You Ask, I Answer - Part Three

How do you convince your husband to let you buy expensive stuff?
I'm struggling over here.

&

How do you afford all the cute stuff you buy for your house and for the fixer-upper?
I'd love to do all the cute things you are doing, but finding the $$$$ makes me feel like I'm seeing stars.

Hmmm, I think the answers to both of these questions have a few different factors so I'll try my best to explain them all. Here we go. Get ready for the longest explanation of all time.

My weakness is decor stuff. I keep our local Homesense in business. Many other girls I know have other girlie things that they like to buy with their spending money: makeup, shoes, purses, clothes, wine, etc. Up until yesterday when I decided that I was going to update my wardrobe and start liking grown-up purses, I rarely spent any money on any of the above items. My makeup routine is simple and includes foundation, mascara, blush, and lip gloss all of which you can buy at Wal-Mart. I have two shades of nail polish - pink and clear. I've had the same Roxy purse and runners for over a year and a half. I've been buying my hoodies at Costco lately and if you haven't been, they are usually only $19.99!!! I've never been a big drinker and so a box of four Smirnoff Ice lasts me about a year. Since I don't spend a lot of money on shoes/purses/makeup/clothes/booze (but that is about to change since I am now a huge fashionista) I guess I don't feel guilty when I go into Homesense and spend $20 on a basket here or $30 on a lamp there. So that explains how I am able to purchase the little trinkets and doo-dads.

Now, what about the big items. Up until my recent maternity leave, Alex and I both worked full-time and made decent salaries. Not to toot our own horns but I think collectively we're pretty good with our money. Correction: Alex is pretty good with our money, hahaha. Aside from one of our vehicles and our house (oh yeah and now The Fixer Upper) we don't have any debt. Because we bought our home at a really good time, in a small town outside of the city, and with lots of TLC needed, our mortgage was a lot less than it could have been. To be more specific, the bank approved a mortgage of X dollars and we bought the house that was listed for only half of that amount. Since we didn't become house poor, we were/are able to spend the extra money to renovate and decorate.  

Now, because we take sooooo long to renovate, the trips to Home Depot and Lowes are spaced out. Alex will buy insulation one weekend, some 2x4's a few weekends later, the paint a month after that, so that we never seem to be dropping thousands of dollars in a week to update a room, build the deck, or finish the basement. I'm sure it all adds up to the same amount in the end but when it's broken up into manageable amounts of money over time it just doesn't seem like we're spending that much. Does that make sense?

You know how I'm SUPER picky and indecisive about decor-related items? Well that means that I've probably looked at and or talked about the "big" items about ten thousand times before I actually ask if we can get it. For a more specific example, I've wanted a rug for the living room for a very, very long time. The style of rug that I like (natural fiber/jute) is hard to find. My only options were ordering online from Pottery Barn or driving down south. Last summer I saw the rug of my dreams at Muskoka Living Interiors. It was expensive. I ooooohed and awwwwwed and really wanted to get it, but I didn't. I talked about it and talked about it and talked about it some more for over a year. When we went back this summer and I showed it to him again, he knew that it wasn't just an impulse buy and that I really and truly wanted it for the house. I had to bat my eyelashes and tell him that I would spend less on groceries but he finally agreed. I guess what I'm trying to explain is that I will wait and wait and wait for what I really want if it's on the expensive side. I know people that have gone out and spent thousands of dollars in a day to buy an entire set of furniture for their living room. I just shop slowly and surely instead.

Also, when it comes to decor items, I'm all about finding cheaper versions of things that I've seen online or in expensive stores. If I can find a lamp, shelf, picture frame, basket, or mirror at Homesense then I'll buy it there. I will rarely buy those things at expensive stores like Pottery Barn. As for furniture, I try and buy old, solid wood furniture that I can fix up the way I want it. All of the dressers in our house (that I actually like) were either found on the side of the road or scored from an antique shop for $100 or less.  

Basket from Homesense - $29 ----- Basket from Pottery Barn - $130

Ledges from Michael's - $26 each ----- Ledges from Pottery Barn - $85 each

Wire Shelf from Homesense - $49 ----- Wire Shelf from Restoration Hardware Baby - $199

Couch from Ikea - $449 ----- Couch from Pottery Barn $1693

I hope I don't give off the impression that our house is filled to the brim with awesome, expensive stuff because that just isn't the case. We have a double bed in our spare room that is on a metal frame with no headboard or footboard. Our basement t.v. stand is the Hemnes one from Ikea. The dresser in our bedroom is a seventies one (eeeek) that's been painted white for us to use until we find a large one that we really like. Our couches are all the cheapest Extorp ones from Ikea. The table in our breakfast room was repainted and recovered because my mom found it on the side of the road. The list goes on and on.

{And if I'm being really truthful, I used to buy things on my credit card, sneak them into the house when Alex wasn't home or wasn't looking, and then tell him my credit card bill was for groceries and gas. Since I've "matured" and am all about being "open and honest" (tee hee) I don't do that anymore. Instead I sneak them into the house and then show him when he's in a good mood. Bahaha! Okay I don't do that anymore either. He kept getting mad at me anyway.}

I really do hope that answers those two big questions. If I was vague about something you can always ask me to clarify in the comments section, mkay?

Alright, I'm off to go fix up the front yard that I've been avoiding like the plague since it was mutilated by the hailstorm a few weeks ago. Our yard is ugly now. Booooo. 

Related Posts Here:

You Ask, I Answer - Part Two

You Ask, I Answer - Part One

Ask Me a Question, Mkay?