That's So Primitive

The hubby's parents live about 45 minutes away in North Attleboro, and let me tell you, that area is a lot different than it is up here near Boston.  I feel like it's a simpler life full of farmer's markets, art festivals, and country stores.  It's a life I could definitely get used to. 

While we were at the Scituate Art Festival, I saw this sign I loved that read Home Sweet Home.  My mother-in-law said to me, "I didn't know you liked Primitive decorations?"  I paused for a moment, not even knowing what this meant.  "I am?" I asked.  "Yes," she said, this stuff you're looking at it's called Primitive."  "Hmm," I said, "well I guess I am!" 

Of course, the moment we got home, I Googled (Ah Google, my answer to everything!) Primitive decorations and this is what I learned:

Primitive decor is a style of living. It is suppose to evoke feelings of taking one back to colonial times when things with decor was simple and flaws were welcomed.

I guess this makes sense, I mean my favorite show growing up was Little House on the Prairie!  Now, while my style isn't exactly Primitive to the max, I definitely like to mix Primitive elements with a little bit of modern and a little bit of traditional.  My style is straight out of the Pottery Barn catalog and is what I like to call "comfy casual."  The truth is though, I don't care about labels, I don't care about brands, I don't even care where I buy anything.  Whether it's from the highest end store or Salvation Army, I like what I like and I know my style. 

Having discovered this new decorative element, I set my sites on shops specializing in Primitive decor.  Our first stop was Carol's Den, a small country store in Plainville.  We walked in and felt the warmth of the decor immediately.  We came away with these adorable items:

It was also at Carol's Den, we discovered some wonderful artwork by an artist named Billy Jacobs.  We even got one print for Christmas this year.  The only problem is, I can't find a place for it in our apartment.  It's waiting for a very special place in our first home.

After Carol's Den, we took a ride to The Old Country Store and Emporium in Mansfield.  Walking in was like taking a step back in time.  The Emporium spans 17,000 square feet and features 12 rooms full of hand-crafted furniture, trinkets, and home accessories.  There is also an old fashioned candy counter and a player piano.  It was more than just a store, it was an experience for sure.  We found the cutest horseshoe that we are now using as a key rack:

For Christmas, my MIL even got me a subscription to The Country Sampler.  I love the simple decor ideas, the warm colors, the signage and the wooden decorations.  I guess I love Primitive stuff!

Be well,

The Stockpile

I love free, free is for me, and I'll admit it, I'm slightly addicted to TLC's Extreme Couponing.  The fact that these people are getting all this stuff for mere pennies astounds me.  Now I know I'll never be at their level, and I can honestly say I really don't want to be, but I'm kind of excited about mini-extreme couponing. The hubby and I started this a few weeks ago and have already accumulated a tiny stockpile.  We've decided to just start with the stores we frequent most (Target and CVS) and on a few products we use the most.  It's kind of addicting.

A few weeks ago, CVS had Glade air fresheners on sale for $.99 each.  Their website also had a coupon for $2 off 2 Glade products.  We were able to print 10 coupons in total (using various home and work computers) and bam! 10 free air-fresheners.  I don't think I'll ever have to buy them again.  The only "work" required here was looking at that week's circular and comparing it with the coupons found at CVS.com.  Easy peasy.

The key to CVS shopping is to use rewards dollars for all your purchases so you never have to pay anything out of pocket.  Rewards dollars are attached to specific items and if you buy that item that week, money is added to your account and can be used on a future purchase.  That being said, you will have to do an initial shopping trip to earn the rewards dollars in the first place and that will require you to spend a bit of money.  The savings you will get in the long-run, though, will far outweigh that initial cost.

The hubby did this a few weeks ago.  He did some research using just the CVS weekly ad and saw what products that week were offering rewards.  In the end, he spent about $30 (on all things we use frequently) and received $16.27 in rewards dollars.  The next week, he got a 4th quarter rewards bonus (a perk for frequenting the store) that added $12.50 in rewards to his account.  His total rewards were $28.77. 

Now that this was all set, the key was to then buy products that one, you have a coupon for and two, will also give back rewards dollars.  This makes it so your reserve rewards dollars are never depleted and you "buy" everything only with rewards.  On his next trip, he bought 3 boxes of Special K Cereal (a staple in our household), Nivea Body wash, 3 Nivea lip care products, Colgate toothpaste, and Special K cereal bars, all for...drum-roll please...3 cents!  The total price was $28.45, he used $6 in coupons and $22.45 in extra rewards.  The 3 cents must have been for tax...we think.

The Special K cereal bars (not pictured) were the only thing he bought that he didn't have a coupon for or didn't give back rewards dollars.  It is something we always have on hand and we were out, so it was our splurge!  All the coupons were found either in the Sunday newspaper or simply by Googling that brand's printable coupons.  Nothing groundbreaking here, but well worth the few minutes it takes to find the deals.

That same week, Target was running a deal for a $5 gift card when you purchased 5 Glade Products.  MyPoints was also running a Glade promotion where you could print multiple $1.50 off of two Glade Product coupons.  We bought four Glade Candles and one air freshener at $2.50 each totaling $12.50.  We then used two $1.50 off of two Glade product coupons and one .55 cent off one Glade air freshener, taking $3.55 off our total.  We then received a $5 Target Gift Card  We split our transactions into two and I was able to use the $5 gift card on the second one for other stuff I was buying.  If you add the total of the gift card to the savings, we spent $3.95 for 5 Glade Products.  Not our best savings, but savings nonetheless.

If you're a frequent Target shopper, check out their online coupons.  They have a TON on their website and they can be combined with manufacturer coupons.  I saved $4 on a sweater there the other day (that was already on clearance!). 

Here is how our little stockpile is shaping up!

The small lotion in front was a Facebook promotion.  If you liked the company's page, you could print a coupon for a free sample of their new lotion at CVS.  The Johnson and Johnson's first aid kit was also free.  They were on sale for $.97 at Wal-Mart just before Christmas and there was a coupon in the Sunday paper for $1.00 off one J&J product.  I actually made $.03 on this and it was applied to the rest of my purchase!

Call us materialistic, call us hoarders, call us whatever you want, but if we can get it for free, you can bet your last penny we're going to.

Be well,



Cheap Finds and DIYs

I've spent a lot of time over the past few months scouring thrift stores, flea markets, and the Salvation Army in hopes of scoring some good deals.  It's pretty addicting to go into a store, spend less than $20, and come out with armfuls of stuff.  As is pretty clear, I love looking for new design ideas and decorations, and if I can get them for just a few dollars, I consider myself successful.  Most of the stuff I've been hoarding collecting is waiting for our first house but some I've incorporated into our apartment already because I just couldn't wait to display it!  

A few months ago, the hubby and I took a ride to the Wilmington Salvation Arm.  A lot of people have a negative perception of the Salvation Army.  They think its contents are old or gross or just not for them.  Yes, some stuff does fit into those categories, but a majority of it is either gently used or in pretty good condition.  I was pretty impressed with the Wilmington location.  It's not very big, which makes searching pretty easy.  They didn't have too many clothes which was fine because I wasn't really in the mood for clothes shopping.  I wanted household items, and I wanted them bad!  I took a stroll over to the household section and there it was...an awesome framed picture of a wine glass and bottle.  I checked the price and couldn't believe it.  $5!  Seriously, most people spend that on their morning coffee!  I snatched it up before anyone else could get their hands on it and we brought it home.  Check out its new spot in our kitchen...

On Columbus Day weekend, Mr. C and I went to the Scituate Art Festival in Rhode Island.  The hubby grew up in RI and his parent's still live close to the area he grew up, so we're always down there visiting.  I love the art festival, and we try to attend it every year.  There are tons and tons of vendors.  My favorite section is the flea market area where the locals set up tables and sell everything from trinkets to furniture.  I saw this weathered, dirty box that I thought was perfect for a project I had in mind.  When the seller told me it was just $2, I jumped at the chance.  The next weekend, we went to AC Moore and bought some fake flowers (with a few 40% off coupons!), cleaned up the box, and put it on display:

So easy, so cheap.  Love, love, love!

Be well,