The only word that I like better than "cheap"...

The only thing that I like better than "cheap" is "free"!

On Monday I was picking my kids up from a play date at a friends house. Gary is K and J's dad and he was home when I arrived. Gary used to own a chocolate shop and has been getting rid of the last of his shop equipment this month. When he offered me a huge marble cutting board for free there was really only one way to reply...

Yes!!!

Check out this beauty.



It weighs a lot. Seriously. It could smoosh a pug.



Look at all that fancy detail. It makes me feel like a rich person.

I have found a few cheap treasures recently.

Like this great red shelf for 3.99.



It will probably go in Lily's room because guess what? Her favorite color is red.

Last week I found this huge laminated world map for 2.99.



It can be used for homeschooling or as a blanket.

One of the few nice things about the economy shattering into a trillion tiny pieces of piercing misery (not that I am concerned or anything) is that all of the home decorating magazines are featuring lots of great ideas for cheap and free home decorating. I think that decorating on a budget can lead to a much more inspired style of decorating.

When David and I first ran away together we were on an extremely tight budget. My need to make a home on almost no money forced me to come up with some unusual solutions. I used cheap crocheted table toppers for valances. I created an elaborate structure above the windows by wiring sticks together. The affect was of sitting under trees. In the fall I'd tuck colorful leaves in the sticks. Winter meant that the sticks were surrounded by evergreen boughs and colorful ribbon. Spring and summer meant inexpensive silk flowers, birds and nests found homes in my sticks.

I loved that apartment. It was small, but I loved working on making our home unique and cozy. As my own budget gets tighter and tighter I am enjoying finding new uses for what I have and finding cheap solutions to what I need.