5 "no brainer" ways to save money on your home improvement project

Put the money back in your pocket!
(The chalk line broke last night so Mr. Nick had to fix it, I liked the way it made his hands look though).

1. Return the items you don't use.
Whether you're undertaking a large scale construction project or a small scale renovation you will almost inevitably end up with more supplies than you need. I think the biggest place this is likely to happen is plumbing. Honestly I think being sent to to the store by yourself with nothing but a list from your plumber (professional or not) only to return with the wrong part is cruel and unusual punishment. This happened to me several times with a professional plumber (Mr. Nick was overseas for a year in Kyrgyzstan so I had to suck it up and pay) until finally I ended up buying two of everything in the aisle. Overkill I know, but truly I was at my wits end. And what do you know, I had the right parts! The morale of this story though, is to return the parts you don't end up using. Even little $2 and $3 pieces add up quickly. Mr. Nick and I keep a bucket full of odds and ends and try to go about once a month to get caught up.

2. Take advantage of warranties.
When I buy a tool I expect it work and Mr. Nick is even harder on tools than I am. If something breaks while I was properly using it I take it back. Lowes sells a brand "Kobalt" and it actually says on the package, guaranteed for life. We took back a measuring tape which was pretty beat up but they changed it out no problem.

3. Bid out your materials package.
If you're doing a large scale project most likely you will have a materials list. However, even with simple products (we're currently in the market for garage doors) it pays to shop around. We ended up buying our lumber package at a local lumber store, not a big box chain. A lumber store we almost didn't ask for a bid from since everyone in town said they were expensive. However, they ended up being the cheapest ... by a lot! So for us, it has paid to shop around.

4. Always return rental equipment with a full gas tank.
This one we have gotten lazy on a couple times and each time I do it I kick myself in the foot. It's so easy! For example, when we rented the plate compactor I filled it up with .89 of gas. Cheap! Had I turned it in empty though it would have been $3.99 for the fuel surcharge. It doesn't seem like much but it adds up.

5. Make smart decisions on whether you should buy or rent tools.This is a lesson we learned from my parents who spent a fortune renting scaffolding to build their house before finally breaking down and purchasing a set. Side note: this purchase has worked out quite well for us now that they are done with it and we get to use it for free, or at least I haven't gotten a bill yet from my mother :) Renting tools is pretty economical when you think about what you're getting. However, renting may not be the right choice for you. We opted to buy our chainsaw and our tractor when we considered what the daily charge was for the equipment and how many times we would most likely use it.

Sumner, Washington: Where even the Salvation Army has antiques

While my mom was here a few weekends ago I took a day off work to prowl around some places we hadn't been before. Of course we went up into Tacoma to check out their REstore but didn't really find anything (and I must say, my Olympia REstore is way better priced).

We did find a quilt shop (recommended by my mother-in-law who always finds a new shop when she visits). The Quilt Barn in Puyallup has an excellent selection of batiks and patterns (I was able to get some more fabric for our m. bedroom quilt but still haven't settled on a pattern).

Of course I would say the highlight was visiting Sumner, Washington and the highlight of highlights being Today's Country Store. As soon as you walk into the store you feel a sense of home, happiness and slightly extravagant decorating wash over you. Their displays are artfully arranged and so well thought out I found myself staring, mouth slightly agape, wanting to box up the whole store and take it home. Unfortunately I didn't walk away with anything (I am trying really hard to only buy things right now that benefit the building process) but my mother found three amazing finds for less than $100!

This antique paper cutter now sits on the edge of her island
(which really is a salvaged bowling alley, complete with the lane dots and everything).

Vintage oar (they're going to become hand rails for her walkway down to the front half of the house).
And yes, that's one of her outside cat's Dog Cat (DC) for short.

The vintage electricians tool chest now houses all her paints
(she is a beyond talented toll painter.  I'll have to share some of her work).

One more shot, she made all the miniature quilts on the wall behind her.

So the one thing I really am in the market for is a buffet that we can turn into the sink for the bathroom. The Salvation Army down the street had quite a few nice selections all for under $100 so I think we will definitely be going back. And of course, when it's time to feather my nest I will be returning to Today's Country Store. If you go, don't forget to go in the back where they have vintage-y garden things just as nicely displayed. I now officially want a vintage wagon (Radio Flyer) and vintage-y bicycle with great big basket on it. If this gardening thing doesn't start panning out I'm going to settle on decorating my life with rusty metal.

Chandeliers belong in kitchens and bathrooms ...

And anywhere else you can sneak one in! A few weeks ago Mr. Nick and I were up at one of our rental properties to turn a unit after a tenant moved out. Of course this always means multiple trips to Home Depot which inevitably leads to me wandering around with stars in my eyes dreaming of the future. Very rarely does my husband humor me as I chatter away about claw foot bathtubs and faucets that look like water pumps but thankfully, for me, he decided to humor me this time.

And I am now the proud owner of the Maria Theresa Hampton Bay 6 light chandelier. And let me tell you, it is gorgeous. Definitely not at all reminiscent of the $99 price tag it carried.

Originally we were just going to put it on our list as an item to come back for but when I started looking in the shelves there were none available for purchase. Then, on a trip to another Home Depot it wasn't even displayed. When chatting with my mother about this she very quickly reminded me of Home Depot's awesome return policy and of the fact that sometimes, when you go back to buy something, it may not be there anymore. So that was enough. Mr. Nick agreed without much of a fuss at all and put the chandelier on order. It took over a week to arrive but now it's here in this teeny tiny box (obviously this is one of those, some assembly required situations). The box actually works out perfect for us though because we're not quite ready. A recent search of three more Home Depot's in the area has only solidified my choice, the chandelier is no longer on display in our area (they even sold someone the sample). So the lesson learned is, when in doubt buy it, you can always return it later.

And I leave you with a couple of ways my mom and I have used chandeliers in our past decorating. Enjoy!

This is my old guest room. The bed, curtains and chandelier came from Ikea. The lamp shade is from Marshalls. The throw is a gift from my best friend (a TJ Maxx purchase) and the framed little prints are greeting cards from Cincinnati, The bed was originally a yellow which caused me to walk right past it but my mom (again!) reminded me that things can be painted. Speaking of painting. She did the treatment on the wall using a mix of regular and metallic paint, a stencil and a plastic bag. She is sooo talented I know! We only had $300 to decorate this room, which is photographing larger than it actually is, so we were pretty happy with it.

A closer look at the painting while Sasha and Fat Pip enjoy a friendly brawl.

This is part of my mom's bathroom ... it's all vintage and I love it.
She lives in a Lindal Cedar Home so everything has the deep rich mahogany trim.

And in case you wanted to see more of her bathroom. Mr. Nick made this fireplace out of MDF. I'll have to do some close-up photos of it when I'm there next ... she LOVES daisies so he worked them into the design pattern.

Ordering large scale photographs

Those who know me know that I love taking photos. I'm not a professional by any means but I really enjoy being behind a camera. I recently splurged and bought a DSLR, which you can read about here, and have gotten more serious about printing large scale photographs. As a card carrying Costco member (is there any other kind of member?) I have happily printed through them, enjoying their "anything goes" return policy, fast turn-around times and of course low prices.

However, when I took photos of my niece and nephew and had them blown up I was unhappy with the large scale resolution of the prints. So I started shopping around for a better printer. Having enjoyed great results with my first 24 x 36 I am now a card carrying member of Ritz Pix (I swear I don't have "need to belong" issues). Membership basically means that I get 5% cash back on my large scale printing.

This photo actually took 4 prints to get right, the first time the laminator was fritzy so there were lines in the plastic and the second and third times the crop was off. Because of that it wasn't ready in 1 hour like advertised but they were totally dedicated to making sure that I was happy with the product. And I am. I chose to mount since it's a photo and will tend to sag behind the glass at such a large size and I chose to put the laminate film on because it has UV protection and will keep my photo from fading in the sun. The color is beautiful (not at all displaying well in this photo), there is no graininess and the mounting is really nice. They will be getting all my printing business from here on out.

In case you're curious, I took this photo about halfway up, as we hiked to the top of Mt. Olympus in Greece. The mama and horse were all by themselves with not another living creature for miles (except us of course). I did deepen the colors in photoshop and made sure that the photo was saved at 400 dpi but other than that I didn't do much else. I took this with my cheap-o Canon (before Mr. Nick consented to my relentless reminders about DSLR cameras). That's Mr. Nick and I in the back, one at our wedding and one at my brother's wedding. It's leaning against our piano (did I mention we need to move out of this apartment ASAP). I left them in so you can see how big it is.

Home Depot's plant return policy

This past Christmas we decided to be "green" and get a living Christmas tree. We were in the process of closing on our land so it seemed like such a good idea to buy something that we celebrate with and then plant as a forever reminder.

Unfortunately, that's not what happened. We put our house on the rental market and moved within a very small period of time so the decorating of the Christmas tree fell by the wayside. Wanting to make sure that the tree went in the "perfect" place we decided to store it at our apartment until we could get a better "feel" for where it should go (this was back when I thought I was secretly harboring a green thumb and plants would grow taller just at the sound of my voice).

Fast forward seven months and our poor "living Christmas tree" is no longer living (yes, I understand the irony). So, on my mother's suggestion we decided to try to take advantage of Home Depot's plant return policy.

They say they will take any plant back within one year of puchase if you have the receipt. That receipt is crucial (according to the woman I called over the phone). We arrived counting on doing the credit card look-up (which by the way I think every store should do) because we had lost our receipt. Unfortunately they only store cc information for 90 days. Luckily though we still had the price tag on the bucket so she was able to scan it and give us store credit. Honestly I think she just thought Mr. Nick was cute but I thought about it and I'm okay with pimping him out in the name of saving money. And let's face it, he is ridiculously good looking :)

So that's that. The tree has been removed from our lives, leaving a trail of dead pine needles from our balcony to the parking lot. I'm sure our apartment manager hates us by now ...

Mom and I pose in "happier times".
We'll miss you living Christmas tree. We promise to do better next year.
p.s. Mom made my sweater for me when I was in 5th grade.  

Snohomish, Washington: Antique lovers paradise?

This weekend my cousin got married up near the Candian border so Mom and I got to combine the wedding with a quick prowl through Snohomish, Washington.

Widely considered the antique capital of the Pacific Northwest those who like antiques will be at home here. Most of the shops are consolidated along the main "drag" where you can walk and sit, eat and sit, and then walk and sit some more. Parking was not a problem. Now keep in mind, we only had a couple hours so my review is based purely on first impressions.

The store fronts are a pretty even mix of antique and antiqued. Shabby chic reigns supreme with many stores mixing in actual antiques with aged materials. Those antiques that we did find were in excellent condition, thoughtfully restored and cared, with a price tag to match (although, according to my mother most things were priced pretty well.)

I ended up purchasing just one thing, in the basement of Antique Warehouse, Inc (where I'm pretty sure the bargains were hiding) for just $35! The dealer wasn't sure what it was (he had been holding it in their warehouse, not feeling like it was good enough to sell, and then just put it on a whim). Our best guess is that it came from the bottom of a bar or table.

We're not sure what it's going to be yet but our wheels are turning. My overall feeling of Snohomish is nice, definitely nice. But I felt like some of the excitement was gone. I enjoy prowling through piles of junk and seeing hidden potential. So for me and my budget, we will stick to salvage yards.

As a side note, cyclists may feel more at home here than antiquers. Snohomish sits alongside the Centenial Bike Trail, a 17-mile trail from Snohomish to Skagit County.

Antique tripod and level: A diamond in the rough

This weekend we made the quick drive North to Tacoma to check out the biggest swap meet in the Pacific Northwest...or at least that's what the website said. We didn't go with high hopes, which is a good thing, since they would have been dashed very quickly.

The swap meet is at the site of the old Starlite drive in movie theater, in fact the big screen is still up in the giant fenced in area. Parking is free and admission is just $1 each.

Inside most of the booths focus on clothes, hats, car radios and used tools. Sprinkled throughout are food stands where we were able to grab a humongous bag of duros doused in hot sauce for just $1.50. The predominant language in the market is Spanish leaving it to feel a lot like the markets we have woven through in the Yucatan and in Nicaragua. Nick tried to get a cheap fitted baseball cap for $3.00 but they didn't have his size...this would have been a similar problem had we decided to spring for the snakeskin and crocodile cowboy boots with matching belt.

We did see a couple of Stihl chansaws, but not well taken care of and not priced all that great. Nick found his almost brand new farm boss on craigslist for just $250 and we saw no deals of that caliber. The tools were also very beat up and mostly mismatched odds and ends.

So, was the trip worth it? Absolutely! (But just barely). In the last row we came across this beauty, an antique level (although it can't be to antique since the level came in a plastic case). I had been looking for one ever since I saw how they can be turned into floor lamps while trowling around an upscale antique store in Seattle. The lamp I found in Seattle was $375, something I was absolutely not willing to pay. It took some convincing of Nick that we "needed" to purchase this tripod and level but he finally came through when I reminded him that Obachan had given me some money for my birthday AND when he realized that it works!

Nick happened to be wearing one of his Goodwill shirts that said "Cascade Christian Ahtletics" which the booth guy gave us a $10 discount for. Paired with his awesome bartering skills we got this $60 tripod and level for just $40!

I know it's going to take a little bit of effort to turn it into a lamp but I'm not worried about that as I'm pretty comfortable with wiring things. Of course, I'll have to wait to take it out of commission until Nick is done using it...ahhhhh...compromise.

Photo Credit: I jumped out and took this photo right before Nick had a chance to drive away...a fun game that he just looooves to play.

Salvage Finds

So our plan for the barn is to build it completely out of salvage...while Nick isn't quite done drafting up the finalized plans we do know there are certain things we want.

There are two places in the local area we plan on frequenting. Locally, Habitat for Humanity ReStore and then up in Seattle, Earthwise Architectural Salvage.

We're off to a great start already!

This guy came from Earthwise when a local stoneyard closed down...my vision is for it to be part of a fireplace mantle that Nick builds. He was $10!





This lamp came from Earthwise too...it was only $5. I don't know where it came from but I think it's perfect for hanging in an entry-way...it's over 2 feet tall!









This giant window came from the Restore in Olympia, $69. We went for a bike ride one weekend and stopped in only to find the perfect window for underneath the widows peak of the barn. It's double-paned, fiberglass...8 feet tall on the bottom and weighs over 300 lbs. Yes, we hauled it up from our apartment complex parking lot, up three flights of stairs to put it in the guest room (after I cleaned it of course).


This lamp is from the Restore...$40 but in perfect condition, I imagine it going over an eating area...there's an extra light in the middle on the bottom...I like how it's kind of farmhouse but kind of contemporary too.