I enjoy turning a thrift-store find or a free piece into something that belongs in our home. Budget decorating is practical for us, but the creative work is also the reason I keep doing it.
A Goodwill table and a free pallet
HGTV’s Design on a Dime was one of my favorite shows. My own version included thrift-store pieces, free finds, and Dollar Tree decorations. This corner combines a Goodwill table with a free pallet displayed above it.
When overtime stopped being extra spending money
There was a time when my husband had plenty of overtime. Sometimes he worked 23 days in a row, and that extra income paid for dinners out, weekend trips, and purchases we wanted to make.
When that overtime became scarce, our spending changed. I was grateful that he still had a good job, and we had never based our regular living expenses on overtime income. The extra money had been a luxury.
The pleasure of transforming a find
When I posted on Rate My Space, someone once asked why I bought what they called junk when I could afford something else. My answer was that I loved transforming it. Making a piece my own was part of the fun, regardless of how much I could spend.
Goodwill and the Salvation Army were places I liked to start. Some of my favorite decorations in our home were also the least expensive. Looking past a piece’s current color helped me see what it could become.
The 2011 community-business campaign
BlogHer asked me to help spread the word about Create Jobs for USA when this post was written. In November 2011, Starbucks and Opportunity Finance Network launched the initiative, with a $5 million contribution from the Starbucks Foundation. It supported financing for community businesses through community development financial institutions.
The original donation appeal is historical. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston published an account of the past initiative.
For examples of the decorating approach, see my Goodwill frame turned into vintage-style artwork and my pallet sign project.
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