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Showing posts from July, 2010

The Art of Downsizing

There can be many different reasons for downsizing – but moving is probably the most common. Well, I’m not moving, but the older I get the more I get annoyed at all the stuff I’ve accumulated over the years. Does this sound familiar to you? In the past, I would move to a different home every four years. And every time I moved, I would sort through my stuff, donating lots of bags to the Salvation Army, Purple Heart and Goodwill. As you can tell, my love of shopping for clothes, shoes and decorative items has always gotten me in trouble. However, now that I’ve been living in the same house for the past five years, my “stuff” has been multiplying exponentially. Not only is the crawl space under the house filled up completely, but we now have a garage that has no more extra room – especially for a car. And it's migrating to my two spare bedrooms and the closets are bulging at the seams. I'm really tired of the piles which seem to grow on a weekly basis. And even more frus...

Decorating Your First Place

Decorating your first place. No, I don't mean your dorm room or the home you share with your roommates or your relatives, but your first home away from home. Your first home is a symbol that you're finally independent and can begin interjecting your own creativity into the place where you live. In my opinion there's nothing more exhilarating than decorating your first place. I was reminded of that old feeling because my niece is getting married in two weeks. She exclaimed to me how much fun she was having decorating their first apartment. After reflecting on my past experiences, I thought I might outline a few tips that may help with this task while decorating on a tight budget. 1. Many of us start out with hand-me-downs, garage sale or flea market finds. Although we appreciate the generosity of the "giver," it can be a challenge to incorporate them into a cohesive decorating plan. Luckily the "shabby chic" and eclectic styles are still in vogue! W...