Thrifty Thursday-Recent Finds

It's been a busy fall so far,
what with putting the house back on the market,
and Sister Deb coming for a week-long visit.
She had all kinds of ideas about staging the house
and worked non-stop while she was here
to help us get ready for our new listing.

We actually had an offer on the house a few months ago,

but the folks changed their minds when they learned about the HOA,

so we took the listing off market for the rest of the summer.

When Sister came to visit a couple of weeks ago,

she was set on staging our home with lots of little projects.

Some of our belongings are already packed and stored in the garage,

so we are as decluttered as we are gonna get.

We just rearranged some of the things we have for a fresh look.

She cleaned and removed a lot of practical items from the back porch

and we picked up this cute lil' table and chairs from a Craig's List ad.

Instant extra living area.

Of course, I had to find a few flowers for the new hangout.

This pot was found at a recent community-wide yard sale.

Love the blue and white combination.

I got the placemats from the same seller.

We paid $1 for four of them.

The other three are used on the kitchen table and work well with our color scheme.

The funny thing is that the lady I bought them from

is the person who bought the house from a neighbor of mine,

who has since moved to Sarasota.

Wait until I tell her I bought something at her old house.

A thrift store find keeps the sage green theme going.

These two brand new pillows were found at an estate sale two weeks ago.

I like the way they add a pop of color to the hall tree

 that Deb painted on her first day here.

I paid just a few dollars for them both.

They had so many goodies there.

This vintage basket was one of the items picked up at the

39-mile yard sale last weekend.

What a treasure for $5!

I'm sure I'll find some way to repurpose it for something practical.

At the same event, this stool was picked up for $10.

It's large enough to place a book and a cup of coffee on

for those times when I can notch out a bit of reading time in our master bedroom corner.

I was thinking of painting over the patriotic, 

as it doesn't match our color scheme,

but perhaps a cover will do for now

until I find another place for it in our new home.

It would serve us well on a patio or front porch.

Just this week, we had to leave the house for a showing,
so that's always a great excuse for us to go thrifting.
This basket, in perfect condition, was marked at $8,
and the clerk thought the price was too high, 
and sold it to us for $5.
C has needed a new hamper for a while.
This bin holds more than a week's worth of clothes,
in case he forgets to do his wash on Wednesdays.
I like that it's open on the sides too,
so that the clothes can breathe between washings.
For now, it works well here,
but it's another item that can be repurposed in the future.

It feels good to have a fresh, new look to the house,
and hopefully, it appeals to buyers too.
We've gotten really good feedback so far,
so I think we're on the right track.
We'll keep you posted!
 

Quick tips for showing your house

Yesterday we talked about how we're working toward
moving to North Carolina so that we can s-p-r-e-a-d out a little.
Today I wanted to share how we get our home "show ready".
The idea is to make your home welcoming
so that prospective buyers want to live there.




In the entry, run the vacuum or damp mop.

Fluff rugs in the quick setting on the dryer before replacing them.

Add fresh flowers (preferably from your own garden), 
or a small seasonal display on a tray or table.
The idea is to have something pleasing to the eye as soon as buyers enter your home.

In the bathroom, make sure to rinse tubs and showers.

Wipe down toilets, sinks and fixtures and then dry sinks and fixtures.

Clean mirrors and empty the garbage bag.

In the kitchen, clear countertops as much as possible.
Make sure all surfaces and appliances are wiped down. 
Place a cup of water with a few drops of dish soap in the microwave and cook for 2 1/2 minutes.  
Adding a drop or two of essential oils in the water too, can add a nice fragrance to the room.

Be sure to change the garbage bag or place it in the garage.

Even if a home is bright and airy,
it's a good idea to turn at least one light on in every room.
Blinds are opened so that the garden can be seen.

Clear shelves of everything except a few trinkets.
It seems silly to have a bookshelf without books,
but we figured,  
we are moving, 
so we might as well pack up what's not being used.

We place a notebook with all of the appliance manuals that stay with the house 
(A/C unit, water heater, stove, etc.)
 next to a glass container for realtors' cards.
This helps folks know that we maintain our appliances 
and that they'll have the necessary information should they need it.


It's a bit of work when your house is on the market.
But in the end, when you end up where you really want to be,
it's all worth it.

 ************

 For more ideas about staging your home,
check out Leslie's blog,
Goodbye House, Hello Home!

Thrifty Thursday-A Staging Trick

With a yearning to live a more seasonal life,
we are headed further north.
As soon as we sell our house.
We need to sell in order to buy acreage in North Carolina.

One of the most important things a homeowner can do 
when selling a home is to declutter.
We've been paring down for a few years in anticipation of this,
selling a few things, but mostly giving things to the 
Meals on Wheels thrift store or to folks on Craig's List.
The house needs to look as if no one lives there.
Crazy, right?
I guess the idea is to create an atmosphere where potential buyers
can picture themselves living in your home,
with their furnishings and decor.

Whatever it takes, people.
We are beyond ready to go...

We live pretty simply, so we have just what we need to be comfortable, nothing extra.
Our spare room only had a futon in it and a wall-mounted tv, 
as we use this space to watch movies or complete projects
(and occasionally nap).
We didn't want to buy extra furniture just to fill up the space,
so we figured out this neat trick to stage our spare room.

Here's what we did.

 See this little table next to the futon?
It's handy to have the remotes or a good book right at your fingertips,
along with a small lamp for extra lighting
(I found these lamp bases in someone's recycle bin).
A side table is commonly found on either side of a sofa or in this case, a futon.
But, it's not actually a table.

We simply stacked two bins and placed a large canvas on top
(Mimi painted this, but we haven't yet found the right spot for it).

Two bins work best to achieve just the right height,
but you could use tackle boxes, tool boxes,
milk crates, or even cardboard boxes, if that's all you have.

Guess what's under here?

The covers are old twin-sized sheets that we aren't using.
We just tweaked them until they fit around our bins.
I just. love. simple.

For brilliant staging tricks,
you can visit Leslie at Goodbye House, Hello Home.
She has some wonderful tips for showing your house in its best light.

In fact, I think I may spend some time this weekend
perusing her posts on organizing and staging for a quick refresher.

Tomorrow we'll talk about some quick tips when showing your home.