Thrifty Tricks for Home | Making This Home

How to : Furnish Your House with Old Furniture

July 28th, 2011

All of the guest writers that have dropped by to say hi on Making This Home these last few months have just AMAZED me. This next guest maintains that awwwe factor with a million awesome tips. Jane from The Borrowed Abode is here to talk about used furniture.

I’ll be honest; two months ago, I had no idea how much furniture cost in the US. I started fearing that Martin and I would be using cardboard file boxes for tables. Then I saw Jane’s living room…. Jane’s $750 living room. I just had to know…

Picking an Affordable Community : Europe

May 2nd, 2011

I thought we’d talk a little about pocketbooks today. You don’t have to be rich to get an apartment in two different countries. In fact, you and your partner could be a start-up business owner and student. (Not that you know of any two people with this combo!) ;)

It really all comes down to the numbers, patience, and certainly some luck.

First off, here’s our number one secret:

Small Living : How Small is Too Small?

April 20th, 2011

Sometimes I forget how much it costs to live in most cities. Take New York City for example. A reader named Anita directed me to this woman lives in a 90 square foot (8.36 square meter) apartment. She pays $700 a month:

(on youtube)

All I could think as I heard her story was, “She doesn’t know about Berlin.”

How We’re All Reducing Plastic Garbage (and a Winner!)

February 18th, 2011

Lots of little AMAZING bits to share with you today. (Not to mention a big cheer for the weekend!)

First up : the winner of five handmade produce bags from Flourish Pets & Home is Aimee. She says, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to make reusable gift bags, but I’m not much of a seamstress!” These bags should be just the ticket.

Menstrual Cups : Greener, Cheaper, + More Comfortable

February 2nd, 2011

The problem is that products like tampons and sanitary pads create a lot of trash. Even when you choose more environmentally friendly products that are 100% unbleached cotton or don’t have plastic attachments, those products still wind up in the garbage can.

Can you believe it? We’re each throwing away 16,800 pads or tampons. Over 12 million pads and 7 million tampons are heading to the US landfills alone.* Ouch. That’s killing our environment, and if you think about it, it’s not exactly cool for the wallet, either.

Celebrating Little Victories without Spending a Cent

September 17th, 2010

I think that one of the best gifts we can give ourselves is the brief celebration of something good.

Sometimes you read about these sorts of ideas – but they’re often associated to buying something like a latte, a manicure, or lunch out. You know what the best celebrations are in my eyes?

The free ones.

It’s hugging or shaking hands with someone you don’t see every day. It’s giving high fives for a new sale in your handmade shop or a credit card paid off. It’s getting a “woohoo!”