LHOTR - stuff

Rule #1 at the house: if serving more than four, we use paper as a courtesy to the hostess. 

Otherwise, check out my chic budget style.  

Even though my head was telling me to wait, I couldn't help myself and splurged on new dishes for the cottage shortly after we made an offer. The carefully curated, budgeted style seen above came courtesy of the Dollar Tree, where every piece was $1; I got a four person, three piece place setting for $12 new. Since we have an abundance of coffee cups, I opted to skip purchasing mugs which are usually included in matched sets. 

I recently read an article on the psychology of shopping at dollar stores, which replaced the traditional five and dimes in American culture. It's considered a place where "even the most budget conscious can feel like they are wealthy," according to one study. Considering the fact I walked out of there with a new set of dishes, as well as a set of dish towels, and a set of cooking utensils for under $25, I would have to agree with that, as well as feeling like I was a savvy consumer.

You're not going to believe the bargain I got while garage sale-ing. 

Determined to reuse/recycle to make the cottage our own, I decided to peruse area garage sales in search of the other things we may need, such as a coffee maker and crock pot. These items were harder to find, as seller wanted too much money for things that were worse for wear, and frankly not that clean.

Still determined to find something of value on my hunt, I drive by a house where a woman is dragging a couch to the curb. I do a u-turn. No sign on it, so I go up to the house to ask her how much. "If you can get it in your truck, it's yours!" she said. Flip the seats, move the skates to the front seat, and it's in my truck in no time flat. Left it out in the garage for a couple of days in case of fleas or bugs, then moved it into the house to start the cottage pile. 

FREE - the beautiful blue fainting couch, my little reading nest for this winter, was FREE. I already have a basket prepared that will slide under it, stocked with girly spa things. 

Random drive-bys of garage sales has also given us a set of canisters that are old Kuzee Nut jars, and two knife blocks for $2, giving us the luxury of ditching knives from that are of no use and keeping the ones that are for a fraction of the cost. 

Shop the basement. 

And finally, why buy when we already have it? Having a big house and being married a long time means we have stuff, lots of stuff. We have been diligent over the years in parting with our excess, but after our offer was accepted and we started splitting things up (one saucepan for here, one for up north), we realized how much stuff we really had. So many glasses, mugs, platters, pitchers, and party trays. And ice buckets, why do we own so many ice buckets?! 

What's more is the agreement we signed was for the house, property, and all the content. I can see us keeping some of the housewares that are currently in the garage and I like the purple comforter, but we are going to attack the place like an episode of Hoarders, and throw down some keep, donate, throw away tarps before we get settled in.