Category Archives: Bargain Finds
My new best friend
Above: Duplex living circa 2008
The duplex we rented 2007-2010 was owned by retired legal secretary named Margaret. She was a great land lady keeping the duplex in top shape. The woman absolutely thrived in a world of order and cleanliness.
Margaret gave me all sorts of tips during our three year stay. One product she introduced me to was Bar Keepers Friend. She hinted it would make my “well used” kitchen pots look like new.
I had never used the stuff, but picked up a container. I soon found that it was a great multipurpose cleaner plus it made my tarnished pots shine like the sun.
Now years later, I’ve been looking for a safe way to clean our brushed stainless steel fireplace and mailbox. Both pieces are such focal points, the last thing I wanted to do was accidentally scratch them with the wrong cleaner.
But, it wasn’t until I read a forum about cleaning with Bar Keepers Friend that the light bulb went off in my head.
Of course…that stuff would totally work!!
Here’s how.
How to clean brushed stainless steel (or chrome)
Although I adore our mailbox, the stainless steel shows dirt and grime so easily.
Here you can see how someone taped a flyer to it that left a sticky residue.
Plus it’s covered with fingerprints and water stains from regular usage.
So to clean it – mix Bar Keepers Friend with a little water to make a paste.
Then rub the paste on the surface in the same direction as the brush marks until all the grime is removed.
Rinse off the paste with a clean cloth and water.
Then polish (again in the direction of the brush marks) with a clean microfiber cloth.
Success!! The sticky marks are gone.
As well as the rest of the dirt.
This stuff rocks! It doesn’t scratch and leaves a wonderful shiny finish. I urge you to try it on your pots or anything that’s stainless steel or chrome.
I was not paid nor given Bar Keepers Friend to review. I just really like it.
Even cheaper than Two Buck Chuck
This was such an amazing deal I had to post.
Today I purchased six bottles of Turning Leaf wine for $1.34 (or $0.23 each). Crazy, huh? It’s way cheaper than Two Buck Chuck. And I don’t care if you are a wine connoisseur and prefer a nicer vintage — this is a great buy!
Here’s the scenario:
Turning Leaf is currently on sale at CVS for $5.99 each. I purchased six bottles that each had a $1 off hangtag coupon.
So $5.99 – $1.00 = $4.99
$4.99 x 6
$29.94 Subtotal plus tax
On top of that, CVS let’s you save 10% off when you purchase 6 or more bottles.
Plus, they are running a special $25 off rebate for any Turning Leaf, Bella Serram Mirassou, Ecco Domani or Dancing Bull wine. (Check the back of your CVS ad from last Sunday to see if you get the rebate.)
$29.94 Subtotal
-$3.60 (10% off sale)
-$25.00 Rebate
$1.34 TOTAL plus tax
So that’s an additional savings of $28.60 for a grand total of $1.34 plus tax.
I love deals like this, especially going into the summer when we will be entertaining a lot and go through a lot of beverages.
I have heard this deal is regional, but check out the back of you CVS ad to see if the rebate is available in your area.
I already filled out my rebate form and am putting it in the mail so I don’t forget!
PS – Sorry these photos are a little hazy. Not sure why my camera didn’t focus correctly.
Painting MVP
Remember that weekend before Bath Crashers premiered? The one that Nate and I decided to spend repainting the master suite for our premier party?
Well this little tool was the MVP of the weekend.
Not only did the Shur Line Pro Edger save us precious time, but also neutralized a big fight between Nate and I. You see when it comes to painting trim – Nate is a perfectionist while I am more a free spirit.
This tool stopped Nate from spending countless hours taping up the trim. And this tool stopped me from upsetting him by winging it and going freehand.
How it works
The Shur-Line is basically a paint pad with wheels. You coat the removable pad with paint and then place it against the edge (ceiling/baseboards/molding) you are painting so that the wheels guide the device along the edge. Not only to the wheels act as a guide, but they also evenly space the paint so you get an exact edge. This came in very handy on our uneven ceiling. Instead of noticing the the uneven plaster, you just see a nice, even line.
Want to see it in action? Here’s a YouTube video I found.
I have read a few negative reviews online about this, but I think the frustration is due to application technique. On our project, I would say it took a couple tries before I got the application right, but I had nothing to lose (but time) so I kept working with it. After than, it went fast.
I found that it worked best when you didn’t load the pad with too much paint. Also, make sure to keep the wheels and sides clean.
What would have taken us 3-4 hours to accomplish with tape (because we all know I would have let Nate win the argument) took less than an hour with the Shur Line Pro Edger.
So for less than $5 this little tool will be staying in our paint supplies for years to come. I just wish I had tried it sooner! Imagine how much money we would have saved on blue painters tape!
Easy update to the hallway light
Our poor old hallway light. Boy, was he ugly. It only seemed kind to spruce it up with the rest of our hallway updates.
So on one of my ten trips to Home Depot this week, I bought a new glass light cover to replace the dated one for $12.
I love how the white frosted glass really pops against of wood panel ceilings.
Then I got thinking about the Rub ‘n Buff I bought for my mirror update and realized I could use it to change the color of the actual light fixture.
I know that brass is considered a classic and is having a comeback, but personally is not for me.
I spent about 10 minutes giving it a quick paint and buff … and ta-da!!
The light now looks fresh and works with the rest of our home. It makes me very happy to be able to reuse the light fixture. Not only it saves me money, it’s nice to reuse the original pieces in the home.
Now that I have this under my belt, the other brassy ceiling lights in my house better watch out. I am coming for you next!
Project Total
Glass Bulb – $12.00
Rub n’ Buff* – $4.00
GRAND TOTAL – $16.00
*I used about a 1/20th of the tube for this project
My take on a gilded mirror
In our quest to finish up the hallway, I have been working on the finishing touches like our little neglected mirror.
I picked up this thrifted mirror for about $5 in college. I painted it a bright red and it’s pretty much remained the same since. It’s a cool piece with it’s aged glass, hexagon shape and funky plastic frame. Yep, that’s right – plastic frame.
Last week, I painted the frame a shiny green to give it a quick update. Although I loved the color, the high gloss unfortunately made the piece look super cheap.
In order to cut that plasticly look, I picked up some Rub ‘n Buff silver leaf wax at the craft store for a couple bucks.
With a small brush you just paint on the wax. Then you buff it with a clean cloth until you get the right look. This stuff dries fast so focus on painting the reliefs and crevices first. Only add a small touch to the rest so there is some texture to the piece.
Here’s a comparison of the two different finishes – silver leaf vs. high gloss.
Although the high gloss was fun, I personally think I like this aged, gilded look much better. It gives it weight which the high gloss sorely lacked.
What do you think?
Bargain Find: Another Free Music Tip
When you purchase at Starbucks remember to pick up a card to redeem a free song. If you don’t know the artist, there is no harm.
Reedem the song via iTunes then take a listen. If you don’t like it you can always delete it!
Bargain Find: Free (!!) Music
Nate and I are major music lovers. We are always blasting something from either his music library or mine.
And what would be the the music lover be without new music?
It really is a hobby for me – finding and buying new music. Sometimes the wallet can take a little beating though! So I am trying to hold back and budget a little more than I use to.
That’s why I love the free music you can legally get online. Most places only offer downloads for a limited time so if you make it a habit of checking regularly it really helps out on that budget!
Here are a few of my favorite places to pick up some new tunes.
iTunes Free Songs
Every Tuesday, iTunes posts free songs from up coming albums. Usually they have a Single of the Week (a more mainstream track), a Discovery Download (a song that is “worth your attention” according to the iTunes staff) and a Single of the Week in Spanish.
All are worth a listen to. I don’t necessarily download everything every week, but I have found some great music through them.
Bonus: Become a friend of iTunes on Facebook to get special music samplers offers.
Amazon.com Free MP3 Downloads
I will admit that I buy a lot of music on Amazon these days because 1) it is usually a little cheaper than iTunes and 2) they carried DRM-free music before iTunes.
When you purchase on Amazon, your music downloads using their handy little app, the Amazon MP3 Downloader. I love this thing. It automatically downloads to you iTunes or Windows Media Player.
Now on to the free music…
Every day, Amazon lists a free song for download. For instance today it is Danny Elfman’s “Alice’s Theme” from the upcoming film Alice in Wonderland.
They also have free samplers that usually features themes or genres of music like the Relaxation sampler or the I love the 80′s, Volume 1 (1880′s, mind you!) These are perfect for holidays and theme parties. I probably got half my Christmas music collection from them.
Bonus: Sign up for their twitter feed to get updates on sales and specials. I have scored a lot of good, recently released albums for no more than $4.00.
RCRD LBL
RCRD LBL is an exclusively-online record label that offers all of its music for free via Mp3 downloads. It offers music from emerging and established artists, as well as reviews and interviews.
Its a great place to find upcoming artists and hear great remixes from popular DJs.
Bonus: subscribe to their daily newsletter that features popular and upcoming songs for download.
Artist Newsletters
Many times artists or bands will release free downloads to their fans. All you have to do is go to your favorite band’s website and sign up for their newsletter, twitter feed or become a fan on facebook.
You will also receive the latest news on their albums or tours and sometimes other perks like presale opportunities for upcoming concerts.
Those are a few of my favorite places online.
Of course I still like to buy from local record stores and directly from the artist too, but I find the convenience of buying online dominates my choice.
Are you obsessed with downloading music like me? What are some of your favorite ways to get new music?
