Suzanne O’Connor’s Bargains LA

Frugal Valentines Day Budget Gift Ideas

-If you’ve got kids…have them draw a picture of a heart, a bouquet or even a “best mom” ”best dad” and frame it.

You don’t want to be cheap, but if your budget is non existent for Valentines Day, creativity is the name of the game to make someone feel extra special.
Here are some ideas to get ya going in the right direction for that very special someone…

-Memorize a Shakespeare sonnet (118 is a good standard) and deliver it at an appropriate moment. Don’t forget to rehearse it!

- Hide Valentines Day cards or love notes in places “he” or “she” will find them. Inside his favorite suit pocket, his briefcase, the top drawer of his desk or hidden in their laptop.

- Frame a favorite romantic picture of the two of you. It can be a wedding picture, anniversary picture or any picture of you both together.

-Surprise that special someone when they come home from work. If you’ve got kids send them to their grandparents house for the night. Load up on dozens of candles from tapers to votives, light and set them around the house.  When they arrive home from work, greet them with a glass of wine.  Don’t forget to prepare a romantic dinner. Pick up a nice bottle wine on the cheap at Trader Joes. While you’re there check for tasty morsels to add to your menu. They always have a good selection of chocolate. Dress for the occasion.

-Find a couple of well reviewed fun movies on Netflix and rent them for Valentines Day.

- Learn “I love you” in as many languages as you can. Write them down in personal notes and deliver them with gifts of scented soap, lotions and bath oils… You can also text them throughout the day to someone out of town.

- If the weather’s okay, pack a picnic with tasty delectable treats and wine from Trader Joes and head out for a picnic.

- Create a sexy massage or “cuddle” coupon book for an intimate get together.

- Buy the BIGGEST candy bar you can and use your computer word program to create a new personalized wrapper. Don’t forget the bow.

-Can’t afford flowers, try flower seeds packets artfully arranged in a flower basket. Include a coupon to help with the gardening.

Just because you’re on a near zero budget doesn’t mean you can do something thoughtful for someone who’s special to you. Most importantly, spend time with your Valentine.

Renovation Surprises

Here’s a good one….
Did I tell the one about the 1926 home whose garage had no foundation?

Our garage floor was not level. After laying self-leveling concrete inside our garage we found a floor leak after the heavy rains a couple weeks ago. Investigation by our contractor found that leak was coming in from below ground level and that our garage had been sitting nicely on our lot for the last 84 years without a foundation. Who knew… obviously not our home inspector.

The fix required a lot of concrete and labor intensive work digging out the underneath dirt from our garage, putting in wood for support and structure and laying in new cement. During the process an old gas pipe burst in the back yard (what a mess!) and that had to be replaced as well. All this happened the day before we were set for final move in.

So what do you do?
Outside of dealing with it, paying for it at $1600 … ya go shopping for window treatments.

Having to stay out of everyone’s way while they replaced the pipe, and mixed & poured cement, I grabbed the kid and headed to Villa Firenze custom order drapes for the living room and our daughter’s bedroom. My Cadillac tastes had me pick out some nice “Oyster” colored fabric and of course I wanted lined and interlined curtains for insulation. I also ordered a custom duvet set. At a total of $750, I am sure I save at least $1600 going through Villa Firenze on this first order. But the savings here paid for my garage foundation fiasco. The breakfast nook, dining and kitchen are next on the list of windows to be done.

After hitting Villa Firenze, I headed to Bed Bath and Beyond for some rods and curtain clips, using a 20% off a new home owners coupon to lessen the expense. Then I stopped at Chevy’s… a soda for the kid and a margarita to sooth my financially shocked nerves and to brace for the extreme chaos that was about to happen the next day…  3 chimney contractors, 3 cement workers, and inspectors and 3 office movers, moving us in all on final move in day.

Nothing like everything happening at once.

Caesar Stone Counter Tops

We waited patiently a couple of days for the estimate of our new Caesar Stone counter tops.  During which I called a few other sources and got ballpark quotes of $2900-$3500 based on the measurements taken. We braced ourselves and tried to come up with an alternative that made hubby and I as happy. Not much came to mind. Liking nice things has its drawbacks.

Well true to National Flooring Liquidations outlet pricing, Alfred came in at $2400, instead of $3000.  That’s for two counter tops and a back splash. Included in the price was the slab (from Israel) and fabrication (done locally). I picked a super cool edge cut… again, the most expensive. The certified fabricator did these by hand as well as cut out fabrication of the new sink.

After a quick con/ pro discussion about cost vs value, we agreed to go ahead with the Caesar Stone. Our rational was simple, if we had to do it, and could afford it, to do it right the first time. 
We’ve used National Flooring Liquidators for both the new floor and counter tops.
Here’s how the cost came out:

120 sq ft of Porcelain floor tile at $450 instead of $600.
101” x 24” counter top w/ sink, back splash and edging fabrication plus an additional
20” x 50” counter top with edging fabrication. 
Including installation…. Both counters at $2400 instead of $3000.
In total I saved $750 by going through National Flooring Liquidators.
We even have a large enough piece of Caesar Stone leftover for a possible bathroom vanity counter later on.

Before:

After:

National Flooring Liquidators
1705 S. Mountain Ave., #A-5
Monrovia, CA 91016
626.358.3145

8768 Archibald Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909.484.1300
National Flooring Liquidators

My contractor (Al Menendez) demo’d the old counters & sink, laid a new wood base, repaired the old wood trim and touched up the paint for an additional $200.

Caesar Stone
http://www.caesarstoneus.com/