And.....we're BACK! To blogging and DIY'ing that is! It's been a wildly crazy few months around this old farmhouse.

The real estate biz is booming, the husband is working some crazy hours, and our piggy bank needed a little R&R.

Now that we've recovered (hardly) we've decided to take on yet another major project - the guest bathroom.

The former owners of our house got stuck with all the lame, no frills reno stuff (roof, patio, and the HardiePlank siding) while we've been stupid enough  lucky enough to take on all the cosmetic changes.

Over the last two years, we've completed a laundry list of projects including:

- First floor decorative mouldings
- Installing new hardwood floors throughout the entire house (I'm still in pain financially, emotionally and otherwise from this line item)
- Full kitchen reno (ditto to the pain part)
- Replaced nearly all light fixtures
- Painted the entire house (sans one room!)
- Replaced all mulch on the property with river rock
- Opened up two of the four original fireplaces (one now works!)
- Wall paper in dining room
- Sanded and stained stair treads
- Started (key word here!) repainting all of the original woodwork (this sucks, no doubt about it - it requires lots and lots of paint scraping, sanding, caulk - HORRID)
- Built radiator covers for all rads on the first floor
- Built backyard fire pit
- Built new outdoor sectional sofa

I'm sure I'm forgetting something; however - typing this all out makes me start to dream about a turn key, brand new townhouse....alas....I'm a glutton for punishment....

I digress.

The guest bath.

It's freaking ugly. And we all know that I don't do ugly when it comes to home decor.

So, we started the demo this week.

Currently the bathroom looks like this:

There was this horribly nasty plastic sheet crap on the walls - EW. We're going to use a classic white subway tile to surround the original cast iron tub (circa 1910):

Dog bomb + plastic sheet. Charley can take a pee on that plastic sheet for all I care.....

I found this is be comical - our "happily ever after" is currently a messy bathroom covered in smelly, old tub plastic and broken plaster.... I also have no idea what that freaky blue glow from the sink is. Glare? Nah - it's totally a sign from the DIY goddess that our new bathroom will be fab. Most def.

And...finally...the biggest and BEST discovery of all time:

SHIPLAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Was hiding behind a mirror!)

What is heck is shiplap, you say? Basically it is an AWESOME historic building material used in the late 1800's and early 1900's. It is generally pine, or some other cheap wood. The former owners of our farmhouse had painted the guest bath teal (look, I love me some teal - but not in a house that is 100+ years old that screams french country).......

Our interim solution to the teal equaled some lame tan to make the bathroom look a wee bit less horrid while we plotted our reno.

Now we've got two coats of paint to remove. FAIL.

Fastforward a few weeks and I'm hoping that our guest bath will look like this:

Picture graciously borrowed from here: http://hamptonshabitat.com/media_category/dune-road-revival/page/2/

DIY Outdoor Sectional!

Our deck needs a makeover - BADLY. We've spent a ridiculous amount of time (and dollar bills!) on the interior of our home; therefore it is now time to take a break  move the projects outside ;)

With the warmer weather approaching (all we can do at this point is HOPE that it stops snowing by May!) we've set out to create the perfect outdoor entertaining space......

Last year when we found an AAAAAMAZING outdoor sectional at Pottery Barn for the bargain basement price of roughly 4K our wheels started turning.....

Clearly, we aren't strangers to a little  a lot of manual labor around this place.....

Alas: http://www.iliketomakestuff.com/outdoor-sectional/

Cute, functional and a very doable DIY build.

Here is a preview of what we've completed thus far:
*Note we modified the plans slightly to build two separate pieces verse one*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2013 "Big" Project Photos!

2013 was the year of broken piggy banks and big changes. You've all seen the finished product - how about a little in-between fun?

Organized chaos? How about just chaos.....

Kitchen Project:
Photo 1 = In the process of refinishing the existing cabinets
Photo 2 = Running water line
Photo 3 = Post stove install. Honestly, that thing seriously weighs 600 lbs (just ask my husband and his good friend Gio - they'll confirm)
Photo 4 = Building the kitchen island. My amazing husband did this by himself, no joke.

 

 

 

 

 

Flooring Project:

Photo 1= Andrew installing the living room floors

Photo 2 = Our BFF for the weekend

Photo 3 = Floors going down in the hallway

Photo 4 = Extreme concentration required for the quarter round!

Photo 5 = My love for the almighty nail gun shows :)

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behold, chalk paint awesomeness!

Chalk paint is pretty much my BFF right now, and here are some reasons why:

• NO MORE SANDING, NO MORE PRIMER! (UM, hello - this is reason alone. period.)

• You can take the most ridiculous looking, FREE piece of crap from Craig's List, slap some chalk paint on it and miraculously make it an awesome looking piece of furniture. 

• It is easy to use, dries quickly and produces the most amazingly quirky finish.

• One quart of the stuff goes a LONG way. You could honestly paint pretty much everything in your entire house with a quart or two. Better pick a color you like!

• The finish holds up. I've painted pieces before with a combo of primer and outdoor latex and the results ended up being a wee bit underwhelming. Our most recent project (desk and desk chair - see below! Done by the amazingly fab Andrew Dylewski) is painted with chalk paint and the finish is holding up like a CHAMP. I put glasses with ice on the top of this desk, no issue!

My favorite chalk paint is made by Annie Sloan. She offers a wide array of colors, and the paint is really high quality (http://www.anniesloan.com/)

You can also make your own chalk paint (http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-i-make-chalk-paint.html) ....side note, this blog is AWESOME!).....and she also LOVES Annie Sloan ;)

Behold, our most recent chalk paint project!

Budget Breakdown:
The hubs found this bad boy FOR FREE on the good 'old CL (Craig's List). The chair I bought for $5.00 bucks at an antique shop......

Project total (hardware, chalk paint, chair, fabric for chair = $60.00!)


DESK BEFORE: (sorry this picture is fuzzy and saving weird, I give....). You get the idea though - it's fugly and VERY beat up.

 

 

DESK AFTER: (a 'lil chalk paint and new hardware makes this desk shine!) I have no idea why my pictures look fuzzy, ugh!

 

CHAIR BEFORE:

CHAIR AFTER:



It feels great to make something new again. Can't beat the bargain basement price either. Not too shabby!

 

 

 

Wallet Friendly Dinner Ideas

Well hello there Wednesday......

I'm taking a break from the budget busting series to share a few yummy (and super easy!) recipes that I've been adding to my repertoire.

Cutting down on your monthly expenses is MUCH easier if you make an effort to cook at home. I know many of us aren't blessed with the gift of culinary expertise, but that doesn't mean you have to spend the rest of your life eating from a box.

I find the majority of my recipes from either Eating Well, or Budget Bytes.

Over the last few months, Budget Bytes has been the place to be for me. Easy, quick and most of the recipes utilize several items that I keep on hand (canned tomatoes, veggie broth, etc.).

Below, I've listed a few of my favorites to get you started.....

Enjoy!

First up, chicken taco bowls. This is honestly SO easy. You dump all the ingredients into a slow cooker and BAM - deliciousness. We've had them twice in the last three weeks. Leftovers are perfect for lunch, and I swear - it is even better the next day!

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/07/taco-chicken-bowls/


Next up, the Spinach and Artichoke wonder pot. This recipe is AMAZING. Easy, quick and it tastes a fancier then it truly is. Easy on the wallet too!

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/10/spinach-artichoke-wonderpot/


And finally, a true staple in our house. It can be jazzed up with a few modifications. I had a friend serve it for a casual dinner party. To make it "dinner party worthily" she added high-quality mushrooms and topped with an expensive cheese (sorry parmesan, you aren't exotic enough!)

YUM! This is also a great option for lunches. It keeps well, reheats well, plus it is easy and delicious.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/skillet_gnocchi_with_chard_white_beans.html

Cheers to a delicious dinner!

Budget Buster Series - Part 2

Ok, so it's been a while - but I'm back on my soap box and ready to spew the second part of FHL's four part budget busting series.

Part two consists of "cutting corners" aka - spending less on all of those  "adult-ish expenses" (cable, groceries, utilities).

Let's start with food, because frankly, if you take a real look at your budget it's probably the area that is currently making your wallet explode at the seems. Have you ever really calculated how much your family spends on food on a daily, monthly or weekly basis? If you haven't - try it. You'll be amazed.

Brag-worthily moment: my weekly grocery shopping bill regularly comes to $75.00 or less per week. For those of you who don't know, I'm feeing two people mouths and three doggie mouths, which equates to a decent amount of grub required.....

Before I left my full-time corporate job, I budgeted $150.00 dollars a week for groceries and I ALWAYS spent it. I would mindless throw all kinds of goodies in the cart each week, only to mindlessly toss lots of stuff we didn't eat. Shameful, I know.

So, you ask - how does one avoid letting their weekly shopping trip break the bank?

PLAN YOUR MEALS! SHOP WITH A LIST! BUY STORE BRAND...............AND......

BRING A CALULATOR

 

Look, I know the last part makes people cringe. We've (Ok maybe we all haven't - I HAVE) judged the lady with 20 kids, a massive coupon organizer and calculator in tow but lets get real and realize that this lady it SMART! She doesn't waste money, and neither should you!

 

The calculator is KEY to keeping you on track. Watching that number grow really does something to your psyche (if you don't need it - don't buy it!).

 

The second "cutting corners" tip - haggle like you mean it people! Cable companies, natural-gas providers, etc. are all vying for your business- MAKE THEM WORK FOR IT.

 

Don't ever pay the advertised price for utilities. Call 'em up and tell them you're leaving. They'll get the message and you'll get some extra green in your pocket (disclaimer: this doesn't always work, and you may get someone with an attitude but for pete's sake at least give it a go! Wouldn't you be super peeved if you found out your neighbor was paying less for the exact same cable package? Use that thought as your backbone and have at it).  

 

Lastly,  take a long hard look at all of those other "no fun" monthly expenses. Cell phone bills, car repair bills, etc. Could you switch to a family plan to make that cell phone that much more affordable? Are you taking your car to the dealership for service (unless you drive a maserati I personally think you are just fine taking a visit to the local mechanic).

 

Remember, the less cash you spend on lame-o adult things, the more cash you have to spend on fun things :)

 

If all of my rambling wasn't enough budget busting advice for you, check out some of the help websites below.

 

 http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/lesson2/index.htm

(this one mentions "spending creep" which is totally a real thing. Ever heard the phrase "the more money you make the more money you spend".....it happens!)

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/budget/cut-grocery-bill-jan05

(this one mentions our good friend the coupon!)

http://momanddadmoney.com/negotiating-your-bills/

(the key to getting want you want - BE NICE! BE PATIENT, neither of which is particularly easy for me)

 

Happy Tuesday!

 

Budget Buster Series - Part 1

WASTING MONEY ISN'T GOING TO MAKE YOU RICH PEOPLE!!!!!

Now that we're living lush on a smaller income, I figured I would let you all in on a few  "budget busting" tips that I've learned along the way.

FHL'S "Budget Buster Series" will be made up of four parts:

(1) Three painless and EASY ways to start gaining control over the dollar bills you've got!

(2) Cutting corners (how to reduce your monthly "no fun" expenses: groceries, cable, all that jazz)

(3) Paying down debt (I am a self-proclaimed pro at this!)

(4) Taking a step back and APPRECIATING what you've already got (Do me a favor - clean out your closet. That blouse you never wore. Um, yeah - that was a WASTE of $$$$$)

Disclaimer : I am by no means (duh!) a financial genius, expert, planner or Suze Orman. I am merely a chick who loves to crunch numbers, land a deal and NEVER PAY RETAIL! 

Let's start with part one, shall we?

Three EASY, almost PAINLESS ways to STOP lighting a match to your HARD EARNED dollar bills (and, no I won't tell you to stop drinking lattes. I love lattes. The world loves lattes.  All lattes do not have to fall victim to your new fiscally responsible ways!)

- Carry cash. Debit and credit cards don't always feel like real money. Let's be honest with ourselves, shall we? Swiping is easy, handing over REAL, ACTUAL $$$ hurts a bit! No joke, I cringe at the thought of handing over cash, it is a horrible feeling!

 

- Have separate accounts for bills and fun. Your "bill" account is just that - an account for bills. Your fun account is where you can house your "play" money. Don't beat yourself up about using your play money. If you've paid your bills, funded your savings (even a tiny bit!) then you're allowed to give yourself permission to buy something you want. Go nuts with your fun money on lattes ;)

- Cook at home! I realize this isn't going to be "easy or painless" for some. However, eating out is EXPENSIVE. Especially if you've got little ones in tow, or a husband who wants an appetizer with every meal. 

See, that wasn't all that bad - was it? I didn't tell anyone to stop drinking lattes, or to hunker down in their house and wait to ever come out again until ever single penny of debt was paid off (I'd die in my house if that was the case!).

Happy fiscally responsible latte drinking to you all :) Stay tuned for part two of FHL's four part series!