Restoring the garden

Looks can be deceiving since you can't see the HUNDREDS of bulbs still under that mulch. It's a little embarrassing, but our front flowerbed got completely neglected this spring. Yes, we were those neighbors.

Do you see Big Brown Dog in the window?

I was desperate to tidy this up, so J and I ordered flowers and grasses from Burgess. We ordered a TON of plants. Silly us, we were expecting a pallet of plants to be delivered. You can imagine my shock when we received a plastic bag in the mail containing tiny bags of roots, tubers and bulbs.

This is not a bag of drugs, I swear.

Seeing as how the above package of plants wouldn't fill in the flowerbed, we took a day trip to Woldhuis Farms. It was gorgeous there! It'd be a lovely place to tailgate if you brought a picnic lunch. Even Baby Z had a good time!

J fought the rain and was able to dig up the front flowerbed and expand it. We used newspaper instead of landscaping fabric to save on the total cost. We did add the Burgess flowers in here as well, but they are harder to see.

Use newspaper instead of landscaping fabric.

The final product is lovely. The plants are still small, but they are all perennials that should do excellent in this area and mature into a lovely cottage garden.

 

$80 Burgess plants
$75 Woldhuis Farms plants (there are more plants not pictured that will go into another flowerbed)
$25 Mulch
-------
$180 garden restoration


Do you have a favorite gardening tip for a newbie?

Laura, in the living room, with the candlesticks

I once read from another blogger that if you are in the store and you can't stop thinking about an item, just get it (if it's in your budget). That's how it was for me with these country crackle candlesticks.

Country crackle! These would look awesome with our aqua wing back chair, which is hiding under a slipcover

 I saw these at a thrift store for $1 each and I found myself going past them multiple times. In their original 90s state, they weren't my taste, but I loved the shape. So, in my cart they went!

They reminded me of the Harrison Black Pillar Candle Holders from World Market (which would have cost me $52 + shipping).

 Found some $0.89 craft paint in my craft supplies. Three coats later ...

Looks a bit Victorian Gothic right now. We have to cottage it up.

See the midcentury bookcase bar in the reflection?

The gold mirror will need to be replaced with something less ... gold ... and preferably round. I'm still waiting to find the perfect option in our budget.

Candlesticks = $3
Black paint = $0.89
Candles = $1.50
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Total = $5.39

Bookcase Bar Makeover

Turning a bookcase into a bar is simple.

We purchased this midcentury bookcase off Craigslist for $40. It was called a china hutch, I believe. I removed the glass doors that were once it, gave it a good scrub and added a seersucker fabric that I already had to the backing.

The Threshold Bronze Stackable Wine Rack was purchased from Target for $20. We are only using one of the two racks it came with. The wine bottle basket was purchased from Marshall's for $6.

Bottom cabinets allow for storage of table linens while the little drawer stores bar accessories. 

Midcentury bookcase into a bar.

Wine bottle basket for $6 holds open bottles of wine.

Everything you need for after-dinner drinks.

Lower cabinet stores extra glasses and table linens.

See that red spot? This is why you don't store open wine on its side ...

My grandmother's gold rocks glasses.

 

Bookcase = $40
Wine rack = $20
Wine bottle basket = $6
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Total = $66

Now I just need to score a sweet deal on an ice bucket and we'll be all set!

We're full of excuses

When I tell people that we are striving to get out of debt and the things we do to achieve that goal, they first look at me like I just told them we plan on moving to Mars. Then they start with the excuses.

We all have excuses, but it takes guts to toss the excuses and stomach reality.

Here are the common excuses I hear:

#1 I need a smart phone for work, I can't get rid of my plan.

That's not true (well, you may need it for work, but you can totally scrap that plan). Let's say you have AT&T.

Your AT&T monthly plan
$70 unlimited minutes
$50 5GB of usage
$20 unlimited messaging
-----------
$140 total

Option One: 
Switch to Straight Talk monthly plan
$45 unlimited everything
-----------
$45 total


Option Two:
Switch to Republic Wireless monthly plan
$19 unlimited everything
-----------
$19 total

Your possible monthly savings = $121

#2 I need a good car for work, so I don't mind having a car payment.

Ugh. Stop. Be honest, you just don't want to roll up in a car with mutli-colored parts and an awkward thumping sound.

Your $350 car payment plan
You have a car, but you don't own it. Woo hoo!
-----------
$350 total

The clunker plan
Sell your new car. Any. Way. You. Can.
Buy a car for $1,000 (3 months of car payments).
Put $100 into a savings account each month for car maintenance and eventual car replacement. You should be doing this with a new car as well for maintenance.
-----------
$1,000 initial investment


Your possible monthly savings = $350

#3 I could never part with cable -- I have to unwind with television at the end of the day.

Sure, I get that ... to an extent. I like to let my brain melt for a little while as well, but you don't need cable to do that. We do Netflix and Hulu and that's more than enough.


Your AT&T monthly plan
$60 per month
----------
$60 total


Netflix and Hulu Plan
$8 Netflix
$8 Hulu
----------
$16 total

Your possible monthly savings = $44

If you do all three of these, you could save $515 per month. That's a lot of money. How much money?

If you have a $15,000 student loan at 6.5% interest rate with a $150 minimum payment:

You only pay the minimum
12 years of payments
$6,663 of total interest paid

You add your $515 monthly savings
2 years of payments
$1026 of total interest paid


So in the end, your $515 in savings each month saved you over $5,000 and 10 years of payments (not to mention the interest you saved by selling your new car and the months of payments saved there).


This is just a tiny glimpse of how making small sacrifices pays off in the ending. As Dave Ramsey would say, delaying pleasure is a true sign of maturity. Stop making excuses, stop being a coward and start making changes for a better future.

Note: I am not a financial consultant. These numbers are calculated by me. To get accurate advice for your situation, contact a financial planner.

Save that water!

If you're like me, you tend to run the water to let it warm up before hopping in the shower. Instead of letting that water run down the drain, gather it in a bucket.

Save that cold water!

Take the bucket outside after your shower and give your plants a drink!

Give your plants a drink.