Frugal Friday - Saving Money in the Long Run

Happy Friday, Islanders!

Today, we're talking about how following a few tips can save you money in the long run.

So, in the old house, I painted.  I painted a lot.  I made some color mistakes... Like, a lot.

Once, I wanted an accent wall in the living/family room.  I painted it from the move-in ready tan:

to what-I-thought was chocolate brown:

The floating pjs and mohawk are on my kid... You can't see her? That's because I painted my wall flesh-tone brown.  Looks like a giant CoverGirl concealer.

All wrong.

So, I painted it back to tan, then I added a red stripe when we had the tv mounted and framed (you can see it in the background of the following pic):

I had a sunshine bright yellow powder room, a blue office:

A red sunroom:

Pic taken at my housewarming, a NYE party.  Yes, that's my brudder, Mike, and his now wife, Ryan.  It was their second date.

The man painted the basement curry gold (or curry goat, I can't remember):

Nevermind that b-boy pose, lol.  Can you see the wall? Thankfully, we repainted it a nice blue-gray.

Not to mention the yellow Master suite, lime green master bath, baby blue hall bathroom, olive green kitchen, Munch's lavender room, re-painted office to have an orange stripe...

MY LIFE HAS BEEN FULL OF COLORS!

I spent a majority of my time in the old home fixing color mistakes.  Considering the price of paint, the time, the repainting requirements and my bad nerves... It was a pretty expensive endeavor.

I have, however, learned from my mistakes.  I also offer my assistance to those close to me when selecting their paint colors.  One recent example was my mom's mom cave (tongue-tied?).

Mom has been collecting pillows and décor for her space (my old room... No, I'm not mad about it... well, not until I think about it....).  She found pillows she loved which were a mix of modern, floral and feminine prints all in the same color family.  She has plans for a board and batten treatment on the walls.  The walls will be white but she wanted to add a pop of color to the closet (my old closet... no... I told you, it totally doesn't bother me).  The closet will become a nook in the room and she has plans to create a cool focal point inside (now that she's removed my old closet doors).  The pop of color she chose?

PINK!

One day a few weeks back, I got a phone call at work from her and she sounded panicked.

"Tabitha.  You have to help me.  I painted it all wrong!  It's WRONG... really wrong.  The pink I chose looks like blood."

She wanted it to pop so she chose a hot pink.

A whole lot of hot pink can look darker and almost red in a closet setting.  This was serious.  We met that day for lunch at Sherwin Williams to find the pink:

Not nursery pink.  Not blood pink.  Not purple-pink.  Just pink.

This was serious.  She found it.  She knew she found it.  She was all prepared to buy a full gallon but I told her to purchase 2 samples of her top 2 choices.  Sure, if it was the pink, it could be a waste but what if it wasn't?

Lesson Learned #1: Even when you're sure, buy a sample. Take it home and test it out.

I got a text.  Mom tried all the pinks together.  GUESS WHAT?! It wasn't working.  Like, at all.  We scheduled an emergency trip to Lowe's for that Friday.  This time, she came prepared!

Lesson Learned #2: If you have an inspiration fabric or picture, bring it with you.

She brought a few pillows to get a better idea of which shade of pink she wanted to match.

She also knew the undertones that she didn't want.

Lesson Learned #3: Know the size of the room to ensure you purchase the right amount of paint.

She had an idea of the space's size.

She brought an open mind that the right pink might not be the hot pink she was looking for.

With all of this information, we found the pink.

Somehow, I guess because I exercised my bossiness and expertise in the store, I was tasked with painting the closet that Sunday while she and Dad were on travel.

ME?!  Yes.  Paint?!  Yes.  My old room?! UGH. Yes, yes aaaand yes.

I did it in two trips.  First, to get the top coat on:

  Second, to repaint the ceiling and other elements:

Can you see where I brought the ceiling white down onto the wall?  I underestimated how much I would need to get great coverage.  Rather than buy another quart of UNnecessary pink paint she would never use again and I'd only use a little of, I just used some of mom's white paint for the ceiling and other auxillary walls in the closet that can't be seen.  I also taped off the portion of the wall I couldn't finish and brought the ceiling white down.  I think it looks amazing... A grown-up but fun pink.

After I finished the project (painting baseboards white), Mom announced that, while the room (my old room) is her mom cave, it's Munch's whenever she comes to visit.

WHAT?!

MY room? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

I feel like I was pushed to this point, Islanders.  Yo.

How can she just GIVE my room to the kid? I mean, am I not entitled to my shrine?  With my trophies and tiaras?  My Varsity letters and school projects?  NO?!

Is it asking too much?

Needless to say, I'm supervising and will be sure to share this room's (my old room's) progress!!

I hope you find the tips for painting right the FIRST time to be helpful.  I'll share some of my favorite painting tools (people can't believe that I don't use painter's tape, lol) soon enough.

Anyhoo, that pink just makes me happy.  I sure do wish my mom would've done THAT to my room when it was still mine.

Have a fabulous time- and money-saving Friday!

What colors make you smile?

Do share!