Home Improvement, Craigslist Style!

After our week of vacation with M's family, we stopped at Ikea to "pick up a few things." This inspired me to turn our entire apartment upside down and gut everything and re-organize.

I don't do anything half way.
So, that meant almost an entire month of cleaning, organizing, taking stuff to Goodwill, and buying things on Craigslist.

Here are some of the highlights.

1. We officially have guest quarters. I'm sorry if I have posted about this before. I can't seem to remember what I put here and what I put on Facebook. So, if I'm repeating myself, oh well.
I like to go on scouting missions to Ikea, write down what I like, then stalk that item out on Craigslist, until I can find it for like half price, assembled, and not smelling like a pet store and/or a lot of international food.

We got rid of a bunch of books, etc. out of our office, moved my desk to the back corner, opposite M's desk, and made room for this futon, and a big wardrobe.

I was so proud of myself for figuring out a way to assemble this really heavy wardrobe. I also got an incredible deal on it from Craigslist. This might be the best deal I've ever gotten on there. New, this would cost more than $1,000! It's pretty much in "new" condition, and I paid only $200!! Sa-weeeet!

2. I finally found a small freezer for our apartment!
I've been searching and searching Craigslist for a freezer that is big enough for us to store extra meat and what not in, but small enough for our apartment, for under $100. I had to drive to Maryland for this one, but it fit in my SUV and it was also a steal. Now, we can save money buying in bulk and stocking up on frozen items when they're on sale, yay. Plus, M can get to stuff in this freezer, and he can't reach the freezer on top of our fridge, so that is a bonus. We had to turn our dining room table the opposite way to make room, but it works.

3. Countrifying/Beachifying our living room.
I need to take some more pictures of our living room, because this particular picture doesn't really show you the improvements. But, in this pic, you can see our new curtains, new toss pillows, and decorative stuff we've added to our living room. I'm realizing that my style is changing a bit. It's a little bit beachy, and a little bit country. Not so much modern and empty. Which is fitting, I guess. Because beachy and country is a pretty accurate description of the two of us, don't you think?

4. Creating a beautiful space on our porch.
Michael and I went to Home Depot, and he picked out a bunch of flowers for our porch. He also had a brilliant, and budget-friendly idea to elevate them, cinderblocks! I need to take some more pictures out there, too... because our flowers and plants have really blossomed! And, we've added some teak wind chimes. It really has become a beautiful space! The other day, M said a woman told him she and her daughter always have to walk by our porch so her little girl can see the flowers. That made us feel so good!

That isn't all we've done around here. It was a busy month, but very productive. And, we are so blessed to live in a space that we love. Our home is so colorful and beautiful, I love being here! I do wish this joint would clean itself, though! Oh well.