New Kitchen courtesy of Resale

I've just gotten home after a full day family fun. My only disappointment today was the realization that I was 100 tiles shy of refinishing the bathroom.

Today we visited Re-Store. Re-Store is a resale store featuring items needed to remodel an repair homes. Everything is donated or rescued from the dumpsters at job sites. This wonderful store is run laby Habitat for Humanity and everything you purchase goes to funding new homes for people that need them!

After spending 2 hours sorting through 8x8in tiles I finally realized I would be 100 tiles short of the 260 I need. *sigh* Oh well, I can try again later.

Stay green, Yasha

Another score!

This "dumpster" score brought to you by a closing daycare. Any time a day care or preschool closes, moves, or wants to update equipment check with them to see if they are willing to part with older equipment and toys for cheap or free.

Here are some things I acquired for free:

 A Swing! Hooray! This one works!








A sink and Stove combo! I'll have to build a refrigerator and install some shelves under the sink for storage but it's very promising!







Some things I scored from dumpsters and lucky finds!

 Lucky Find! A Friend found this for me and saved it! It's a child's card table with matching chair.

 That same awesome friend found this couch for the kids. It was actually less stained before my kids got a hold of it!

 My Luckiest dumpster find! A working non smelly couch! It's lazy boy brand and works perfectly. I couldn't figure out why they tossed it except that it was stained and had a few tears.

And a like-new very sturdy bookshelf for the kids!

Stay green,
Yasha

Use It Up, Wear It Out...

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. That's what grandma said right? I try to take it to heart at our house so food, clothes, and other assorted things don't usually get wasted.

This is a big reason I shop used stores. I feel bad paying full price for kids clothes that I know they will grow out of before they get a hole in them.

I've scored pretty big over the years by shopping used but the biggest score is using it until it wears out completely. Take these shoes for instance. My favorite sandals have lasted me 4+ years of heavy wear. These poor shoes are practically the only thing I have worn in warm weather during that time.

It may now be time for new shoes but by using up my shoes until they have completely worn out I have probably saved about $40. That isn't much to some people but it's a day's worth of meals for my family.

Hope this inspires you to keep something a bit longer than you would normally!

Stay green,
Yasha

The coffee table said what!?

Well let me just go deal with that!

Ok I'm back and I think the coffee table took the worst of it. Ok, ok. I'm not punishing the family coffee table. I'm merely bringing it new life. Follow along with my sporadic posts as I refinish this wonderful piece of history. Well it should be history. At least if you consider a hand me down from your mother in law a piece of history.

Step one: Sanding off the old finish.
We'll call this step half done.

My "new" old picture frames

I have some old picture frames that just don't match. You know the kind, every shape, size, material, and color ever thought of. Some how my taste has changed over the years and I decided to buy new frames while never throwing out the old ones.

I finally got fed up with my frame fetish and decided to fix the problem only to discover a new and much larger problem.

I'm broke.

So what to do? What to do? Hmm... Don't I still have a can of spray paint around here somewhere? I do. I do! Hooray!

I am now the proud owner of 7 "new" black frames. All it took was a little bit of time and effort. No my frames don't all match in size or shape but they are all the same color. It gives it a kind of eclectic feel without being overwhelming. Since the color scheme in my living room is pewter and black this worked out pretty well for me.

Tips for decorating on a tight budget:

• Look around. You may have something you can use. The picture frames and spray paint I already had.
• Check resale, yard sales, and charity stores. Since I'm painting all the picture frames the same color and don't care if bevels or sizes match I could get any frame I want.
• Redefine your limitations. For the longest time I wanted frames from only one collection. One shape, one size, one bevel. I'm much happier with reusing my old frames and actually being able to display my pictures than having to wait and save up to buy the new frames at $8 a pop.

My next project will be a DVD stand that currently has a wooden finish. It will soon be black to match the rest of the living room!

Stay green,
Yasha

Recycleween

How is that costume coming along? Already made it? Yes, I said made. I love this costume I saw at Gymboree but balked at the $50+ price tag for all the parts. Although the material looks like it could stand up to multiple kids using it I would have to have quite a few before I could justify that price.

So I've done what any cheapskate would do. Wait for it to go on sale. Well I've waited and waited and the lowest price I can get on it is still $30. Not good enough.

I went to Target yesterday for some groceries and looked through the dollar items. You know that stuff placed conveniently close to the front door. I found most of the parts to costume in 5 minutes and only spent $3! Now all that is left is a skirt and shoe covers.

Went to Hancocks today and found the perfect fabrics! only $3.36 +tax. One was 50% off the other 75% off!

I'm happy with how the costume has turned out and I'm just ecstatic about the price! I'll post a new picture of it when I get the skirt done.

Stay Green,

Yasha



$3.67 for 1yd green sheer and 1/2yd
orange shimmer. Total so far $7.01.

$3.34 for the hat, shirt,
and leg warmers.


















The Skirt



All together!

Want to make your own but don't know where to start?

Try these places:

The Daily Green: Recycled Halloween Costumes!

Instructables.com: Halloween Costumes

etsy.com: Halloween