America is the land of the consumer! When we need it we run out and buy it and if we don't have the money for it we finance it! Well even if you don't finance it, and can pay cash for it you probably don't really need it.
Next time you are thinking "Oh I need ...., and I better run to .... to get it." Take a minute and think about it, better yet take about a week and think about. We do this for larger purchases like TVs, Cars, Larger Furniture pieces. You may even "shop around" before buying a larger purchase. But we rarely do it for smaller purchases. We see, we want, we buy!
At the end of the summer, knowing school was right around the corner and all the papers that come with it. I was thinking I need something to organize all the papers the kids are going to be bringing home. My first thought was "lets go to Staples" and get some "paper-organizing-thing" or maybe I'll look next door at Michael's and they'll have some cute baskets that I can put each child's name on. Oh, the ideas were endless-- the shopping ideas were.. the money wasn't. So I took a few days looking for something that would hold papers (even over-sized project-type ones) and something I would have 3 (one for each child). I eventually noticed the Flat-Rate shipping boxes I have for our eBay business. I realised the flat ones, when folded, were about the right size. They just needed the one side cut off. I did this and wrote each child's name on the one end with different colored markers. They line up nicely on my hutch and hold all the papers. This is just one option I have found by waiting and looking at other items in different way.
Repurpose and reuse, it is not only Frugal but Green. I love ideas where the two come together.
Some ideas for where to find things:
1) Look differntly at furniture pieces.
Put an unused dresser in the dining room in place of a new hutch. It will hold folded linens, trays and stemware(laid flat). Put a table runner over it for a more formal look.
I wanted a dresser for my bedroom, even though my clothes all fit in my closet. I though awhile, and realised I just wanted "surface space" to put things down on. Instead of a dresser I moved an old "console/ sofa table" under the window. It works great, totally filled the need and didn't cost a cent!
2) A can of paint can do wonders.
Painting anything- furniture, walls, even floors. A coat of paint can really make something feel new again. Just painting one wall in a room can change the feel of the whole room and the furniture in front of it.
I have "good" tables in my living room. Real furniture- real wood not pressboard. But they are 10 years old and looked like they were 20 years old. They were so dinged and scratched. So I painted them an off-white (using leftover paint from painting our kitchen cabinets) and sandpapered the edges. I figured- it wouldn't cost me anything to try it. They now have that "shabby chic" look, and several people have asked me if I bought new tables! Cost: nothing!
I also painted my "rec room" walls with my sister's help. It had 1970's wooden paneling all over it. And it was dark and dreary. I wanted to pull the paneling off and re-sheetrock the entire room, but it is a big space and would have been big bucks. So I painted the paneling instead. A very light blue (very light- almost white). You can still tell it is paneling on the walls but it made the room so much brighter and alot less 70's. The room gets alot more use now that it feels more welcoming.
3) Don't just think big- look at small things too!
Need office supplies, desk items.-- look in your kitchen for old mugs or cups that can hold pencils, paperclips, scissors. Got a really nice tray you only use once a year- use it as your "in box". Need something near the washing machine to collect coins and other lost items- I rinsed out a detergent bottle cap and use that to hold those little things. An old cup holds toothbrushes in the bathroom. Reused baskets, received at "gift baskets", are reused in my bathroom and linen closet for holding toiletry items and medications.
4) One man's trash is another man's treasure.
Maybe you don't have something perfect to reuse but maybe a friend does. I love the phrase "New to me" not hand-me down, or used.. but New to Me. I have lots of New to Me things. Both my cars are New to Me cars, my living room couches are new to me, as are both of my downstairs couches. Just recently I mentioned that I wanted to turn my downstairs playroom from a babyish playroom to a more "older kid" play room- to make less floor space and more storage for entertainment things like game systems, radios and speakers, and a computer downstairs. In telling people what you are "up to" or "thinking about", you'll be surpised what they may be planning to get rid of. My SIL asked if I could use a piece of furniture from her dining room she was planning to get rid of and it is now my "New to me" entertainment center for my "older kid" redo downstairs. My mom mentioned she was getting rid of a coffee table and asked if I might want it- well, of course I do! Rather than running out to redo my downstairs, I have "found" several pieces and if they don't work best here I am sure I can find something else to use them for.
5) Remember not everything needs to match perfectly- we do not live in the pages of The Pottery Barn Catalog. But a great idea is to look at the catalogs you love, but create or repurpose what you have to create the same look. I once found a great project for a youth group craft from looking in a Pottery Barn catalog. A friend saw an table of "stacked old suitcases" in the catalog and was able to create the same thing using old suitcases she never used. She stained then using wood stain from another project(to make them look older) and stacked them in the corner of her living room. They looked great, and so stylish, and cost her nothing! (Pottery Barn price: $400) Think outside the box. And if you get a bunch of pieces from friends and you want a more unified look- paint them all the same color.
Keep your mind open and your wallet shut!
You'll be surprised at where your imagination can take you.
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