Zannee’s Blog at BargainsLA.com

Frugality is the name of the game now. But that doesn’t mean buying cheap. It means getting more than one use out of any one item, not being wasteful, getting the best value for your buck. A person with frugal mindset finds practical ways to reuse and repurpose old worn items in their homes.

Newspapers can be recycled, but can also be used for many other household things. I remember my grandmother saving several sections and using it to line her trash can bottoms.  Shredded newspaper is great packing materials. It’s biodegradable unlike stryofoam peanuts and newspaper is also good for cleaning windows, lining cat litter pans and even wrapping presents… all you need is a pretty piece of yarn.

How about using the sections of old sheets and sewing them into pillowcases? 
Table cloths that have seen better days also make terrific napkins. 
Worn cotton socks are great for dusting as are thread bear bath towels. 
Freezer bags can be washed and used again. 
Save and use the “to go” ketchups and mustards”.
Give yourself a pedicure instead of paying for one.

There are dozens more ideas to make better use of items you might otherwise discard. So post them in comments. Share what you’ve learned.

Now, more than any other is a good time to learn how to be a green minded, frugal, penny pincher bargain hunter.

Not knowing what my interior design style is, several of my friends have suggested I keep clippings in a file folder on décor tips, interior design articles along with clips of rooms and furniture I like from magazines. Having recently inherited so many furniture pieces and styles lately as well as a couple major purchases, I have given up on having any real cohesion. I like all the different eras and styles I have accumulated. I don’t want to give up anything and I certainly don’t want to clutter up my already overstuffed office file drawers with magazine clippings. I am hoping at some point to bring in a pro to help me find a way to make it all work.

Until then, a recent posting on Mark Down Mom, The Bargain Diva blog suggested a new website called MyDecoFile.com. Part of the Domino Magazine, mydecofile.com lets you make your own file with your favorite decorating images, items, styles, etc. You can also browse other users’ deco files for ideas. Perfect for people like me who are bogged down with too much stuff, in need to cohesiveness and design inspiration.

If somebody asked me what my style is I’d say eclectic…. I adore simplistic clean lines and yet lean toward Victorian opulence. I buy white sheets yet I always want the floral and dark paisleys sets.  Color … love it, but a subdued monochromatic room soothes me.   I like almost every style, except 1970’s mod… oops, but I have some of that too!

http://mydecofile.dominomag.com/

I am always keeping an eye out for deceptive practices. There are the obvious… bait and switch, loss leaders etc but there are others that really get my goat.

One is where a store calls itself “an outlet” under the guise that it sells products directly from the manufacturer. But the prices are retail. Another is the designer direct… but the prices are retail because no one else sells the product.

But the one that bothers me the most, cause it wastes so much of my time, is when special purchase product is brought into an outlet to fill out the inventory.

A recent visit to a furniture outlet for a higher end furniture store had me leave in frustration. The good product by Pulaski and Bernhardt was all damaged floor samples and the majority of the store was lower end manufacturers brought in to fill out the inventory. Lower end at a lower price is still retail. Price does not guarantee a bargain, the value does. If the real value of a product is higher than the asking price, that’s a bargain.

So I left disappointed. But it is a good example of why you need to keep abreast of quality and manufacturers. Both Pulaski and Bernhardt have a wide range in quality in te many lines they make. So even with those well-known names I would have examined each piece. You can’t always count on a manufacturers reputation.