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Welcome Frugalistas!

What exactly does frugal lifestyle mean?  I believe it’s being smart and savvy in your choices. Prioritize and take control of what’s important to you and you will come out ahead.

This blog and website offers frugal tips and money saving ideas to help you live a richer life. Save money on everyday living. Start living the "Frugal Lifestyle" today.

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8 Home Upgrades Under $100

11/19/2014

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This guest post is from a home ideas website called Modernize. Read on for some great and practical home upgrade tips.

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While it would be nice to spend tens of thousands of dollars remodeling our homes, this is not something that is realistic for the majority of our budgets. Thankfully, a large budget is not necessary in order to make noticeable home improvements that will drastically change the way your home looks and feels. The following are a few upgrades that you can do for $100 or less.

1. Hang Curtains

Even inexpensive curtains can totally change the way a room looks. The right curtains can take a room that looks cold and functional and turn it into an attractive place that is warm and inviting. Find affordable ones at Target, Ikea, World Market, or Kohl’s. If you have basic sewing skills, you can also make your own.

2. Make Your Laundry Room Fancy

When it comes to home improvements, everybody thinks about the kitchen, the bathroom and the master bedroom. However, very few people think about the laundry room. A perfect way to add class to the laundry room is to install a laundry room chandelier. For right around $80, a Small Capiz Lotus Hanging Pendant Lantern from World Market can be installed that will spruce up your laundry room's appearance.


3. From Closet to Office

Not using your closet space? Well, why not turn it into a home office space? By simply removing the closet door and removing the hanging rods, and then installing two shelves, a narrow one higher up for storage and a deeper one that can serve as a desktop, you can turn unused closet space into an attractive home office. If you do the work yourself, you could purchase the shelves from The Container Store and install them for around $95.


4. Instant Kitchen Shelf

Nothing makes a kitchen feel open like shelving. Instead of installing new shelving, why not simply remove the doors from some of the upper cabinets that get little use. Then purchase acrylic paint that has a semi gloss sheen and paint the cabinets. With just a few hours of work, your kitchens will look like new.


5. An Eye-Catching Exterior

Every person who visits your home will see its exterior. For less than $100 you can make sure that the exterior of your home is something that will impress them. Exterior paint at most hardware stores will run approximately or less than $25 a gallon. With between 3 to 4 gallons of paint you can paint the trim and shutters of an average size home. For added impact, instead of selecting neutral colors, pick bold colors that will make your home catch a passerby’s eye. Obviously, you don’t want your home to be an eyesore. Select colors that match the rest of the home. If you do the work yourself, expect to spend at least one day on the project.


6. What a Difference a Tree Makes

A simple way to add curb appeal to your home while at the same time doing your part to protect the environment is planting a tree. Make sure the tree you plant is the right size for your yard. For example, planting a mango tree in a small yard is probably not a good idea since within 15 years the tree will grow to encompass a good portion of the yard. Most trees can be purchased for around $25. Planting a tree is a simple project that takes only a couple of hours and can drastically improve the appearance of your home and garden.


7. A Ceiling Fan

Install a vintage looking ceiling fan — Lamps Plus has one for $99, and it can not only improve your decor, but circulate warm air during the winter. If the blades are reversed, it can be used to conserve cool air during the summer, thereby reducing heating and cooling costs.


8. Tidy up Your Garage

A disorganized garage is an ugly garage. Why not spruce up the appearance of the garage by removing the clutter and organizing your tools using a simple pegboard rack. Pegboard wall panels can be purchased for about $16 for a 4 foot by 8 foot piece. Throw in a few more dollars for hooks and organizers and you have a garage that even your mother would be proud of.


Tim Smith writes for Modernize.


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    What does living frugally mean to me? Well, it does NOT mean being cheap, quite the contrary, I believe it’s being smart in your choices, such as how you spend your money everyday. Prioritize and take control of what’s important to you. I always strive to spend less on almost everything.

    In this challenging economy, some of us have had to cut back on our expenses. Wouldn't it be nice to still have the things or services you want and need but not have to pay full price or even better, get them for free? 

    Choose value and quality over quantity or fads and you will come out ahead. The great benefit of being frugal is that it eliminates waste and clutter which in turn helps our environment.  By doing simple changes towards more “green” and frugal ways, together we can make an impact on our planet. 
        

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     Hi, my name is Marissa Winfrey and I have been living the frugal life ever since I can remember. I have always looked for great bargains and getting the best value for my money without compromising style and quality.

    My background is in visual display and interior decorating. It’s always been my objective to recommend cost effective solutions to my clients. I, of course, practice what I preach! I have furnished my own homes mostly with furnishings and decor items from my own little vintage boutique, estate sales, discount stores, flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores and even curbside discarded furniture!

    My frugal practice goes beyond the home. I offer money saving tips on just about everything, from shopping to travel and everything in between. I hope my blog and website will inspire everyone to be their own Frugalista.

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Read and learn about useful tips and tricks from experts on how to live "the frugal lifestyle" everyday!  Check out the books below, to see more of my top picks of frugal and financial savvy books, please visit The Frugal Book Store.
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Living The Savvy Life:
The Savvy Woman's Guide to Smart Spending and Rich Living
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It's Not About Being Cheap.  Living the Savvy Life isn't about being a cheapskate, a miser or a tightwad.  It's about having security and peace of mind by spending less than you make.  It's about knowing where you stand financially on a daily basis so you can make intelligent fiscal decisions. 

​It's about being penny-wise on the things that are less important to you so you can spend money on the things that are important to you. It's about choosing to purchase only the things that you love and make you happy.  
It's about finding, attaining and maintaining balance.  Are you ready to start Living the Savvy Life?

   
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​Thrifty: 
Living the Frugal Life with Style


Best-selling author Marjorie Harris offers a timely and entertaining guide to living the richly frugal life. From tips on how to haggle to becoming a frugal fashionista, maintaining your home on a budget, and thrifty gardening, travel, and entertainment, Harris provides essential guidelines to living a quality life on less. Written in her trademark witty, engaging, and accessible style, Thrifty is packed with simple and savvy tips drawn from Harris' own fulfilled, thrifty experience. Bonus tips come from renowned experts such as best-selling author Margaret Atwood, chef Jamie Kennedy, actor R. H. Thomson, travel writer Sylvia Fraser, and The Globe and Mail's style columnists.
  
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How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: 
Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor
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How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free offers inspirational advice on how to enjoy life to its fullest. The key to achieving an active and satisfying retirement involves a great deal more than having adequate financial resources; it also encompasses all other aspects of life -- interesting leisure activities, creative pursuits, physical well-being, mental well-being, and solid social support. 

What sets this retirement book apart from all the others is its holistic approach to the fears, hopes, and dreams that people have about retirement. This international bestseller (over 110,000 copies sold in its first edition) goes way beyond the numbers that is often the main focus of retirement planning in most retirement books.
   
To see more of my top picks of frugal and financial savvy books, please visit The Frugal Book Store.

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