large letters

so a big decorating trend these days have been using letters in your decor. I really liked that trend and picked myself up a B for my last name and display it on some floating shelves.

Here's a picture of my letter:


these letters are pretty elusive and hard to find now though. I mentioned before about shopping the end caps at Target and that's where this little guy came from. I can't remember the specific price I paid, but I want to say it was around the $5 range for this one. This was on final clearance. The only other place that you can find similar items right now that I've seen is (surprise surprise) pottery barn.


these letter range from $19-$24. However, there IS a great sale going on right now on them. They are currently $9.99-$14.99. Not a terrible price if you really want one, since they are becoming increasingly harder to find and are no longer available at Target.

I'd have to say that MOST of the things are purchase are on final clearance, and thus extremely hard to find. That makes it hard if you see something you really like on this blog, but there is a valuable lesson to learn in that. Be CONSTANTLY on the look for things you like, and then if you feel you wont die if you lose out, wait. Yes, you MAY miss out, but chances are you are going to get a really great deal.

dining chairs

I recently got a request to tell where I got my dining chairs from. Lucky for you, I was true to my frugal self (I get it from my dad) and they were also a great buy.

Here is a picture of my set:


Similar chairs can be found at pottery barn:


These chairs are $199, $269 if you want the arm chair.

Then I found this at JCPenney:


(don't worry, it comes in other colors) for $499.99 for the table ALONE (however it is currently on sale for $249.99) with the chairs being $129.99 (on sale currently for $79.99).

Now is the time for me to tell where mine came from and what I paid for it. Okay, first off, it came as a set. So no chairs sold separately, sorry. Secondly, the entire set was purchased for $150.00. Third, it came from... *drumroll*...


....


k-mart. Yes, K-MART. I could hardly believe it either. Before you snub your nose at k-mart, know that I've had this dining set for three years now, and it has held up BEAUTIFULLY. We still love it just as much as when we got it. It is somewhat on the small side, but it is PERFECT for our small dining space. So if you are looking, take a look at k-mart. My specific set isn't in stock any more, but there are some very similar sets there. The sets currently in stock are way less than the options above, but still slightly more than what I got it for. But hey, then I wouldn't have paid less than you ;)

Stainless steel trash can

simple human trashcans have been "in" for a while now. People love them. There are several great features of them, but the one that always appealed to me most was just how great they looked. I really wanted something that would look good and would be stainless steel to match my appliances in my kitchen since it had to sit out in the open because I didn't have any room in any cabinets in my kitchen.

The downside of these simple human trash cans is just how darn expensive they can be. This model:

retails for up to $179.99. Lets face it, not many of us are willing to shell that out for something designed to store your waste.

So wanting that look but not for that price, I set out looking for cheap alternatives. The answer came from my in-laws who said they saw some at Sam's Club. So Matt and I ran over to check it out the day we moved into our house and found a model we could live with. I think it fits in pretty nicely. Here's a picture of ours:


Now our trash can retailed for a little under $50. You tell me; is the difference worth paying so much extra? For me, it wasn't, and we love our trash can.

wine rack

alright, lets start with something I've gotten many questions and comments on.

This is my wall wine rack that stores bottles on top and glasses on the bottom


The most popular version of this item hails from Pottery Barn:


This pottery barn version retails $65.00 for each piece. My all in one piece is from Target, and it was about $10. This shelf, even at Target, usually costs more than that. However, whenever I am in Target I make sure to shop the end caps of the aisles. You can find all sorts of final clearance items there. That is where I found this shelf.

I found a similar option at Target online right now:

and this one retails currently for $44.99.

Next time you're in Target, make sure you shop the end caps of the aisle. They often wont have what you want/are looking for, but every so often you stumble upon an absolutely wonderful find.

introduction

There's nothing all that special about me. I'm a pretty average girl just living my life the best I can. Me and my husband live modestly, on an income that is enough to be comfortable, but certainly nothing extravagant. I love the look of nice things, but I am not willing to pay ridiculous prices for them. I've never been the girl to care about "name brands" or where things came from.. but the overall end look is definitely important to me. This blog is just a way for me to share my finds on things that are comparable to those expensive items, but that are much easier on the pocket. Hopefully someone can get some ideas and inspiration out of this, but most of all, know you don't have to be shoveling out the big bucks for the same nice look.