How are you spending your pennies?
Another week of not going anywhere and NOT shopping. Mostly. I did pick up my new glasses on Monday so I was out and about I also ventured out yesterday to pick up my glasses prescription because I'm going to try out some glasses from Firmoo. While out I looked at bed spreads. We need one it has to meet certain standards like being vaguely cat hair colored and other very. important. things. like non vile pattern and the like. So the looking and shopping has been going on for a while and I fear it will continue. Now I did find one but it was 120 dollars and I have HUGE HUGE problem with spending that kind of money on essentially a bed covering. I have been looking at thrift stores too, the right one will come along.
I've been really turned off by the local thrift stores, 15 dollars for used men's jeans is a crazy price, the stores are packed and I just can't make myself go. Maybe it's the time of year? Or the popularity of a certain Alaska Picker that makes people think their crap is worth way more than it really is? Or is it the stupid stupid song? I don't know I've been on a must avoid track for a while now stopping in once in a while to see whats new. (haha) The upside to this is that the house is not clogged with crap I don't need. Down side is my ebay sales are way down, I lose interest this time of anyway so maybe it's my natural progression? Who knows.
I've started a list which someone kindly drew all over
it has a number of things I need to get done before the remodel work starts/the snow melts. Add to that list mud in the living room ceiling because that has to happen too. I knocked a few OFF this list--I ordered the fabric to recover our couch cushions--yeah--cost a LOT but should last 20+years. I also went through our filing drawer made it usable again. The photo library has been worked on not finished but 3,000 plus photos deleted, that feels good. Progress feels good.
Caution the following pictures were snapped without clean up, prepping or anything. You will see our house in it's raw natural state. You'll also see the start of our remodel where we pulled the old ceiling down and the mud work or lack there of.
So we are reworking our kitchen a bit, building up the pantry in our mudroom and will access it through a door in the kitchen here
where the fridge is. You can actually see the masking tape on the floor behind it where that wall will be bumped out. It is our hope that all food will live here, bulk, home canned, dried-- ALL OF IT.
The fridge will be moved over here in the middle
and will be flanked with new, made by us, floor to ceiling cabinets holding all, dishes, pots and pans. I think the dishwasher will end up here as well, we have a sink over there so it has the water hook up and drain already in place.
The other side of the kitchen will have the range, the sink, a bank of windows, and all lower cabinets with rolling drawers. The upper cabinets int he corner will be gone and that will be windows and a nice long straight counter. The space as it is is unusable, it's too deep, too dark, and just wasted space that collects stuff waiting to go live somewhere else.
In fact ALL cabinets will have the big roll out racks for pots and pans or drawer bins so we can utilize our space to the max. Plus I have a HUGE Le Creuest addiction/collection/lustation so I want to keep them where I will use them. It feels like we are losing a LOT of counter space here
BUT we're gaining a LOT over here.
I think it will be an even trade with better flow.
From this picture here
directly in front of me is the main work space for the kitchen/breakfast bar/coffee bar/best place to do everything. It will be rebuilt as a movable butcher block table that all sides can be comfortably sat at rather than the awkward not able to put you legs under the kitchen side that it is now. It will be able to be swung around for parties and to simply change things up. We love to be here so I hope we can create something useful to replace/improve the spot.
Sorry to reuse a bunch of pictures but I wanted to lay out the idea of what we are working to do. We will do all the work ourselves as we've done so many times before. We borrow books from the library and read up and move forward. We have my husband's father who is AMAZING to work with come and help us when/if he can. And now we have our oldest son, working as a plumber's apprentice with the union, to come and help us when he can too. We need him to marry an electrician and we'll be set, hhahhahaa.
On to the giveaway winner! Jessica Fong from Chicago won the gloves! Jessica I sent you an email! You are going to love these glove, I do. Congrats Jessica.
How about linking up you thrifty nifty ideas? It can be thrift store scores(LUCKY!!!), ebay sales, menu plans or WHATEVER floats your thrifty boat. Last week we had great links like this one to Prepared to Eat about wasting less in the kitchen and this one to Cheerful Thrifty Door where she talks about rising costs at HER local thrift stores too. And many others too! Join the thrifty fun and link up!
Your kitchen is huge compared to mine!! I DO have an 8x8 walk in pantry which helps with storage (one whole wall is a peg board for hanging pans), but kitchen remodels are a great chance to personalize...good luck!! Definitely a SUMMER project.
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