Our Laundry Pedestal at 80% Off!

This weekend we went to purchase some tickets for the Daddy Daughter Valentine's Day last month, but the office was closed so rather than pack the kids back up in the car we decided to browse around the Furniture Store on post. We didn't have anything in particular we were looking to buy, which is always when you find an unbelievable steal, right?

We purchased our washer and dryer set after we purchased our home about three-and-a-half years ago and decided against the outrageously priced pedestals. As much as they would have been nice to minimize back strain and the hidden storage underneath would have been a lovely perk, because they were $250 a pedestal (roughly $500 for a pair) it was out of the question. If they had some other function other than just raising the washer and dryer and providing a drawer we would have probably considered it, but they are outrageously priced for what they are: a drawer.

Now back to my story. We are piddling around the store and walk past a wall of nine pedestals of different shades, depths and models all on sale for 20-40% off or so, and as I scanned them, I stumbled on a price tag that caught my eye and that clearly looked like a type-o. $39.97. With the other pedestals starting around $129, they must have forgotten the one. And to top it off it was white and the label read Duet which was the model of washer and dryer we owned!

I had Jeff go and grab one of the workers and lo and behold the pedestal was $39. Can you believe it? Perhaps it was a mistake, but if so it was a lucky one for us. We did have to talk it over for a few minutes to decide whether it was worth getting just one-- could we grab the bisque or black-colored match and spray paint it (my non-DYI enthusiastic husband was not keen on this idea)? Should we get two bisque-colored ones that matched each other, but clashed with our pair? At $100 more per pedestal we quickly crossed that option off the list.

We finally decided to buy the one pedestal at such an insanely low price and figure we will look around over the next few weeks to see if we can find a match somewhere! Even if we pay full price for a second one (if we are lucky enough to find one, since it's an old model), we would still be saving almost half of what it would have cost us to get a pair three-and-a-half years ago. And I can't imagine if  we find a match that it would be full price since it's probably discontinued by now. 

Kailie and I scrubbed the washer and dryer down and we also dusted and scrubbed the floors after Jeff pulled the dryer away from the wall and we installed the pedestal. Jeff mentioned today that our W/D look brand new. Now I am really determined to find a match, because I will go crazy if they don't match. The picture is a little dark, because our light went out today, but here's a little peek at how our find looks with our dryer!

That Good 'Ol Fall Feeling

So even though it won't technically be fall until next week, it has definitely been in the air. And for whatever reason fall gives me the urge to make more homemade food and crafts. Maybe its the crisp weather than encourages us to stay indoors that results in this homemade productivity or perhaps it is because the holidays are around the corner that gets me in this "kick".

After some warm weather over the weekend we had a cold, windy day on Monday that got me in the mood to make my first batch of homemade tapioca pudding. Yum. Jeff and Kailie weren't big fans, but Kailie seemed to like it better when it was cold the next day. Jeff had never had tapioca pudding before (can you believe it?) let alone homemade and I think he still needs time to process the whole tapioca root deal. No fear, there were many things he wouldn't eat or had never tried when we got married that he eats on a regular basis now. It's just a matter of time. ;-)

So as many of you know I rearrange furniture and like to change decor on a regular basis. I predominantly rearrange since redecorating is just too expensive and with two little ones to feed and clothe, it is a lower priority; but I have re-discovered the magic of pillow covers. I purchased some pillow covers earlier this year in an effort to redecorate in a more affordable (and easy-to-change) manner, but I took it to the next level and made my own pillow covers today! So more money savings, my first shot at an invisible zipper (or any zipper for that matter) and only my second attempt at a pillow cover.

I used home decor fabric, so it's thick, durable and more professional looking compared to my last attempt with thin cotton fabric and I think it turned out pretty darn well. Let's see if you can guess which pillow cover, above, is mine. Two are Pottery Barn pillow covers and the third is the one I made today-- any guesses, or process of elimination if you remember what covers I had on my couch the last time your were over? Leave a comment, this will be fun! :-)

Kitchen Reorganization

So if you know me at all, you know that I reorganize, organize and rearrange on a regular basis. If you have been to my house more than once, odds are at least one thing was probably moved or changed from the time before. I call it my "zen" and for whatever reason I have a need to arrange and organize things. And with a growing family and (as a result an ongoing accumulation of things) there is always more to do!


Jeff had the day off yesterday so while he was getting yard work done I was cleaning and organizing the dining room and living room and we finally decided we needed to get some blinds for the dining room windows (picture, above). You can't tell from the photo, because the afternoon sun is shining in, but they are white to match the woodwork and are a cellular (faux fabric) style. They are cordless, which is perfect for kits and pets and they are supposed to be pretty energy efficient. I moved two of the three cafe curtains I previously had up to the kitchen windows so it keeps the kitchen cooler and as you can see (picture, below, left), but I think I may sew the three curtains into valances (like the picture, below, right) to go over the new shades in the dining room. What do you think?

 I also got a second glass jar to use them for my flour and sugar so they look cute and are easy to access for cooking (thus encouraging more cooking and baking from scratch). I had the one jar I tried to use as decoration for a long time and I just never found the perfect things to put in it or place to display it. I saw Ina Garten from Food Network used these in her kitchen and also at a friends house the other week and thought why not! 


There are lots of fireworks going on tonight, which are rather annoying when you have little ones, especially Kailie who keeps coming out of her room complaining about them. We spent $20 at one of the fireworks tents the other day and have been having fun in the afternoon and early evening playing when some of them in the driveway. Kailie loves the snap dragons you throw on the ground and she calls them "pop dragons". 

Saying Goodbye to Dish Network

So Jeff and I finally decided to ditch Dish Network and give Apple TV a try! The device cost around $100, but it uses our internet connection to stream Netflix, YouTube, Paid Movies and other things off the internet onto our TV screen. The connection has been great (much better than when we have tried to stream Netflix through our game console) and there are tons of shows on Netflix for both kids and parents to watch (plus we only pay for the $10/mo. plan and still have all the instant watch shows which is awesome). 


We were spending (well still are until I cancel at the end of the month) $60 a month to predominantly watch Nick Jr. DVR episodes (so the Apple TV will "pay for itself" in about a month and a half after we cancel) and I get so many Nick DVDs for my blogging that we can just pop those in or watch the free cartoon DVDs on Netflix. Yes, I will miss my occasional Food Network episodes, but I'm sure I will watch some online from time to time, or can buy ebook cookbooks for my iPad. Plus I think I need to be cooking more than watching people cook! 


I don't want to be a no-TV family, I just felt like we are spending a lot of money for the same sort of things. If we can get our TV entertainment broadcasted from the internet we are already paying for without the commercials, why not, right?  It's not exactly the same, but we don't have any shows we watch regularly or that we can't find in some way, shape or form online. And if there's something we really have to see, we can get TV series DVDs through our mail portion of Netflix. 

So there you go. Thanks for listening to my ramblings on my recent money-saving epiphanies.