Frugal 101
Alright so let's just jump into the reality...
Frugal = DIY
We are talking about the home here but some principals of frugalality (yes I will be creating my own frugal-icious words throughout this blog) stay the same from merchandise to merchandise. Clothing and furniture go hand in hand as far as frugal = DIY goes... the same principals apply.
I have been a DIYer since I can remember, extending through my schooling (official starving student status) which pushed me that much further over the edge.
So let's say your parents say they won't buy you something... you ask why and their response is "you will appreciate it more if you pay for it with the money you earn". This is a very true statement but what really pushes that statement over the edge was my reaction - It's far too much money for me to pay for it myself, not worth my money. So what do I do? I'll find a way to make it myself. - Usually "making it myself" back when I was a kid meant whatever was lying around the house would get thrown into this creation. Now that I have the knowledge of how things work (thank you St. Clair College School of Engineering Technologies) I have an understanding of what can or cannot work for the product.
-- Side note; if you find your child having these type of tendencies a career to work towards would be Civil Engineering, Architecture, Woodworking, or Interior Design (NOT interior decorating which is all too often confused with design. Designers work very hard to understand how things work with a career touching on construction (from footings to roof lines) and building code. Designers are not 'pillow fluffers'. --
Sometimes it's necessary to borrow the knowledge from those DIYers who have learned how to make things work... there are many of us out there and more than enough blogs to look through.
Little tips can mean attention to detail which in the end really makes a product shine. Remember, you don't want your work to look DIY... You want people coming in and asking 'where you bought that' and you being very proud of yourself (and a little cocky... don't over-do it!) can reply "I made it myself". People's reactions are usually the best reward.
Though... KEEP IN MIND. When you make something yourself and get many compliments on it parting with that item is basically impossible. I learned this lesson when I moved in with my hunky assistant (boyfriend) - I have made a dining table out of an old french door I found in the trash. The man didn't exactly like it (and still doesn't love it to this day)... but soon realized a liking from it mainly from being proud of such a crafty girlfriend (the compliments worked on his ego too).
So let's jump right into the fun with a whole lot of patience (I always forget that part)!
Frugal = DIY
We are talking about the home here but some principals of frugalality (yes I will be creating my own frugal-icious words throughout this blog) stay the same from merchandise to merchandise. Clothing and furniture go hand in hand as far as frugal = DIY goes... the same principals apply.
I have been a DIYer since I can remember, extending through my schooling (official starving student status) which pushed me that much further over the edge.
So let's say your parents say they won't buy you something... you ask why and their response is "you will appreciate it more if you pay for it with the money you earn". This is a very true statement but what really pushes that statement over the edge was my reaction - It's far too much money for me to pay for it myself, not worth my money. So what do I do? I'll find a way to make it myself. - Usually "making it myself" back when I was a kid meant whatever was lying around the house would get thrown into this creation. Now that I have the knowledge of how things work (thank you St. Clair College School of Engineering Technologies) I have an understanding of what can or cannot work for the product.
-- Side note; if you find your child having these type of tendencies a career to work towards would be Civil Engineering, Architecture, Woodworking, or Interior Design (NOT interior decorating which is all too often confused with design. Designers work very hard to understand how things work with a career touching on construction (from footings to roof lines) and building code. Designers are not 'pillow fluffers'. --
Sometimes it's necessary to borrow the knowledge from those DIYers who have learned how to make things work... there are many of us out there and more than enough blogs to look through.
Little tips can mean attention to detail which in the end really makes a product shine. Remember, you don't want your work to look DIY... You want people coming in and asking 'where you bought that' and you being very proud of yourself (and a little cocky... don't over-do it!) can reply "I made it myself". People's reactions are usually the best reward.
Though... KEEP IN MIND. When you make something yourself and get many compliments on it parting with that item is basically impossible. I learned this lesson when I moved in with my hunky assistant (boyfriend) - I have made a dining table out of an old french door I found in the trash. The man didn't exactly like it (and still doesn't love it to this day)... but soon realized a liking from it mainly from being proud of such a crafty girlfriend (the compliments worked on his ego too).
So let's jump right into the fun with a whole lot of patience (I always forget that part)!
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