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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?

08.03.25 | Posted in: Frugality, Natural Living

This is part 1 of my homemade cleaning series. This article covers links and facts about homemade cleaning. Future articles will cover trials and comparisons.

I do my best to live naturally, especially as natural living and frugality often go hand-in-hand. As I’m preparing to graduate and strike out on my own, it’s important to me to try to utilize the natural living tips I’ve picked up over the past few years on blogs such as The Good Human and Being Frugal. The first of these concepts I’ve decided to explore is homemade cleaners.

The Background

David at The Good Human has an extensive series on natural cleaning and it’s a great read for those new to the idea. To jump straight into the solution, check out Lynnae’s homemade cleaning tips at Being Frugal.

The Main Ingredients

Vinegar

Vinegar is somewhat of a super-ingredient, and talk of its merits abound: it cures acne, makes hair shiny, lowers cholesterol, kills weeds, and more. What makes it effective as a cleaner? Due to its high level of acidity, it cuts through grime, grease and germs effectively.

Baking Soda

Technically named sodium bicarbonate, the chemically reactive and tangibly gritty nature of baking soda makes it a great cleaner. In addition to its use in baking, it’s also used in cosmetics, antacids, itch relievers, and more.

Borax

Borax, or sodium borate decahydrate, is equally as multipurpose as vinegar and baking soda, with uses from fungicides to slime. It cleans both by converting water molecules to hydrogen peroxide and by maintaining a stable pH and is more effective when used in hot water.

Now that you’ve been introduced to the background and the main ingredients, stay tuned for trials and comparisons. Let’s make nature work for us, instead of letting ourselves work against nature.

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!