Tags
bargain, budget, cheap, cleaning, crafts, deal, decorate, design, donate, escrow, frugal, furniture, money, moving, packing, sales, save, stores, tips, young
Hello Crafty Friends!
I’m excited to announce that lots more fun projects are coming your way! Honestly, I am so excited that I can’t wait any longer to tell you the good news: I’m buying a house! Yes, thats right, I’m now going to have an entire little tiny home to fill with crafts, up-cycled furniture, and perhaps best of all: good deals. I’m also excited to find more dog friendly spots to take my dog to. You can follow our adventures at Frolicking White Dog.
I have lots of ideas, very little furniture, and even less money. So you can see why I would be excited to start filling this place up. Even though I haven’t moved yet, I thought it may be fun to share this whole process with you from start to… well, I’m pretty sure there will never be a finish. Hopefully you’ll be able to learn from my mistakes and maybe pick up some frugal tips.
PACKING
Tip #1: My escrow hasn’t closed yet but I am hoping that it will before the weekend so my very first priority is packing. I’m really only moving a block away, so packing securely isn’t going to be a big deal for me personally. I did come across one awesome packing trick that I thought I would share. Genius Right?
Tip #2: Scout out the free section of Craigslist- people are constantly recycling almost-new boxes, and you may come across some real treasure! Grocery stores are also an awesome source for free boxes.
Tip #3: Sell all the crap. Seriously. Take only the essential stuff and sell the rest on Ebay or Craigslist. I made over $450 selling things at my garage sale and on Craigslist. And I can promise you it was all things I didn’t need! With that money, I’m planning on buying a beautiful settee that I would never be able to afford otherwise, in addition to a few other things I’ll talk about in a minute.
Tip #4: Go through your closet with a trusted friend. Choose an unbiased, gentle person, whose style you admire and have them help you figure out whats dated or just ugly (this is why you choose someone who is gentle to break the news to you). There’s tons of places that will buy these clothes: check out Plato’s Closet and My Sister’s Closet for starters. Donate whats left to a local woman’s shelter. Clean closet, full wallet, and you’re helping others!
NESTING
Besides packing I’ve been starting the process of scouring the internet for good deals on the items I need. So far I’ve picked up a few small items with my spare garage sale money:
- Stainless steel trash can- Craigslist $20 (because you really can’t get away without a trash)
- Shower rack- Home Goods $10
- Dual shower head– Groupon $16 (This claims to be $81.99 retail. Groupon had it for $25.99 which I combined with a $10 off coupon)
- 2 Outdoor shade sails- Costco $15/ea
Tip #5: I know I haven’t purchased much but I think it’s best to wait till after you move to buy the fun stuff. The more stuff you buy now, the more you have to move, and this way you can make sure you know the dimensions of your space and what you really need. Plus, unless you just have tons of money, decorating your home is going to be an on-going process. Use discipline, use budgets, take advantage of sales, and don’t let your desire to have worldly stuff overcome your desire to be a Godly and wise woman.
PREPARING
Tip #6: Instead of buying tons of stuff for the new place, I’ve started making lists and goals. I recommend starting a board on Pinterest if you don’t already have one, of your dream home. Then determine your favorite pins, and recurring themes and incorporate them into a sketch. I’m a visual person, so this really helps me to know what I need right away, and what I’ll need to save up for. For example, my #1 priority is to get my back yard set up, since Summer is in full swing, so I sketched it out. Now I know what I need to scour Craigslist for, including a BBQ and outdoor furniture and what I want them to look like.
Bonus Tip: After doing my final walk-though, I decided to get a cleaning service to do some scrubbing up before I come in. This is an area that I would typically do myself to save money, but I found a great deal on HomeJoy. $20 for 2.5 hours of cleaning. Now I know that my whole home probably won’t be cleaned in that time, but that should take care of the first layer of grime and make my moving day a lot smoother. Plus, I doubt I could even buy the cleaning supplies (which they will bring) for that much!
Last but not least I’ve been looking at all kinds of stores, trying to get a feel for where the best deals are for certain items. Here are some of my favorites so far:
Homegoods– Great for stylish furniture and kitchen gadgets. Your best bet here is to stick to the clearance sections. Even though their regular items are adorable and usually pretty marked down, they were oftentimes overpriced to begin with and you may be able to get a better deal elsewhere.
World Market- Sign up for their explorer club to get some really great coupons!
Big Lots- Surprisingly nice furniture items at some stores. Kitchen Islands, Grills, and Electric Fireplaces for cheap.
Craigslist– There isn’t much you can’t find on Craigslist, but be sure to be cautious. Make a safe plan for pick up and remember stranger danger!
Garage Sales– One of my favorite ways to find beautiful pieces that just need a little love. In my opinion avoid Estate Sales. They usually have tons of selection, but are almost always pricy. Plus, they make me sad 😦 Also be sure you love the piece before you buy it and that nothing is wrong with it. No return policy here!
Overstock.com– Great prices and selection. Seriously. Cross-reference with Amazon to make sure you really are getting a good deal… but usually you are!
Ideeli.com– This is hit and miss, and I only list it in combination with Groupon because you can usually find a coupon there. Otherwise, skip it.
Groupon.com– This is one of those sites where you can either get the deal of the century, or get really ripped off. Make sure you find a comparable product to price-check against before purchasing.
Tuesday morning– Selection is constantly rotating, but they usually have a good selection of affordable rugs and housewares.
Looking forward to sharing this adventure with you!