Thrifty Strategy- Ikea for breakfast

From Ikea.com

One of my best friends was in town last week and wanted to check out Ikea for some kitchen and bathroom ideas and just to see what the hype was about. I had heard that they have some good breakfast prices and I knew it was a child-friendly store, so my friend, me, and my toddler headed over on Thursday morning. We got there at 9:30, as I had heard that the cafe opened before the store opened at 10:00 am.

We were not the only ones there for breakfast, the place was busy! There were elderly folks, families with kids, hipsters, all kinds of people. Coffee was free until 10:00 and my friend got a full breakfast with potatoes, eggs, and bacon, for 99 cents. Our location offers free breakfast on Mondays. I had three Swedish pancakes with lingonberry and butter for $1.99, also a good deal. My daughter had a bit off of each of our plates. There was even a kids' play area in the cafe and a lot of high chairs and booster seats available.

So, if you're near an Ikea and in need of a tasty, reasonably priced breakfast, head on over. Their lunch and dinner food looks good, too. I also saw frozen yogurt for $1 and hot dogs for 50 cents. Have you ever eaten there? what do you recommend?

DIY Project- Bathroom Remodel Part 4

Back to the 2009 bathroom remodel (wow, two years ago already). As I covered in my previous posts, my husband remodeled our upstairs guest bathroom back in 2009. We were able to save quite a bit of money in labor and use high-end products that we are still really happy with.

Today: The Vanity

Once the floor was installed it was time for the vanity. We picked out a dark wood vanity, the wood color matched a swirl in the granite for the floor. Because the space for the vanity was a bit larger than the vanity itself, we also purchased an extra piece of matching trim board, to bridge the small gap that was going to be left. That allowed us toget a vanity off the shelf rather than custom which saved quite a bit of money.

When visiting someone's home that winter, we saw a great idea. They had installed tube lighting under their vanity that can be used as a night light. We copied the idea for our bathroom, and wired the lighting on its own light switch.

Next it was time for the countertop. My husband had heard about a place that sold granite remnants left from larger kitchen and bathroom jobs. We headed over to their office with one of our floor tiles. Luck would have it that they had a piece of matching granite that would work! We also had back and sidespashes and a threshold for the floor cut from the same piece. They came to measure our space, we told them what kind of sink we wanted and what facuet we were installing, and they cut the granite to our specifications. Awesome!

The faucet was from Home Depot. We picked one that would go with our modern vibe. We also ended up buying coordinating drawer pulls because the ones that came with the vanity didn't fit our style.

Things were really taking shape, next it was time for the biggest project- tiling the tub surround!

DIY Rule #1: Multiple trips to the hardware store

We are visiting some friends this weekend and my husband is helping them with a home improvement project- installing a new toilet. Sounds simple, right? Well, they are on their third trip to the hardware store in two hours! No matter how much you plan, make lists, and measure during a home improvement project, there is always just one more thing you need, one part that is the wrong size, or one more tool that would make the job easier.  And that's OK. Even with the cost of gas and your time, most DIY projects are still thrifty, plus you get the satisfaction of doing it yourself and the knowledge teach others.

DIY Project- Bathroom Remodel Part 3

As I mentioned here, here and here, in 2009 we (well mostly my husband) remodeled our guest bathroom. We were able to use high-end products and keep the project thrifty by doing the work ourselves.

After the heated floor coils were put in, it was time to lay the floor tile. We picked out granite tiles at Home Depot, the color was called Golden River.

Tiles all laid out

Had to cut a hole in one of the tiles for a toilet pipe

Mixing the mortar

This was the third home improvement project my husband had tackled that required a tile saw. In the past we had rented by the day, but this time took the plunge and bought one. Since he had to use it for the floor tiles as well as the upcoming wall tiles, it made sense. He was also tired of feeling rushed, like he had to get everything done in one day so he could return the saw. We can also use it on future projects. It was $50 per day to rent a saw and $140 to buy one. So thrifty tip: If you keep renting a tool, it might make sense to buy one instead.

Next Up: The vanity and sink!

Tools: What basics do you really need?

from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/14/garden/14pragmatist.html?_r=1

I read a great article today in the New York Times. It outlines the key tools everyone should own in order to complete basic projects around the house.

The Tools You Really Need to Maintain Your Home

The article recommends tools that add up to about $250.  Having these tools will save you the expense of renting them or of hiring a handyman. It can also save you the annoyance of having to buy or borrow them as projects come along. I would recommend checking Craigslist for some of the items, especially the power tools and wrench set. Additionally, I think the hammer drill is more than most people need, you'd be fine with a regular cordless drill.

Do you agree with the article? Any items you disagree with?

DIY Project- Bathroom Remodel Part 3

The Heated Floor

One of the features we really wanted in our new bathroom was heated floors. How nice would it be to walk on nice, warm, floors on a cold morning! The heating wires had to be installed on the subfloor and then covered with layers of floor leveler (a liquid that you pour on that dries smooth and flat) before the tiles were laid. My husband used a kit that included the long piece of wire and metal tracks that attached to the floor which the wire was hooked to. There are also kits with pre-made mats but this was the better choice for us. We also had to wire in a programmable thermostat which is on the wall so the floor warms up at the right time each day.

View of metal tracks and wires from the doorway

You can see the metal tracks and copper wire in toilet area (got to have warm feet while you're using it!)



Toilet area after one layer of floor leveler- you can still see the wires so another layer was needed


Once the wires were installed and the floor was level it was time to put in the granite tile floor.... stay tuned!

Thrifty Strategy- Buying lightbulbs online

Do you have any light fixtures that require specialty bulbs that you have to keep buying? We have four identical ceiling fans in our house that each have two 40W high intensity lightbulbs. It seems like we have a bulb burn out almost every month! We also have halogen bulbs outside in our landscape lighting.

My husband has discovered that lightbulb websites often offer better prices than stores do. You can Google the model number of your bulb (usually located on the side of the bulb) and then comparison shop online. The problem is that shipping can decrease your savings, so you usually need to buy quite a few in order to save money, but it's worth it. We placed one order for 20 ceiling fan bulbs and 20 halogen bulbs and were able to save about 50% compared to the Home Depot price.

Here's the site we used:
1000bulbs.com

DIY Project- Bathroom Remodel Part 2

The first step was demolition. We removed the toilet and stored it in our guest room throughout the project as we were planning to keep it. Everything else but the bathtub had to go. And yes, we did have guests during that time who got to sleep in the same room as a random toilet, I covered it with a beach towel to make it "blend in!" Too bad I didn't get a picture of that.

While demolishing the floor

Floor and vanity are gone!

Hole where toilet used to be

Tub surround is gone. Safety first! Note the red ear protection muffs ready for any loud noises.

DIY Project- Bathroom Remodel

Back in December 2008, we (well mostly my husband) started our biggest do-it-yourself project to date: remodeling our upstairs guest bathroom. Here are some "before" shots. Over the next few weeks I plan to run a series of posts about the project, which was finished in April of 2009. It turned out to be a pretty thrifty project. My husband kept track of all of the money spent, and we ended up finding some good ways to save money while getting the new, stylish bathroom we wanted.

Right before demolition began- boring bathroom!

Before- Tub surround

Taking Craigslist too far? Air conditioner replacement?!

Our central air conditioner stopped working last Thursday. It's not just broken, we need a completely new unit. We got a couple quotes from companies around the area, but they seemed really high. So my husband posted the following on Craigslist:
-------------------------------------------------------
My AC just died. It is a 2.5 Ton. I'm looking for quotes to install a new one and remove and dispose of my old a/c. My line will also require a flush. Please email or call xxxxx at xxxxxx.

•Location: xxxxxxxxxxxx
•Compensation: Will pay for the entire job (the new A/C and labor)
•This is a contract job.
•Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
•Phone calls about this job are ok.
•Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests
---------------------------------------------------------

Really? We're considering randoms from Craigslist? He received probably 15 calls/emails that day. Now he's talking to each of them and having some come out and do estimates. So far the prices are lower and many of them are moonlighting from their full-time a/c installation jobs. Many are able to offer similar warranties to the ones installed by legitimate companies. I am not convinced.

Does this seem like a good idea to you? Leave a comment and let me know!

Home Improvement- Staining our Deck Days Two and Three

On Saturday and Sunday, it was time for the main event- applying the stain. My husband picked out a redwood color and bought two cans based on the square footage of the deck. However that didn't take the railings into account so by the end of the project we ended up purchasing four cans of stain- unfortunately an overage on our budget.

The Behr stain
 

On Saturday, we tackled the railing and spindles. I didn't count the number of spindles, but it took most of the day. My husband was on a ladder on the outside and I was on the inside. It was a great opportunity for some deep conversations!

View from on the deck

View from the yard- partially complete

On Sunday afternoon it was time to finish the floorboards and the flower boxes and benches. We finished everything but a couple of the flower boxes and two benches.

Complete deck and some of the flower boxes. Still have to take blue tape off of the lights.

Completed deck!

So, all-in-all a successful and pretty thrifty project when you compare to the cost of hiring people to do it for you. Here is the equipment needed. We already had everything except the cleaning chemicals and stain.

- Pressure washer
- 1 container mildew cleaner
- 1 scrub brush for cleaning the deck
- 1 container pre-treater
- 1 tall ladder
- 1 large paintbrush attached to long stick for applying stain to floorboards and large areas
- 2 to 3 smaller paintbrushes for spindles and detail work
- Blue tape for taping edges against house and outdoor lights
- 4 cans deck stain
- Sheets and other drop cloths to keep stain off of house
- 1 weekend's worth of time

Home Improvement- Staining our Deck Day One

We couldn't put it off any longer- our deck needed to be re-stained. This is our third summer in our house and the deck was showing signs of age. Some boards had greenish mildew stains, the stain had worn off of some areas, and it was generally time for a facelift.

Before- note poor condition of floorboards

Before- Color was uneven on railing as well as floorboards

Before- Mildew and staining on parts of the deck

The first step was powerwashing (with a powerwasher borrowed from my in-laws) to remove as much dirt and mildew as possible. We then scrubbed the mildew stains with a brush using a special chemical and rinsed, then scrubbed the whole deck with a pre-treater to ensure the boards were ready to soak up the new stain.

Pressure washing

The floorboards after the chemical treatments.

So at the end of the day Friday we had a clean, prepared deck and we were ready to take on the actual stain application on Saturday... more to come!

Home Improvement- Staining our deck

I am too tired for much of a post tonight. For the past two days we have been working on cleaning and re-staining our backyard deck. A post or two with before and after pictures will be forthcoming. We are saving quite a bit of money by doing this project ourselves instead of hiring someone.... that's what I was telling myself today as I painted 50 or so spindles!

Meanwhile, here's a link to an article from The Wall Street Journal about talking to your kids about money:

"Daddy are we rich" and other tough questions