap shops and yard sales, you can't put a price on peace of mind or happiness.  I'd rather deal with the cost of buying new than the consequences of purchasing a used piece of furniture and finding out it's not what you'd hoped it'd be.

Bargain bins, the final frontier

Hello, readers!  Amanda speaking.  Not only is this my first blog entry as a freelance Herald writer, but also the first day that Bridget and myself have gone house-shopping as fellow blogsters.

In case you're not familiar with South Florida (or in case you refrain from nerdier/pop-culture pursuits), Bridget & I swung by Tate's Comics in Lauderhill to check out their 15th anniversary sale.  You would think I (as the heavy-spender) would be the one to watch out for on these kind of exploits, but Bridget hides a mighty geek-streak and it wasn't long before she was torso-deep in the Star Trek discount bin.  I left her to her Picard-bliss and journeyed inside; I was on a hunting trip, and my target was in sight (see image). A severed unicorn's head.  How could I, as a discerning shopper and budding interior decorator, pass up this stuffed delight for the low-low price of $60?  How could I deprive my future dinner guests of this magical marvel looming over the dining table (not to mention that we already owned one stuffed head to begin with)?? 

So one decapitated unicorn head, a Boba Fett bust , and a few knick-knacks later, I ended up leaving Tate's with about $115 less in my pocket.  Now, I probably wouldn't have gotten the unicorn's head if I didn't have a home to decorate, but when it comes to decor you have to splurge, yea?  So tell me...was it worth it?