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08.03.26 | Posted in: Decorating, Frugality

I hadn’t prepared to post today, but I wanted to pass along links on what I think is an important topic: being cheap versus being frugal.

The cogs in my head began turning this morning after reading Frugal Dad’s musings on the subject. One of the differences he mentioned was that a fugal person will pay more for something of higher tangible quality. Last week, Lynnae at Being Frugal discussed that very topic. Sometimes it costs less to spend more.

As I’m preparing to move home to St. Augustine and begin my real, adult life, this is a topic that weighs on my mind, particularly when thinking of the purchase of furniture. I’m hoping to purchase a home later in the summer and I’ll be entering into the home with no furniture to my name. None!

What choice should I make?

Sure, a $50 desk made of particleboard might perform the same function as a $200 desk made of solid wood, but which will still be functional a year from now? Five years from now? Ten years from now?

Throughout my college life, I’ve been sustained with cheap, particleboard furniture from Wal-Mart and Target, but I’ve seen the wear and tear put on these pieces in just a couple years of use. It might hurt me now to spend more money for furniture made of better quality materials, but, if the pieces last longer, the higher cost is well worth it.

To me, this is the essential difference in frugal versus cheap. It is not a matter of dollars and cents, but rather dollars and sense. It is truly understanding the value of goods, not just their cost.

What do you think? Is more expensive furniture worth the cost? On which other goods does it pay to spend more?

08.03.24 | Posted in: Decorating, Frugality

Sites like Freecycle are great for locating furniture for a new abode, but what if all of those great free couches are snatched up quickly? For us, the answer was the Salvation Army.

Back in 2004, we were forced to move out of our (furnished) apartment and into an (unfurnished) home in less than a week. Unfortunately, being broke college students, we didn’t have the funds to purchase fancy new furniture. Fortunately, this home was right down the street from a Salvation Army Store, and passing that store gave us an idea of how to create a new start.

Entering the store was like entering a warehouse of used furniture; the building used to be a grocery store, so there was space aplenty. At first, we mentally couldn’t get past the outdated fabrics and marred surfaces, but, once we looked deeper, we saw something more important: potential. And, honestly, something even more important: price.

We walked out of the Salvation Army Store that day with 2 full-size couches (one leather, one fabric) for $55.

Of course, the leather was in need of cleaning and the fabric was a horrid rainbow pattern, but after a day of slipcovering and leather cleaning, we had two attractive couches for less than $75.

$75, by the way, was the cost of the rug you see in the photo to the right.

So, when looking for furniture, don’t count out the Salvation Army. You might be able to find (or create) a diamond in the rough!

08.03.18 | Posted in: Decorating

“Life is a big canvas, throw all the paint on it you can.” - Danny Kaye

Paint is a quick and easy way to completely change the appearance of any room. Unfortunately, for many renters, this change seems out of reach. Upon moving, the lords of our temporary dwellings tell us to, “leave no trace.” Instead of being forced to paint, not once, but twice; once to shape the room and once to erase the color, many of us just leave the walls neutral.

No more, I say!

When we moved into our rental house over a year ago, it was typical student housing. As I had just begun a career and a master’s degree, I wanted something that felt more like home; a serene place for studying and relaxing. The stark beige walls, however, lent me no help. Until my roommate presented me with a brilliant idea: paint a strip!

This strip gave not only color and contrast to the room, but also a perfect place to display photos and artwork, making an otherwise drab room feel more like home. Furthermore, the change is much easier to erase than a wholly-painted room: just paint over the strip, and voila! All evidence of your existence in the room is erased.

Like this tip? Have you tried it out? Please send me photos!