Are you short on living space (or cash) but long on creativity? Whether you're getting your first apartment this summer or heading to the college dorm this fall, finding inexpensive (or just plain cheap) ways of decorating your place can help you keep your budget under control.
Here are some great ways to make use of objects frequently found in garage sales, garden stores, and grandparent's attics.
Cinder Blocks
If you have access to cinder blocks, you can probably put together furniture without bothering to own a hammer. Stack two cinder blocks side-by-side, with the holes facing outward and lay a third flat over their top to form a small side table next to your bed or sofa. The solid weight of the blocks means that they'll stay in place on any flat surface until you're ready to move them again. By facing the holes outward, you gain valuable cubbyholes that you can use to store papers, pens, or small electronics.
If you don't know where to find any free cinder blocks, home improvement stores sell them for around $2 each.
Wooden Pallets
Wooden pallets can be useful for a variety of needs—for example, they can make a great lift underneath a futon frame to give it additional height or even be used underneath a mattress and box springs in place of a bedframe. However, their biggest advantage, especially if you're living in a small space, is the ability to transform into shelving that can magnify your storage ability.
The can be left unadorned, stained a darker color, or turned any color of the rainbow with a little latex paint and hung straight on the wall with a nail gun or screws. That can transform them into bookshelves, photo stands, wine bottle racks and shoe trees.
To find free pallets, check around local businesses, especially if you see some stored in the back, outside. Some are more than willing to let you cart off a few. If not, inexpensive pallets can be bought online or at home and garden stores.
Plant Stands
Plant stands—especially the inexpensive metal kind—are easy to find (especially if you know anyone who has been less-than-successful at growing their indoor garden). The best part about them is that they come in all sorts of styles, from modern wire-framed types to vintage-looking pedestals with elaborate scrollwork. That gives you a lot of options to work with as you try to create a "look" for your place on a budget. Taller plant stands make excellent lamp stands, especially if you want to tuck one in a corner behind a favorite reading spot. Smaller stands can be used to display a favorite object or set next to the couch to hold drinks while you watch TV.
If you don't know anybody with a few extra metal plant stands sitting around their garage or attic, you can find endless varieties in most home and garden stores.
Share3 June 2016
Most of us take great pride in our homes and do everything we can to ensure its beauty and comfort. While attending to our home's interior, we sometimes tend to neglect the lawn, especially during winter. Since moving into my "dream home" I feel compelled to maintain the lawn and garden as impeccably as I do the interior. That's why I've hired a lawn care team to see that my landscape is in tip-top shape all year round. I've learned the importance of fertilization during the late fall and early winter. Keeping the lawn trimmed during those cold winter months will help, too. The experts even help prepare my lawn for the upcoming spring. During this time, family celebrations and parties are plentiful, and I plan to have the best looking lawn on the block. I can't wait for spring to come!
