Spendy McSpenderson: My Shopping Strategy

       I've certainly been talking a lot about all of the things that I've been buying or that are on my wish list. But before you go thinking that I'm a bit crazy with my shopping-for-home-stuff, and that I'm shopping us right into a load of credit card debt, I thought I should fill you in on how I shop, choose to spend our money, and my home decor buying tactics.  So here it goes.
       Our home is something that Jon and I both value greatly. We worked and saved very hard for many years to afford our home and we treasure it. Living in a rental killed us both. I hated looking at the dark dated paneled walls. Our porch was falling to pieces (one time, my dad was sitting in a chair and the chair leg literally broke through our deck board).  We want to love the place we come home to, and we want to have pride in our home.  And here, we do. We love our neighbors, we love our lawn, we love our blooming flowers, and we love the views from our windows. We just don't quite love the interior all that much, yet.
       Let me compare our home to hair. Most women spend a good amount of money to get their hair cut regularly. A good haircut makes us feel good. It gives us confidence. And we see the cost of a haircut as a part of normal upkeep. If you spend that money on your haircut, isn't it then also worth your money to buy the products to help style your hair? To wake up early and spend the time each day to do your hair? Don't you feel better as a result?  We spent so much of our hard earned savings on this house, and now it's time to expend the money and energy to make it look and feel just the way we want it to be. THIS is how we our choosing to spend our money currently, and we are willing to forgo other comforts to do so. We don't take vacations. I don't get my nails done. We never eat out at restaurants (I go out once every few months).  Our priority now is spending money on our home so that it's an inviting place for us, our friends, our children and their friends.
       So with all of this in mind, what is my approach to shopping and getting a good price? Furniture and home goods are an absolute luxury, and we buy only within our means (for the most part). We're not willing to assume debt just to have a great 10' leather couch (something that I'm wishing for for our living room, but is absolutely not an option). With our move to Truckee, we are much closer to Reno meaning we are much closer to retail shopping. But, because I have two kiddos who don't like perusing aisles for fabric, baskets and the like as much as I do, shopping isn't necessarily much fun for me. So my approach-I buy everything online. Everything.
       But before I ever click "Buy" I have several online shopping rules for myself. Here are some of those guidelines:

Rule #1-  I NEVER pay full price. Ever. There is just NO reason to. Retailers are running various sales constantly, and if you exercise a little patience, that must have item will be offered at a discount. If I can't get it on sale or at a discount then it's not worth it. So I put things in my shopping cart, and I wait. And I wait. And I wait. If it sells out before I can get it at a great price, then it wasn't meant to be. And I don't consider 10% off a discount. Sorry Charlie, I need bigger numbers then that. Trust me, something else that you love just as much will come a long...and you'll get it at a better price...which will make you love it even more.  

Rule #2- I comparison shop. I check out many a retailer for the item that I have in mind, before I'll settle on what I'm going to buy. I'll compare options at various price points to ensure I'm not over spending. I'll cruise Target, Ikea, WestElm, PotteryBarn, Overstock, Wayfair, BallardDesigns, Amazon, etc. etc. to see if there is a better option anywhere at a better price or to see if anyone is running a big sale. It takes a bit of my time, but come on, I love shopping, so it's pretty painless.

Rule #3- I sign up for emails. I receive emails from all my favorite retailers. Yes, it's annoying to have your inbox bombarded, but you also know about every sale that comes up, and you receive special offers. Sure, they are just trying to make you feel like a valued customer, and I know I'm just another number, but I'll take the extra 15% off, no problem. So....if you've been eyeing curtains at WestElm and you receive an email that you can get 25% off with the sale they're running AND free shipping (true story- more on those in a soon to be written post), then you just saved yourself some bucks. I constantly have a list of discount emails sitting in my inbox. I check when they expire, and then I  just keep them in mind when I'm out looking for things. Take our bamboo blinds (again, another post is in the works on those) as an example. I was looking for some for our three windows in our master bedroom. I checked them out at Lowe's while we were out shopping one day. I wasn't convinced that they were at a great price. So I came home and looked at Target (no luck), and then found several options on Overstock.com that I liked. Of course I had a 15% off coupon sitting in my email, so I saved myself $30.00 bucks on the purchase and took advantage of free shipping. Savings like that really add up.

Rule #4-  I rarely pay shipping. It's against my shopping religion. All retailers offer free shipping regularly, you just have to wait for it. So I do. If there is a minimum spend needed for free shipping I try to wait until I need several items from one place so that it all arrives to me for free. Sometimes shipping can cost $20.00+, and that is not a cost I'm willing to spend. And if I can't get free shipping (which some retailers don't like to offer), then I most likely am not getting the item. It's a deal breaker all of the time for me.

Rule #5-  I would rather spend $700.00 on something that I LOVE then a version for $500.00 that I like. I have learned this lesson time and time again in my life. If it's something that you'll be looking at day in and day out you will constantly be thinking to yourself "the more expensive one would have looked better" or "I don't LOVE those". Now of course, I would work to get the $700.00 version on sale, but that goes without saying.

Rule #6-  Can I find it on craigslist? I think I pretty much summed this one all up with that dining table that I landed. Craigslist is amazing. There are steals to be had. Go out and get yours.

Rule #7- Just because some thing is on sale, doesn't mean that you should buy it. This one gets a bit hard for this bargain hunter, I'm not going to lie. Sometimes the retailers just keep sending, and sending, and sending me discounts. How can I NOT buy something? As hard as it may be sometimes, I really try not to buy something unless I LOVE it. Not because it's currently trending. Not because I saw it in another bloggers home. I only allow myself to purchase if it's something that I can't stop thinking about it. When we moved into our house, USPS sent us a new home packet of retail coupons. I have those coupons for places like Pottery Barn Kids, Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel, etc. burning a hole in my wallet. But you know what, I shouldn't use them unless its for something that I'm dying for and/or needing.

Rule #8- Can I make that for less money? This is something that I always try to consider. Often, retailers are charging SO much for something that is so easy to do ourselves. For example, I saw these bulletin boards over at Ballard Designs for $89.00 (!!!) for the largest size:

Nothing earth shattering really, but they looked loads better 

then the ugly bulletin board that we had lying around, 

and I knew that I wanted to put ours to use in our Master Bedroom/Office. 

So mama got to work

(That's a very old photo of Jon, 

after having crashed his bike. 

I've tried to get rid of it.

Nolan loves it).

I picked up about $8.00 worth of fabric...

....you're going to have to wait for the afters, but it's done, 

and it's on our wall and it was a cheap easy project.

Rule #9- I allow myself a needed purchase every month. It's nice to collect things as we go and save them until we're ready to use them. For example, for our half bath makeover I have my new light fixture, the rug, and mirror all sitting in wait. When we get around to that project, we'll already have spent the money and it won't hit our pocketbook all at once. And yes...I nabbed them all on sale, and with no shipping costs. It also helps with that Ta-Da!, magic of TV, quick transformation effect that we all love. 

Rule #10- Big splurges are okay! It is okay not to be cheap. It is okay to spend some moo-lah on a splurge. Mixing low end and high end items are what give our homes a layered, lived in feel. If you purchase everything from Target and Ikea, your going to feel as if you're living in a big box store. If you LOVE something and time doesn't fade your love for that item, then save for it and splurge! But of course, try to get it on sale and layer any discounts that you can. 

       I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two, but they'll come to me. As much as I love shopping for our home, I always try to remember that things for our homes are really just "things." They aren't worth putting ourselves into debt. They aren't necessities. We can live, completely happy I might add, without all of it.  So when I say to myself, "We have to get rid of that giant 1990's box of a TV and get a flat screen," the reality is, we don't. We'll get there, but we can live completely comfortably and fine with that big ole' box until the time comes.

Mixed Bedding

       Welcome back to the house of very slow progress. Kids are certainly a distraction from getting projects done, but throw summer into the mix and it's hard to stay inside to make things happen. So to be frank, we haven't been (although Jon spent the better part of today wiring a new light in our kitchen, but I'll spare you that very riveting play by play) getting too much accomplished as of late. I have been working on my bedding plan for our new bed, and I thought I would share.
       I am not a fan of bedding sets. If you are, this is absolutely not meant to offend. There is really nothing wrong with them, but I personally prefer less of a match-matchy style of bedding, and more of a casual layered/coordinated bed. But because mixing and matching patterns is not really my expertise (I hope to get better at it!), it has been taking me some time to gather all of the pieces that I want. So lets start from the beginning of my brain process.
       After we opened escrow on the first house that flooded, I started getting the shopping itch and I started with new bedding. We had been using hand me down bedding from my sisters guest room for the past five years or so, so I figured it was time that we got to choose some bedding of our own. For Christmas, my big item from Jonny was some high thread count white sheets that I had picked out. I found this paisley-esque print quilt over at WestElm (they just started selling it again!) and I loved it, so I bought it. The sheets and quilt sat in our closet for five months waiting for us to find a new house after the other one fell through. It's been the inspiration for everything else I've been on the hunt for.

A while after I purchased the quilt, 

the shams that they sell with the set were on super sale so I bought two of them.

While this goes against my matchy matchy plan, 

they were coordinated but not identical and I really liked them

(and they were at a steal of a price!).

       Then my hunt for a duvet cover began. For some reason I got the idea for a grey and white striped duvet cover. I've never met a stripe that I didn't like, and I figured the pattern would help to hide spots. When it's something you'll be looking at every day, I figured that I should pick a print that I know I won't tire of. One day I was perusing PotteryBarn.com and I found just what I was looking for. But things never go that easily, do they? It was already sold out.

(They still have the blue and white version on their site, 

but I was pining for the grey option).

       I even called them (which I never do), and they said there were no plans for it to become available again. That left me to continue my hunt and consider some different options. I thought about a textured white duvet cover, and I picked one up while I was at target. It seems like every retailer on the web is selling a version of this so I thought I would give it a spin (This one is from WestElm). After getting it home and trying it on for size I realized it just wasn't the best option for us. I didn't love it, and because we have a bed loving lazy lab, I figured ours would be a dingy yellow in no time. So it was back to the drawing board. 

I continued hunting for a striped grey duvet. 

Restoration Hardware had a nearly perfect option, the problem being...the price. 

Even though it was (and is) on sale, and I found this in their

baby & child shop (which means they charge a tad less), 

I just couldn't justify spending that much. 

Shipping alone was twenty bucks. 

So I had to pass on it.

Then I decided to give Amazon.com a try. 

My new theory is always give Amazon a go. 

You never know what is going to come up. 

And you know what came up...

A grey and white striped Ikea duvet (not available at Ikea.com),

at half the price of what I was probably going to spend with all other retailers. 

Done and Done.

So now, with all of that grey and white going on, it's time to add in a 

dash of color and fun don't you think?

I decided that I would tie in some additional colors in my pillows, 

and I settled on  yellow as my color of choice. 

For the most part, I'm waaaaay over the very overdone grey & yellow  

color combo, but in this case, because it will be just a peek of yellow,

I think it fits the bill.

So I've been hunting for just the right yellow sham. 

I want the right texture (Linen? Quilted?), the right shade,

and the right price. 

It's not always easy to come by all three. 

I still haven't settled on just the right one, but some options I've considered:

WestElm

More West Elm

Pottery Barns Rustic Luxe Line

The verdicts still out on what I'll go with,

 so you'll have to wait for the big reveal to see what I choose. 

(FYI- We're not even close to a reveal).

Okay, okay, okay, the funnest part of my mixed bedding is coming up next.

Months ago I bought a behemoth bolster style pillow insert that is 36" long.

Retailers don't generally sell cases that size, 

so you know what that means...I get to make one.

(Which means I have to sew, which is a crushing thought, 

but I think I can handle a pillow cover).

And it also means that I've been looking at fabric for just the right cover. 

And get this...I'm going floral (shh, do NOT tell Jon). 

I think.

I'm sure "floral" will make some people cringe, 

and I didn't even know I liked the idea myself

until I gave it a chance.

At first I was considering this one,

but when I went back and looked at again

 I knew that it wasn't quite right.

I found many other options that I loved

but most came with big price tags so they weren't realistic.

 I think in the end

 what I've settled on is this one:

It's affordable, it's pretty much exactly what I was looking for, 

and it's unexpected. 

I love something unexpected in a room.

I haven't yet ordered it (one thing at a time),

but I'm getting close.

       This past week was my first week at work and it was fine, but it was challenging. It's making me re-evaluate how we want to proceed living with two young kids, and it's made me really think about what our quality of life is with us both working full time.  I'm drained when I get home. House projects aren't even an option. I have limited energy to give the kids. So we are going to have to look at some things and decide if we value the comforts of two incomes or if we value low stress levels, more energy, and better time spent as a family. We will have to work to find that balance. 

Blessed

       For some reason, with Quincy's arrival, I've learned more about how precious time really is with our little ones. They. Grow. Fast. Like, real fast. And because I have so very much loved my time at home with the kiddos the past few months, I wanted to capture that on film. The other day, while Jon was at work, I laid out a blanket (it was actually an area rug that I bought when I was living in Ecuador) and grabbed the camera. I put some clean jeans on Buzz and a white onesie on Q. Nolan was happy to oblige me (which is rare), and I'm very glad that I took advantage of his good mood. Out of the whole bunch that I took, I'd say only one was in focus and captured both kids at their best. There are shadows, there are closed eyes, and there is fussing. But that's the nice thing about photos of your own kids; each photo looks great, no matter how imperfect it is. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

And this one was my very favorite.

You might be seeing it again, framed on our wall.

Blessed is an understatement.

       Right now my whole family is in Tahoe for our annual vacay, so I'm off playing at the beach right now. I return to work on Monday, the thought of which has been making me nauseous for weeks. I am extremely attached to my baby girl, and her and I have spent very few hours apart since her birth (I'm estimating a total of only about 10 hours in over five months!).  I'm expecting it to take me (and the family) a week or two to adjust to having me back in the working world. Wish us luck on the transition!

The Master Plan

        We're jumping around a lot on our project to do list. A little bit of Quincy's closet, with a dash of workshop progress, with a touch of bathroom planning. Hopefully you're keeping up. I think that's just how we roll. We're too excited to concentrate on just one thing for too long. For some reason we have kinda gotten an inch to start on our master bedroom. I've been piecing together ideas for a while now, and I think most of my decisions are pretty solidified at this point. So it's full steam ahead with putting our Master Plan into action, and I thought I would share.

       This is how the master was looking when the previous owners were still living there.

Their window treatments were blocking out a lot of needed light, 

and their furniture layout was not the best use of the space.

This is how the room has been looking since we moved in.

Paint samples on the wall.

Hand me down furniture.

A napping husband and dog.

Here's the view from our bed. 

Not exactly the prettiest set up going on.

(Side note: Jon just saw this picture and kinda sorta begged me

not to share this with the public. Sorry Hun, it's reality and bad befores

do make for better afters!)

       What we like about the space: It features a great wood beam ceiling which gives some interest to the room. It also has three windows which seem to let in a fair share of light, and we get to wake up to views of our trees. The room is plenty spacious for us, and though its on the long and narrow side, we've got no complaints. 

       What we don't like about the space: It unfortunately has the same steely blue gray carpet that resides in the rest of the house. The light fixtures are screaming to be replaced. The wimpy baseboards were an afterthought and they never bothered with upper molding. And finally, the master bedroom was never closed off from the master bathroom (that's the opening you can see above on your right).

       So want is the master plan?

1.        For the walls, the top half will be covered in Benjamin Moore's Mount Saint Anne, while the bottom half will be dressed in white planks. As for other colors you'll see in the room there will be lots of navy, taupe, creams, and white. I had toyed a lot with the idea of navy walls, but because I don't want the space to read too dark, I think the blue gray that I've chosen will be a better pick.

2.        I've been stalking these West Elm curtains for a while now. I need five panels to handle our three windows which gets a bit pricey. Each time I go back to see if they've been marked down (which is pretty much daily), I love them more and more.  I'm happy to report that I just ordered them, as they were finally on sale! I'll be pairing them with bamboo blinds, as I plan to add to most windows in our house.

            I finally settled on these antique bronze wall sconces by Crate and Barrel, to replace the very outdated wall sconces currently dressing our bedroom walls. Now I just need them to go on sale so that I can bring them home. Then there's the barn door.  Jon's going to be building us one to cover up the open view to our master bath. Not exactly sure how we want to finish the piece (paint the wood? stain? El natural?, etc.), but we'll make that decision as the room comes together.

3.  Against the far wall will be our sleeping area. We're going to re purpose our current wood bed frame into an upholstered head and foot board, and we'll be keeping my grandma's antique mirror above the bed. Originally I was set on a navy blue fabric, but this neutral linen reflects the calmer mood I am looking to achieve. I've been working on mixed bed linens to achieve a relaxed and layered bed- I just need to order a couple more items!     

       That antique bronze wall sconce is something that I've been dreaming about for a while now, and it's finish will speak to the wall sconces that I've chosen. I've been comparison shopping, and I think this is the one I've settled on. It will flank one side of the bed, while the other side will have a table lamp (I'm trying to balance out the window on the right side of our bed). Finally, handyman Jon's going to be building us custom night stands based on plans that I've found online.

4.  Our room is long and spacious. Because we don't want to set up an office in our main living room and we're kinda tight on square footage in general, we determined that this would be the best spot in the house for an office nook (In this day and age, I think all home floor plans need to include a little space dedicated for an office) . Jon will be building a white built in desk with two work stations, and above that will be a functional and handsome bulletin board, a gallery wall of art and photos, and another one of my pretty little sconces. 

Initially I was convinced that I wanted to paint the walls in a similar fashion

to this room done by Sarah Richardson.

Dark below, light above, with a nice neutral rail to break them up.

I had Jon on board as well.

But then I saw this image

of an in-progress room by Milk and Honey Home.

It sold me.

I've loved this look over and over again,

so why not make it mine.

Delish paint color above, and white planks below. 

It looks clean, and crisp and sets a nice base

for layering in lots of textures and pattern.

This was done over at House Tweaking as well,

and I loved the impact that it had in their mudroom.

       We've decided to wait a couple of weeks before we begin the painting/paneling process. After I've gone back to work, and we've gotten through the Fourth of July, my birthday, and Nolan's birthday, then we'll be getting the paint on the walls! In the meantime, I'm working on collecting lots of the layering elements that I'm hoping for in the room. Some other inspiration images that I've been drawing on for this space are below.

Barn door with oil rubbed bronze hardware.

Check.

To balance out the large window to the right of our bed (see image above),

I want to hang an art piece above the nightstand on the left.

I'm on the hunt for just the right piece

that will tie in all of the colors we're working with.

Mixed Bedding and Bamboo blinds.

Relaxed and welcoming.

(This image has been a very popular one over on pinterest, so you 

very well have already seen it.)

Wall sconces. 

Check!

Some other bedrooms that I've been ogling over for a while:

I'm thinking that with all of my calm choices,

an unexpected rug like below would be an awesome addition.

This makes me very much want a wicker trunk 

as a sidetable somewhere in our house.

A great mix of textures and a refined casual feel.

Light and airy.

       Are you tired yet? Yeah, me too. We'll call the above phase one, as the floors won't be tackled until further down the line along with the master bathroom. Putting everything together will certainly take some time and energy (both of which are very limited resources at our house), but I think that after the walls are all done, a lot of things will come together pretty easily. Just don't except a big ta-da moment anytime soon, because unfortunately this isn't a thirty minute tv show. 

What do you like and dislike about your sleeping quarters?

1st Annual Camping Trip at the Lake

       I love me some tradition. Tradition was a gift that my parents gave to me, and it is a gift that I very much hope to give to my children. I think that it's one of the greatest things that we can leave to our kids, and it really only takes a little bit of energy and time to make. For several years Jon and I have gone up north the first weekend of October for a group golf weekend organized by some Tahoe City locals. And for several summer's now my whole family clan (including lots of little cousins) has come to Tahoe to stay and vacation for a week.  Jon and I are also hoping to keep up a tradition for our little family, of traveling to the coast around Easter time. For several years, Jon and I have been talking about starting a camping tradition with all of our friends, and by golly, this year was the year to get it going.
       All of our friends here work crazy varying schedules. This isn't a Monday-Friday kinda town. Lots of people work weekends, during the holidays, or overnight, so sometimes it's hard to wrangle us all together at a convenient time. A couple of months ago I started the process of organizing a group camping trip so that we could get it on every one's calendars early.  We decided on early June, before every one's summers got too busy. We settled on Sugar Pine Point campground, which is on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, and about an hours drive from our neighborhood. We figured with a close location, people could come and go from work if they had to. It ended up being only a one night trip, but it was loads of fun while it lasted. The days prior to the trip were unusually hot, but that all changed once we got to camp.

One of Nolan's best friends, Isla, was there. 

These two are turning out to make great playmates.

They got dirty and wet.

Just as they should.

Hmmm...I wonder if these two might be going to prom together in about sixteen years?

It wouldn't have been a camping adventure without a bear

checking out our site. 

This little guy got scared when the guys approached

and he scurried up a tree. 

A tree RIGHT above our tents. 

Luckily, we gave him enough space and he came down in time for us to go to bed.

The next morning was a lazy one. 

Lots of coffee was had.

Pajama's were worn.

The youngest of the tots was Lyla girl.

Somehow my child ended up far dirtier then any other being there.

Including the four dogs.

I definitely took advantage of all of the willing hands. 

Quincy got passed around a lot. 

It was a wonderful little break.

Good morning sunshine.

Jon was a little rough around the edges when the sun came up.

Did I mention that I was the only one there not pregnant.

Yep, the four other ladies were all expecting.

More wine for me.

Quincy made an exceptional camper.

Don't act like you don't have a friend that dresses like a rodeo clown too.

Buzz was in heaven the whole trip.

       After most families had cleaned up in the morning, some of us headed to the beach while some headed home. At the beach, we were met with lots of big imposing thunder clouds. You could see rain in the distance. We tempted fate by sitting on the beach waiting for it to reach us. Luckily, it didn't. 

                  

       After some beach time, a few of us headed back for lunch at the campsites. And wouldn't you know it, we pushed our luck just a bit too much. As we started to pack up our site, it started raining and hailing. Jon and I threw the kids in the car, while we huddled under a tree, trying to pack and organize what we could. Let's just say, it was a mess. After twenty minutes of a downpour, our campsite (and tent) were under water. We high tailed it out of there as quickly as we could, and were very happy to see our house (and dry clothes) when we made it home. This is our third camping trip in a row where we have been caught in the rain! Hopefully next year we'll fare a bit better!