thrifty little blog

You've won the Versatile Blogger Award! See my...

2012-02-06T19:31:56.955-06:00

You've won the Versatile Blogger Award!
See my Post @ http://frugal-home-design.blogspot.com/2012/02/i-won-versatile-blogger-award-0.html for more information & the Button :0)
Jamie Brock: mrsjamiebrock(at)gmail(dot)com

Ps. I really love your blog! I am now following you and will add it to my favorite blogs list :0)

I love what JCP is doing, Kohls is the worst offen...

2012-01-25T21:38:24.643-06:00

I love what JCP is doing, Kohls is the worst offender of sales, it's like everything is 30% or more off all the time, why bother? Just make things that price then! Good strategy for the new year.

I'm usually wary of any "outlet" sto...

2012-01-25T18:59:23.681-06:00

I'm usually wary of any "outlet" store, since you can usually do as well or better shopping the regular store's sales. But I, too, recently checked out the new Sears Outlet by my work and was rolling my eyes the entire time. 30% off the suggested retail manufactured price?!? You can keep it.

@Emily~ Hmm, maybe I should do some "beeps ar...

2012-01-25T16:33:47.795-06:00

@Emily~ Hmm, maybe I should do some "beeps aren't always bad" training sessions so that he doesn't develop that issue. As it is now, he doesn't really hear the beeps because he doesn't test the boundaries, but who knows if it will change in the future. Selfishly, even if he does develop a beep phobia, I'd rather have that than have him hit by a car :(.

@Kim~ It is all about what you happen to come acro...

2012-01-25T16:26:10.080-06:00

@Kim~ It is all about what you happen to come across when you're there! I have a feeling that the normal Sears would have had a better deal on appliances seeing as they wouldn't have had as many scratches.

@M/G~ I'll just rented out my house this past weekend. I'll share what I've learned soon!

I am SO down with a new strategy for saving this y...

2012-01-25T16:08:32.932-06:00

I am SO down with a new strategy for saving this year. In fact, first I have to admit that I have been raiding your archives for your budget breakdowns and thrifty tips (which are all priceless, btw). Second, I have imposed a shopping ban on myself, which really means that I can no longer shop as a form of entertainment (used to be my go-to weekend activity) and must wear what I already own in different combinations and permutations. I am blogging about it secretively on tumblr (b/c it's interesting only to me), but documenting the daily outfit has helped me evaluate what I already own so that I don't keep buying and buying things that I never wear. I'm doing the same thing with my pantry, actually, and it works just as well (figuring out what I really will cook vs what I stock up on "just in case"). Anyway, I always always look forward to your thrifty tips, so keep 'em coming! And I second the request for landlording info!!

I'm totally with you on the Sears outlet grumb...

2012-01-25T15:39:43.697-06:00

I'm totally with you on the Sears outlet grumbles. Which really makes me sad, because they are a retailer with a strong association with modern America. My sis-in-law remembers picking presents for her sibs from the Sears and Roebuck catalog, and Sears used to sell plans for building houses (really! sometimes it's mentioned in the sale listings). I've found CL and consignment shops to be the best option for quality for value, even in my small town. But I've had the worst luck with appliances over the last year; half of which I attribute to the complete and utter lack of basic skills that installers/repair people have locally (one guy didn't level the washing machine and his boss didn't think to turn the water on; another time the guy didn't level the dw, and a second one didn't bother to take the front off when investigating a leak...fun times!). Good Luck!

btw, are you willing to talk about the landlording process? thanks!

This is a smart strategy. I think that sales are s...

2012-01-25T15:27:45.287-06:00

This is a smart strategy. I think that sales are starting to mean less to me, too. And I'm just trying to stay out of stores, period, unless I need something specific. I end up with stuff I don't have to have that I got a "great deal on."

As for appliances, we shopped around and ended up finding the best deal at Sears. But, I think a lot of it is about timing and what you are looking for. Glad you found something right for you!

I have found that Best buy can have some excellent...

2012-01-25T15:20:52.189-06:00

I have found that Best buy can have some excellent deals on appliances every once in a while and with the Rewards Zone points I've often used them towards my printer, ipad and even some Christmas gifts!

www.houseofhemingway.blogspot.com

I had it put in and I can't tell you how great...

2012-01-25T08:10:04.075-06:00

I had it put in and I can't tell you how great it has been. And it is only for the front of the house by the road. My two border collies learned just one time and I don't even use the collars any more. My little guy, who attacks every thing that walks by, needs a zap once in a while but the piece of mind it brings is great!

Unfortunately, I've got to echo chacha on this...

2012-01-18T12:35:40.519-06:00

Unfortunately, I've got to echo chacha on this one. Our neighbors have a dog trained to an invisible fence, and he has developed the same phobia to beeping noises. Sadly, he is absolutely frantic to the point of destruction when he hears beeping sounds. He was afraid to enter his own home following a power outage that nearly drained the battery in their cable/phone modem. Unfortunately, there is always, always the potential for fallout with punishment based training. :(

We have had an invisible fence since we purchased ...

2012-01-12T19:28:31.119-06:00

We have had an invisible fence since we purchased our house. Even at $1,500, it was much cheaper than putting in fence because our house is on almost a acre. We LOVE it. Our shy dog actually took much better to it and has only been shocked a handful of times because she is much more timid. Our other dog is braver and a little smarter therefore she tries to test the system a little. Poor pup! I love the individual disks. For us, it keeps the dogs out of our front rooms and out of our guest room, which we try to keep pet-free. I'm glad you like it as much as we do.

We don't have a fully fenced in yard, so seein...

2012-01-12T19:19:10.822-06:00

We don't have a fully fenced in yard, so seeing how much this system costs makes me that much more glad that we don't have a dog! Wow, it's almost as expensive as a fence. Well, a small DIY one :)

@chacha~ Good to know! I specifically avoided usin...

2012-01-12T14:31:39.985-06:00

@chacha~ Good to know! I specifically avoided using it with our girl because she has a very timid personality and I could not see her accepting a random shock every so often. I'll keep an eye out for signs that Hugo is becoming stressed.

I used it for a long time (from 2006 to 2009) - ou...

2012-01-12T14:06:06.826-06:00

I used it for a long time (from 2006 to 2009) - our female mini aussie is also a houdini/escape artist. However, it had some bad, lasting side-effects. Because the collar gives off a warning beep before it shocks (thus warning the dog to move back), she now has major anxiety with beeping sounds. And she hasn't had the collar in in years.

For example, the Biggest Loser scale on TC - we have to mute the whole weigh-in portion because she literally starts shaking uncontrollably and jumps all over us like the house is on fire.

So, yeah. I have mixed feeling about the whole invisible fence deal.

sigh* so incredibly jealous that you got the '...

2012-01-11T09:07:13.322-06:00

sigh* so incredibly jealous that you got the 'beast' under control. Mine is still running wild through the room!

www.houseofhemingway.blogspot.com

Very nice. I does take a while to get things how ...

2012-01-10T15:17:00.340-06:00

Very nice. I does take a while to get things how you want them again after you move.

This is awesome! love it!

2012-01-05T22:47:08.962-06:00

This is awesome! love it!

oooo you're inspiring me! My closet looks rel...

2012-01-05T20:34:40.014-06:00

oooo you're inspiring me! My closet looks relatively the same size as this one, but it's the only closet in the room so it houses both my clothes and my boyfriend's :S it's like a tug-of-war to get my clothes out every morning! I need to add that top shelf that the previous owners took with them when they moved! And I'll now have my eyes peeled for some of those shoe solutions!

My closet is organized on most days :) I have a s...

2012-01-05T20:24:22.184-06:00

My closet is organized on most days :) I have a slight case of OCD and actually color coordinate my clothes. Hubby hates it, but I can't help it... even his closet is color coded ;)

Yes! I love closet organization. I recently bought...

2012-01-05T18:59:43.070-06:00

Yes! I love closet organization. I recently bought a new house and inherited some horrible closets, which were made better with ClosetMaid systems. Your method was probably less expensive!

How timely as I JUST reorganized my closet. Not be...

2012-01-05T18:38:26.479-06:00

How timely as I JUST reorganized my closet. Not because it needed organizing, mind you, but because I bought a piece of storage furniture from IKEA, it didn't work in my living room, and I had no idea what to do with it. So reorganizing my closet around it seemed the most logical thing to.

@Sandra~ Honestly, I vote no. Nate did most of the...

2012-01-05T07:55:52.002-06:00

@Sandra~ Honestly, I vote no. Nate did most of the trim painting, and as much as I love him, I have to say that the results are inconsistent. If you do use it, you have to make sure to use very thin coats or it will show brush marks like any other paint. If money is an issue, I say use a normal oil-based (which I used for my last home).

Good article. I find it is easier to hand strip th...

2012-01-03T20:23:54.508-06:00

Good article. I find it is easier to hand strip the item, using a chemical stripper and steel wool. Most people leave swirl marks in furniture, when they try to strip-sand. You can buy a stripping agent from Home Depot or Lowes.

Thanks,
Derek Puleo
Owner
Atlanta Refinishing
http://www.atlrefinish.com

Hey, did you find out it the Benjamin Moore paint ...

2012-01-02T20:10:16.807-06:00

Hey, did you find out it the Benjamin Moore paint is worth the prize?
Other blogs I follow like Door Sixteen and Manhattan Nest recommend it but I don't really have the money to spend on such luxury. Especially if I can get something cheaper with the same quality.