Wasteless Wednesday

Better late than never right? I am a little behind today on my blogging.

Yesterday as I reading my daily blogs and drinking my Diet Coke. I saw this post on Reinvented. It made me think about how much I disliked my arrangement of stuff above my kitchen cabinets. So I did a little rearranging and closet shopping and viola I like it now! I spent $0!

Let me take you on my little journey... Here is the final product!

I removed everything and started with a clean palate. I also painted over my little quote (I was so tired of it)

This is the before photo, it just didn't work for me. It had too much fake greenery and I didn't like it. Now scroll back up and see the after again, I love it!

Show Us Where you Live

I am joining in on Kelly's Korner linky party! She is Harper's Mommy. Remember the pray for Harper button I had on my page?

This week she showcased her fabulous kitchen and asked her readers to show their kitchens. You all know how much I love my new kitchen so I had to join in on the fun.

Here is our eating area. We enjoy dinner almost every night here at the table. We also enjoy eating on the couch!

When we did our kitchen redo we got some new appliances but are waiting for a new oven and dishwasher. They still work really well!

I love my slate backsplash! That is my favorite part of the kitchen.

Looking into the living room.

Before ugly white countertops. I do not miss this look!

Menu Monday & Kitchen Reveal

Kitchen Reveal

Lot's of info today! I was reminded by a friend I never posted after photos of the kitchen. You remember I wrote so much about. If you missed it, read about it here. Here it is!!! I absolutely love it! Remember the before:

After... good bye teal blue and white

Before

Special Thanks!

I want to thank some of my wonderful friends at church, your kind words about my blog warm my heart! Yesterday as I dropped little miss of at the nursery some of my nice friends commented on my blog. To think that people read and put to use some of my little tips brings such a smile to my face. Thank you ladies for your kind words!

Menu Monday

What's for dinner this week? I am trying something a little different... more leftovers. Keep reading you'll see what I mean. This is a little way to save some extra $$$.

Monday: Beef Taco's and Knorr Spanish Rice and Ol El Paso Fat Free Beans

Tuesday: Leftovers as Taco Salad

Wednesday: Sadler's Beef Brisket and Tator Tot's

Thursday: Leftovers Brisket on top of Baked Potato's

Friday: Back to Make your own Pizza! I discovered Wal-marts Take and Bake Pizzas. They are really good and you can get a large cheese for $6. I then buy my own topping and we each add our own flavors. Easy and cheap!

My kitchen is beautiful!!!!

The contractors are here installing right now... it looks FABULOUS!!! Surprisingly it looks way better with the new selection then the other one. I was worried for nothing, what a relief!

These counters look exactly like granite and the slate looks so good! Can you tell I am excited!!!!

Here is a sneak peak:

Remember the way it looked a week ago?

Kitchen Crisis

OK.... I need to take a deep breath. Remember the photos yesterday of my kitchen torn up? Well I got a phone call from the contractor today.... the formica I choose is on back order and it could be 9 WEEKS!!!! Let me yell that again 9 WEEKS!!!! My kitchen ... well I wouldn't call it a kitchen because I can do NO cooking.

So if I want to get counters in the next month or two I have to choose a new brand and kind. Which might sound like no problem but the one I selected was the only one I liked period. So I am heading to Lowes and Home Depot to take another look. If anyone out there in blogland has laminate countertops please tell me the kind you have because I need ideas!

Thanks for listening to me vent about my wrecktastic kitchen. I hope to be posting a photo by this weekend. I feel frugal frumpy right now :(

Menu Monday- Kitchen Demo

This is going to be an interesting week for us... my kitchen is completely torn up! We have no countertops, sink, cooktop, dishwasher or drawers. Just a big mess! We will be eating off paper goods and drinking from labeled plastic cups.

Monday: Pizza
Tuesday: Baked Potato Soup my mom made for us! (Thanks Mom)
Wednesday:Burgers (Grill) and French Fries
Thursday:Brisket and Baked Potato's (oven)
Friday: Kitchen should be functioning again! Fish, tator tots and corn, our new Friday Lent meal

Update on Kitchen: I spoke to the contractor on Friday expecting the counters to go in on Monday. No..... the laminate is not in and the counters will be installed on Wednesday or Thursday.

Sunday was demo day! Here is some of the fun and mess...

One last shot of the lovely white and teal counters

It is gone and it already looks better!

I've got my new stainless vent hood up I love it!!

Thirfty Thursday and Kitchen Update

When I am doing the family laundry I always find loose change in the washing machine or hear them banging around in the dryer. In my house the family knows if it's left in the pocket's it is mommy's.

As I was hopping blogs I came across this cute idea from Domestic Divas Fancy blog. So I had to make one for myself.

I took a used candle jar, oh it still smells so good and turned it into this: Moms Tip Jar!!

Update on my frugal kitchen redo:

We got our breakdown from Lowe's.... did you know Lowe's added on $450 as the middle man. So I went online to Formica.com and found a registered installer. That lead me to a new company that is a home builder that also does countertops. They came out today to measure and gave us an estimate which came to $950 for the counters and install. They also bid the tile work which is $250! So we can get the counters and tile backsplash done cheaper than the counters only at Lowe's YEAH!!!

This weekend we will be removing the old counters ourselves (look for photos). Then on Monday our new counters should be here!

This past weekend my hubby was out shopping at Lowe's and found this... a new stainless trashcan. It was on sale from $90 to $30! Way to go!!

The little one's seem to think it is a drum.

Thrifty Thursday- Kitchen Redo Update

I need your input.... I want to have some great giveaways for my readers. We all love free stuff! Most of all I want to have products you want. I am going to contact the companies and try to get freebies or coupons for my readers.

What would you like to see? For example you all know how much I love salsa I would enjoy getting a coupon for free Pace Salsa.

Are their any crafty ladies out there that want more exposure to their products I could do a feature giveaway for you too.

Update on my Kitchen Redo:

• Lowe's is coming out to measure today the final dimensions. My hubby negotiated an additional 15% off the countertops and all the appliances after they were already on sale.
• We chose the Formica brand laminate in Mineral Jet color in the Radiance collection we are having them installed instead of us doing it estimated $1100
• We purchased a 8 inch depth sink for $80 listed price $144
• Moen Facuet for $82 listed price $98
• GE cooktop $185 list price $258
• Broan Venthood $176 retail $213 (this model but in 36 inch)
• Slate backsplash - we still need to purchase estimated cost $125

Original Budget: $1,500

Spent so far: $1,623.... yes we have an overage of $123 but that is ok we have decided to choose some products that are more mid ranged price not the cheapest model. I also upgraded to the most expensive kind of laminate and we chose to have installed instead of installing ourselves (a $400 upgrade).

I am very excited that my kitchen should be done in a few weeks. I will post photos as soon as progress is being made!!! I can't wait for the big reveal. Remember this is what is looks like now:

Home Improvement Coupons

We have had a weekend of more appliance shopping... I am actually getting tired of this ready to just have it done with!!

We did not purchase yet we are waiting for our 10% off coupons to come in the mail so we can save some $$.

Any home improvement projects get some coupons here:
Search Ebay- ton's for $1
Lowes

Anyone have any extra Lowe's or Home Depot coupons?

Thrifty Thursday

With Kate out of school for an ice day it was a great opportunity to go kitchen shopping.. once the ice melted. So we headed out to look for tile for the back splash, cook top and a sink.

Will: Mom do you like this one?

Oh my.... this is it!!! Can you install this tomorrow. Oh yeah no... my husband and his friend are installing it for me we are saving money. Look at this can you believe each

tile is only 39 cents!!

Look at this door it is amazing just like I've always wanted I can see our family in front of it for a Christmas card. Oh yeah... this door is as much as my whole kitchen updating. I need to get focused.


Ok I think I am on sink overload... this is at the builders surplus honestly the prices are a little better than Lowe's but not by much.

So at the end of the day, I have picked out my tile for the back splash I am doing slate. I thought it would be more expensive then the ceramic tile but it isn't. I am excited. I went to a builders appliance store I checked the scratch and dents for the cooktop the cheapest one was $500 so not a great deal, I passed. I am planning to get my sink at Lowe's. Hopefully they will send some coupons out soon. So next step is getting Lowe's out for the counter top measurement.

Don't forget to enter April's Say It On a Sign Contest! P.S. if you have a contest you want to feature on my blog let me know I would be happy to post it.

Kitchen Dilema Solved!

Thanks for all the great comments and emails about my kitchen dilemma. After more research and evaluating more options we have decided to do it all (except for the bathroom)! How, you ask well compromise.. here is the plan:

Kitchen: Instead of granite I have decided on high definition laminate. To save even more $$$ we are going to have them fabricated and install ourselves. Tile the back splash ourselves too. I will purchase the tile at Floor & Decor a huge discount tile outlet in Arlington. Appliances (sink, faucet, cook top and vent hood) we will find scratch and dent deals and also check out the builders surplus. Luckily we already have the stainless fridge and microwave. We will just wait on the oven and dishwasher. Our plan is to spend about $1,500. I will be blogging about our finds and progress.

With axing the granite we save a ton of money enough leftover for other projects throughout the year. When we really weighted the granite we realized it wasn't that important anymore we would rather do more with that money. Really.... who will think less of me and my home by not having granite.... and if they do well they aren't good friends anyway, right?

Kitchen Dilema

If you've been ready for a while you know how much I want granite counter tops and a kitchen remodel. Well the time is close and hubby and I are talking about it and budgeting. I've become so frugal that I don't know if I want to spend that much anymore..... I've been dreaming about this fabulous kitchen idea for so long and now that it is close I am suddenly becoming cheap. I think about all the other projects we could do with that money ....

Patio Furniture like this(bought off season or at furniture liquidators)and:

A bathroom remodel like this (new tile in shower and floor, I redo cabinets, discount mirrors) and:

Build-In's and a Flat Screen (Hubby and grandfather make built-ins and find rock bottom priced flat screen) like this and:

A dream closet like this (purchase the Lowe's system and hubby puts together):

Or my dream kitchen like this(New counter tops, backsplash, stove, dishwasher, vent hood, sink and knobs, I redo the cabinets myself):

Any ideas my frugal friends? Of course I get everything at rock bottom prices with my discount shopping . Hubby is also the master negotiator and handy man. So we spend a ton less than many people. Rule #1 we only pay cash no charging that is why it is hard because we don't charge and pay later.