tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post8594122969610931374..comments2024-03-27T17:31:58.315-07:00Comments on Home Living: Household Necessities Do Not Mean ExpenseLydiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530969871397361970noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-15058936089768561022010-02-11T15:05:24.739-08:002010-02-11T15:05:24.739-08:00I had to mention something here -- for years I hav...I had to mention something here -- for years I have wanted an antique settee, but whenever I found one it was far too expensive and we could not afford it (we are talking something like $1000 and up). I suppose I could have charged it on a credit card, but it would have been very imprudent -- we keep one for emergencies only. I did not believe that charging it would be a prudent use of money.<Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-85356258455780504092010-01-26T11:38:54.392-08:002010-01-26T11:38:54.392-08:00One more positive example of the importance of hom...One more positive example of the importance of homemakers. There are currently 3 vacant houses in forclosure in our cul-de-sac. The houses look very sad and neglected and are beginning to become an attractive nuisance to teenagers in our neighborhood. The homemakers on the block are keeping watch over these homes as well as our own-picking up trash, sweeping the driveways and walkways, and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-1137172049537760062010-01-20T04:12:46.814-08:002010-01-20T04:12:46.814-08:00Very true, dear Mrs. Sherman. As I look around my ...Very true, dear Mrs. Sherman. As I look around my living room, I see no new furniture. All was given to us for free, or salvaged. Yet whenever people come, they comment on how cozy our home looks. I have hand-crocheted covers on our armchair and sofa, and we have curtains that we got as a gift that make everything so nice and bright. <br /><br />Oh, and we own a vacuum cleaner, but I don't Mrs. Anna Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15377583333000789903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-80007091540974732902010-01-19T16:30:04.538-08:002010-01-19T16:30:04.538-08:00Like Brenda we too have been told we must have spe...Like Brenda we too have been told we must have spent a fortune on our home furnishings! We laugh, all are used. They were sound solid wood things that we redid if necessary and have had for years and years. Most went through all our children's growing years and still going strong. One is a table bought with 4 chairs for $5. We actually like shoppoing used stores better than new. Even if we Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-21933701157318952452010-01-18T11:25:31.215-08:002010-01-18T11:25:31.215-08:00Here is a good money saving idea that my friend ha...Here is a good money saving idea that my friend had. She used a large plywood board, and just bought the table legs, attached them to the plywood, and covered it all with a beautiful table cloth, and no one would ever guess it wasn't a fancy table underneath! I thought that one was so clever and definitely worth passing on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-2080148176114576532010-01-18T11:21:18.746-08:002010-01-18T11:21:18.746-08:00Here are a few hints and some luck I've had th...Here are a few hints and some luck I've had that I would love to share...<br /><br />Once when I had company over and didn't have glasses to drink from, the visiting lady said they always drank from canning jars. That was a life saver, cause I had plenty of those! <br /><br />We had a very good piano given to us from some dear friends. Our daugther now uses it. <br /><br />I was able to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-34738433124062616782010-01-18T05:57:59.376-08:002010-01-18T05:57:59.376-08:00Great post!!! I shop at salvation army on 1/2 off ...Great post!!! I shop at salvation army on 1/2 off days and I have the most beautiful clothes. I get my husband ralp Lauren dress shirts and polos that are in excellent condition for only $2.00. I am so blessed at this thrift store. I know some thrift stores the clothes really do look used and beat up but in my area I find such beautiful dresses and skirts. Also I have puchased some beautiful Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-65275214435087353482010-01-17T06:10:25.322-08:002010-01-17T06:10:25.322-08:00I remember when my son came home one day when we l...I remember when my son came home one day when we lived in our former neighborhood. He was around age eleven or twelve.<br /><br />He asked me if I realized the neighbors thought we were rich because our home was decorated so nice and we drove a nice car.<br /><br />I had to laugh as we probably had one of the smallest incomes in the neighborhood but we shopped at dept. store sales, thrift storesBrenda@CoffeeTeaBookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02719695370857675146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-42430876968721135262010-01-16T18:29:04.412-08:002010-01-16T18:29:04.412-08:00Thanks for the tip about the book. I'm going t...Thanks for the tip about the book. I'm going to see if I can find it on Amazon.It sounds interesting.Lydiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15530969871397361970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-14349436961903732352010-01-16T18:28:20.726-08:002010-01-16T18:28:20.726-08:00There is nothing more wonderful than being a stay ...There is nothing more wonderful than being a stay at home wife, who can work diligently to make her home a place to honor guests. Her family appreciates a place to really relax, and you cant do that if everyone is rushing around or the woman is not home. I have a story from another angle: My son stayed in our upstairs area, which was not being used, right after they married. His wife stayed Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-91688621872524819422010-01-16T18:11:47.320-08:002010-01-16T18:11:47.320-08:00Hi, I checked a neat book out from the library.......Hi, I checked a neat book out from the library....Easy Flea Market Style-Creative Ideas & Fabulous Fix-ups. It has a lot of cute do-it yourself ideas.<br /><br />Thanks so much for your lovely blog. Being a Sahm can be lonely...your blog is a blessing to me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-81855531635559746762010-01-16T17:32:36.440-08:002010-01-16T17:32:36.440-08:00We may have had a lot more money when we both work...We may have had a lot more money when we both worked, before we had children, but now that I've been home all of these years with our children, I can say that we are much richer now.<br /><br />Money and materials are fleeting, but the home decorated with love surpasses worldly riches. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-76708599396507069472010-01-16T16:11:32.212-08:002010-01-16T16:11:32.212-08:00I loved commentor 7 PM's post on starting marr...I loved commentor 7 PM's post on starting married life in a garage.<br /><br /> When my husband and I were married in 1969 we rented a converted garage appartment too. It came furnished with a 1950's frig, stove, sofa and a double bed with a 6" depression in the center of the mattress. We stuffed it with a pillow and slept quite soundly.<br /><br /> I was in college, my husband Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-78395064787411128742010-01-16T11:20:52.791-08:002010-01-16T11:20:52.791-08:00Hi Mrs. Lydia,
I enjoyed your latest post. And h...Hi Mrs. Lydia,<br /><br />I enjoyed your latest post. And how very true it is. I don't think my home would necessarily appeal to the Home and Garden Magazine reader, but I like the way it's done--mainly because I spend very little on decorating and have a wide variety of taste. Hodge-podge is probably what I'd call it. A friend who visited told me my house was "homey". Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-21446477331805283922010-01-16T10:31:23.012-08:002010-01-16T10:31:23.012-08:00A advantage of shopping at Goodwill and De Pauls i...A advantage of shopping at Goodwill and De Pauls is that the furniture is usually a little out of date and made in the USA, unlike the modern imports. Also some of it is made of the heartwood, which is very desireable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-86150942884528825322010-01-16T03:06:39.893-08:002010-01-16T03:06:39.893-08:00I VERY HIGHLY recommend the book by Emil Barnes an...I VERY HIGHLY recommend the book by Emil Barnes and Yoli Broger- Beautiful Home On A Budget. Some of the ideas are rather dated (at least in the copy I have, published in 1998, it may have been revised since then), but it gets you thinking, and it is for those who truly have little to no budget in stead of the "budget" makeovers in magazines. You know, the ones you excitedly pick up inAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-16875505002364021672010-01-15T20:37:42.070-08:002010-01-15T20:37:42.070-08:00Lovely interiors shown and helpful thoughts for fr...Lovely interiors shown and helpful thoughts for frugality.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-8259573924388913452010-01-15T20:18:07.556-08:002010-01-15T20:18:07.556-08:00WONDERFUL! I've had an excellent 'return&#...WONDERFUL! I've had an excellent 'return' for listening to God and going home. I got comments about how rich we are from extended family members so much to the point that they got mad because we wouldn't lend them money for their nonsense! Well, truth be known we made 'just enough' and we pretty much stretched it as far as it would go! (I LOVE the challenge) This year our Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-6991530110005345272010-01-15T20:09:56.757-08:002010-01-15T20:09:56.757-08:00WONDERFUL! I've had an excellent 'return&#...WONDERFUL! I've had an excellent 'return' for listening to God and going home. I got comments about how rich we are from extended family members so much to the point that they got mad because we wouldn't lend them money for their nonsense! Well, truth be known, we made 'just enough' and we pretty much stretched it as far as it would go! (I LOVE the challenge) This year ourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-26894642864571766262010-01-15T19:44:43.759-08:002010-01-15T19:44:43.759-08:00The last comment: I love your story and would like...The last comment: I love your story and would like to hear more stories like it. I know of one lady who began life with her husband in her parents garage. Her first baby was born there and during that time her husband was learning a trade, so he wasnt getting much, but she saved all she could and she made do with the sparsest of furniture. They were also ridiculed by their peers, who thought Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-60606722694588997052010-01-15T19:12:35.726-08:002010-01-15T19:12:35.726-08:00Maybe you also remember the big wheels that teleph...Maybe you also remember the big wheels that telephone wire was wrapped around. If you could get ahold of one, it made a wonderful table. the smaller ones made children's tables. Now, they are collectors items but then, only the poor and desperate used them. Covered with a round cloth, no one could tell that your end table was a cable cord wheel. Emily Barnes describes one that she had tried Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-82235537827147136672010-01-15T19:00:33.760-08:002010-01-15T19:00:33.760-08:00Soon after I married my husband, I quit college an...Soon after I married my husband, I quit college and switched from pursuing a nursing degree to being a stay-at-home wife. My husband and I started married life with not a stick of furniture. We "rented" a tiny camper trailer at a local Bible camp (the camp we met at) and had a tent to store our few possessions. <br /><br />We were regularly ridiculed by others who believed we could Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-29532438969316390352010-01-15T17:38:40.189-08:002010-01-15T17:38:40.189-08:00I think we're cut from the same cloth. You des...I think we're cut from the same cloth. You describe many of my early years of homemaking perfectly. In addition, I make delicious gourmet meals better than any restaurant three times a day. It's all in the attitude. Are we grateful and delighted with the possibilities, or are we unsatisfied, grumbling murmurers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-45441037543041070772010-01-15T16:09:42.686-08:002010-01-15T16:09:42.686-08:00Try Amazon.com for kitchen items. A friend I know ...Try Amazon.com for kitchen items. A friend I know got all her cuisineart appliances there, and all her matching kitchen acessories, brand new, for a lot less.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186456.post-32225575284751867182010-01-15T16:08:42.901-08:002010-01-15T16:08:42.901-08:00The lady is right, who said that you dont have to ...The lady is right, who said that you dont have to live with pressed board tables or dirty couches. This is an image promoted by people who look down on homemaking. One of the things that causes poverty is the lack of good stewardship. Being careful with everything prevents damage. It does not hurt the family to be careful with chairs, tables, lamps, dishes, etc. It helps them become more Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com