Tips for the Frugal Home Seller: Thrifty Bathroom Makeover

In previous posts on the topic of getting your home ready to sell, we looked at essential, basic steps to take, like thorough cleaning, decluttering, refreshing the front door, and minor repairs. We also looked beyond the basics at updating the powder room, removing wall paper and replacing out-dated fixtures.

This time, we'll take the getting-ready to sell process to the next level with a room make-over. The general real estate wisdom tell us that the kitchen, master bath and master bedroom are the most important rooms in the house, in terms of resale. Some might argue that the family room might be more important than the master bedroom. Your own real estate agent should be able to tell you what's more important in your market and for the target audience for your home.

Today we'll start with a master bath make-over.

So, let's assume that you've done the big clean, and you've decluttered your bathroom. You have even gone the extra mile and removed that metallic wallpaper that you thought was so snazzy when you bought the house. Now step back and look at it with a critical eye. Are the fixtures the original taupe or raspberry that were so popular in 1987?  And how about the shower curtain? Does it match the equally-hideous curtains?  Are the towels mismatched relics from your wedding shower 19 years ago? Is the floor covered with carpet? If you've answered yes to even one of these questions, it's time for a bathroom make-over.

If your budget is really tiny, you can do a basic, mini make-over that will minimize the bathroom's flaws by creating a harmonious over-all impression with a few pops of color or pattern to distract the prospective buyer.

The first task is to pick a color scheme.

Let's say the fixtures are taupe and the floor is a nice, but dated beige marble. You might want to pick a slightly darker shade of taupe or beige for the walls, with white trim.  If the tile is burgundy and gray, darker gray walls might work well. And when in doubt, white works well with everything.
If interior decor isn't your strong suit, look through some up-to-date design magazines (you may find some at the library), visit up-scale model homes at new construction sites. Some home improvement stores have consultants on staff who know a thing or two about color. You'll want to make sure that the color you choose will work with whatever you aren't replacing in the bath, like fixtures, tile and flooring. Cost of painting: $100 (could be more if it's a very large room or you are covering up particularly dark colors).

Once you've painted the walls and trim, pick out a new shower curtain that has some pizazz to it. A shower curtain is a big piece of fabric that can make a great statement, even becoming the focal point in the room, taking the load off dated aspects. You'll probably also want to replace the shower curtain rings with a new set that enhances the look of the shower curtain. Cost:  $50 - $100.

Next, select a new set of towels that work with the shower curtain. Get at least two sets of matching bath and hand towels (you won't need the washcloths). Fold them just so and place them on the towel rack...where they will remain throughout the time the house is on the market. These are just for show, so make sure family members know that! Use your old towels, and stash them in the washing machine, hamper or in a basket in a closet when the house is being shown.  Add a simple, unobtrusive window blind if needed.
Cost: $40 - $75 (more if you have several towel rods and more than one window).

Finally, pick out two or three decorative items  - candles, baskets, apothocary jars - to place artfully on the vanity, tub surround or window sill. Cost: $0 if you select from items you already own.

Unless the bathroom is very large or the floor is particularly unsightly, eliminate rugs and bathmats. You'll also want to get rid of the toilet seat cover, a toilet paper cozy, magazine rack, silk or plastic flowers and any decorative items that don't fit in with your color scheme. In addition, whenever showings are scheduled, put away all personal grooming and hygiene products and tools, and hide the toilet cleaning brush.

Total cost of mini bathroom make-over: $200 - $300

If you have a little bit more to spend you might:

1. replace faucets and tub/shower hardware
2. replace toilet
3. update the towel rods
4. replace drawer and cupboard hardware
5. add a new light fixture
6. remove the old medicine cabinet and replace it with a good-looking framed mirror
7. replace the old vanity top with a new version in marble, granite or other up-scale material
8. add an under-mount sink
9. replace the vanity itself
10. install new flooring
11. retile around the tub/shower
12. add a separate shower stall

To keep costs down, look for floor models, overstocks, returns and even slightly imperfect merchandise at  places like Home Depot, Lowe's and other home improvement centers. You may find great decorative pieces at highly discounted prices at places like Marshall's, T.J.Maxx and HomeGoods.  Look for items at garage sales and flea markets, and on Craig's List, Ebay and Freecycle. Do the work yourself or request help from skilled friends.

In the past, as much as 90% of the cost of bathroom remodelling could be recouped at sale. According to Remodeling Magazine, the figures for 2009 show that home sellers recouped 71% of the cost of a bathroom remodel. But that was assuming a full renovation with an average cost of  about $16,000. Smaller projects, if done well, could recoup a higher percentage. In the challenging 2010 real estate market, home sellers may not recoup all their costs, but it could be just the thing that puts that home ahead of the competition and results in a faster sale.

Get Ready for Earth Day 2010

Earth Day is on Thursday, April 22 this year, one month from today. Do you plan to do anything to celebrate? There are many events including festivals, rallies, environmental workshops, and more scheduled for that day, and the weekends on either side of April 22.

If attending an event isn't your cup of tea, here are 21 ways you might honor the Earth on Earth Day:

1. plant a native tree, shrub, or some perennials, especially those that attract birds and butterflies
2. start a compost pile 
3. install a rain barrel to catch rainwater run off
4. plan a meal entirely from scratch with organic and/or locally grown  foods
5. bake whole grain bread
6. plan a day of meatless meals
7. take the bus or train instead of driving
8. ride your bike or walk instead of taking a cab, bus or subway
9. climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator
10. resist making a purchase of a non-essential
11. clean up litter from your street, a park, the banks of a stream or river
12. take your own travel mug to have filled at the take-out coffee shop
13. use a coffee mug instead of a styro cup at work
14. take your lunch in reusable containers instead of buying fast food in throw-away containers
15. use a cloth napkin instead of a paper one
16. use rags and sponges instead of paper towels
17. use a home made cleaning product instead of caustic chemicals
18. be mindful of the amount of water you are using
19. email your legislators and ask them to advocate for clean air and water; the reduction of carbon emissions; protection of small farms; safety of our food supply and other environmental issues
20. visit a nature center
21. donate to an environmental organization whose work you believe in

Do you have plans for Earth Day 2010. Please share.

Thrifty Thursday - Wedding Dresses

When I spoke recently with a friend whose daughter is finding it difficult to select a wedding dress, I was struck by the enormity of the whole process - the choices, the cost, the fittings, the angst. I've never planned a wedding - having gratefully left most of the details of my own to my mother.  But I have several friends who have organized their daughters' weddings, and after hearing about their experiences, and the experiences of some of my daughters' friends, I've come to the conclusion that the whole thing is just out of control! The entire wedding industry has highjacked common sense, proportion, appropriateness and in, some cases, reality.

Today, we'll just look at what goes on with wedding gowns.

The average price of a wedding dress in the United States is somewhere around $600, but this number can be widely different based on region and locale. For example, according to a nifty zip code based calculator at costofwedding.com, the price paid for a bridal gown by a bride in Plainfield, NJ ranges from $662 to $$1156, while just an hour away in tony Rumson, NJ the range jumps to $2,832 -$4,720.  Brides in Waco, TX might shell out $662 - $1104, while in the New Hope, PA area where I live, it's more like $2,613 - $3,606. In Topeka, KS, a more modest $549 - $915 is the norm, and in Bloomington, MN the numbers skew higher to $990 - $1650.

A visit to Vera Wang's website yielded an invitation to join the RSVP club if I wanted to do more than look at the photos of the wedding fashions. I know these gowns, though truly beautiful, are uber-expensive. Then I hopped over to Priscilla of Boston where prices are in the several thousands of dollars - $3500 and $4500 being typical prices, with many gowns priced at "over $5000," though how much "over" isn't shared with the casual visitor. Next, I looked at the website for David's Bridal, one of the largest bridal gown retailers in the country, where the most expensive dress I found (though I didn't see every item) was $949. David's Bridal, however, has many very reasonably priced gowns including some sale dresses priced as low as $69.99.

But remember, the average dress price is $600. Does it really make sense to buy a dress that costs hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, takes weeks, and often months to receive, at which time it may need several fittings that may or may not be included in the price of the gown? Add to that, the cost of pricey undergarments, special shoes, possibly gloves, and of course the headpiece that can be as expensive as at the gown. And this is for an outfit to be worn once, for six, maybe eight hours.

I just don't see it. Where's the value? What's the point? Am I the only person who thinks today's brides and their loving parents are being taken for a ride? And what do I suggest as an alternative?

What I would like to see is a scaling back of proportion. It's the marriage that's paramount. Not what one is wearing. You are not any less committed to your husband if you wear a hand-me-down gown than if you've been tricked out in couture. So what if all your friends are going to be wearing $10,000 Vera Wang dresses when they walk down the aisle? Do you really need to follow suit when there are plenty of very pretty dresses for far less. Does anyone really need to try on 30 or 50 or 150 gowns before they find "the perfect one?" If you make $10 an hour, does it make sense to spend $1000 on a dress? If you've got outstanding student loans, where is the wisdom in putting an expensive gown on your credit card? If you are saving to buy a home, or your parents are getting near retirement, what is the thought process that results in spending unrealistic amounts of money on a dress?

There are options for the budget-minded, thrifty, frugal, individualistic and non-consumerist brides:

•  Follow the old, and very sweet tradition, of wearing your mother's, grandmother's or sister's gown. It may need minor or even major alterations, but there's something quite lovely about wearing an heirloom.
• Search out a used gown. Remember, these dresses have been worn once! And some have never been worn - they are close-outs, last year's styles or ordered-but-never-paid-for dresses. Today their are dozens of websites offering used - excuse me - pre-owned wedding gowns, including savethedress.com,  oncewed.com, woreitonce.com, and preownedweddingdress.com.
• Check out thrift and resale shops in your area. Do a Craig's List search.
• Visit the back room of bridal shops where there are often a few racks of dresses that didn't sell for one reason or another.
• Drop down a notch or two or three on the price point and just say no to more than you can afford.
• Think about breaking away from the pack and selecting a pretty (non-bridal) dress you can buy off the rack.

I expect I will have stepped on some toes with my opinions here, but I welcome your comments. Please share.

Green and Frugal Update

Last night, during my usual toss and turn time, I was thinking that I ought to report on some of my regular frugal and green efforts from time to time. Though I'm not sure what format this will ultimately take, I'm just going to jump in and get started. After all, what better day to launch a "Green Report" than St. Patrick's Day.

Since about March 1:

Home Recycling - we put out the usual amount of recyclables including, the winter amount of newspaper (we use quite a bit to start fires in the cold weather so less gets recycled), pasta boxes, toilet paper tubes, English muffin paperboard container, wine bottle, sherry bottle, seltzer bottles, bean cans, plastic milk container, bourbon bottle, cranberry juice bottles. No recyclables were thrown out.

Office Recycling - a full kitchen trash can of water bottles, soda cans, paperboard boxes from the individual coffee and tea servings for the Keurig machine (don't get me started on that!), toilet paper and paper towel tubes, yogurt cups and a big plastic jug that held pretzels. In addition, I took a full box (the size of carton of paper comes in) of office waste paper, including magazines and brochures, to the Abitibi collection bin behind the school. Unfortunately, 2 full boxes of office waste paper and a full trash can of recyclables were thrown out by a neatnik last week before I could take them out of the building. I have to be more disciplined in removing the stuff in a timely manner.

Compost - we composted typical amounts; mostly coffee grounds, egg shells, potato peels, onion, garlic and cucumber skins, radish ends and orange rinds, and about 10% of a package of gourmet lettuce (see Waste). We have a big cabbage to cook so tomorrow we'll add bulky outer cabbage leaves. No organic kitchen waste was thrown away.We continue to add some leaves left over from fall clean up to the pile. But there are too many for the bin, and since we have no place to store them, a few bags full have to go in the trash. I'm hoping to figure out a remedy for this less-than-environmentally-friendly situation by next year.

Reuse - I have taken a few more cardboard boxes to the UPS store at the shopping center. In addition, I helped dear friends sort through several storage units to determine what could be sold, what could be donated and what had to go in the trash. Fortunately, very little was trashed - 4 or 5 pillows that had spent four years in the locker and just couldn't be used by anyone else, a ratty mattress, some broken dishes and a couple of small, not easily identifiable items. I rescued a big box of towels, sheets and bath mats that will go to the SPCA as soon as I can deliver them. And I took a metal tray, a couple of books, a Pyrex casserole dish and a pretty, though stained bed cover for myself. I'll try to get the stains out. If it proves impossible, the SPCA will get an additional donation.

Waste - the package of gourmet lettuce, which was on sale (see Frugal Finds), started to decompose after a couple of days so we had to throw some of it on the compost. We're still working on making just the right amount of coffee in the morning so we don't pour any down the drain. When the weather gets hot, this becomes a non-issue since we save leftover coffee to drink iced. A half a chicken breast went unnoticed in a food saver in the back of the fridge until it was too late (see Trash);  there was a bit of cheese that was way past its prime, and the last handful of almonds in a large bag bought at BJ's for holiday baking had bugs, so we put them out for the birds.  We need to work on keeping better track of what's in the cheese drawer and pantry cupboard.

Trash - last week's trash bag contained a pair of ruined knee high stockings; a broken lint brush, and the remains of a bathroom sink fixture (see Unexpected Expenses).  There was a tiny bit of copper still attached to the fixture, but I just didn't have the energy, or know-how to retrieve it for possible reuse. The defunct half chicken breast and bit of cheese also wound up in the trash. This week, there are also 3 large bags of old leaves left over from last fall's clean up.

Energy - with Daylight Savings, we have adjusted the timer on the heater to come back on later in the day. And now that the weather is warmer, and not likely to dip below freezing for long periods, we have turned off the electric heater in the sunroom (when it's really cold outside, it keeps our plants alive and helps warm the kitchen which is above the sunroom). We continue to be quite diligent about turning lights off in rooms we aren't using. And we continue to disagree about what time to turn off the porch light - I'm inclined to switch it off around 9 pm, while my husband thinks it ought to be on until we turn in. Last month's gas and electric bill was around $400. I'll be glad when it gets back down to the more typical $100 when we aren't running the furnace.

Frugal Steps - our dishwasher has given up the ghost. We've debated replacing it, but have decided to put it off for a bit. Knowing that the stove and refrigerator are not destined to last much longer either, we're thinking that we will get all 3 appliances at the same time. We believe that we can negotiate a better price that way. So for now, we are washing the dishes by hand. Though we know that hand washing uses more water than a dishwasher, water use is cheaper than electricity, so handwashing is still the more frugal approach. We've also been keeping costs down by planning dinners around what is in the freezer, fridge and pantry as often as possible, and using meats sparingly. I've also continued to "shop my closet," and haven't made any clothing purchases. Spring weather brings a welcome relief from my winter wardrobe which is starting to bore me, though I was able to add 5 new pairs of pants, a sweater and a pretty scarf as hand-me downs from a client who was cleaning out her closet for a move to Florida. How lucky that she and I are the same size!

Unexpected Expenses - the above-mentioned bathroom vanity fixture began leaking in earnest a few weeks ago and just had to go. It was installed about 20 years ago, and wasn't a particularly good one to begin with, so it didn't owe us anything. We replaced it with an attractive brushed nickel set of faucets that was in the middling price category. My husband Ernie bought it from a supplier who gives him a discount, so the price was just over $100. We saved the cost of a plumber (figure about $100) because Ernie removed the old fixture and installed the new one himself. It was a bit messy because one of the old pipes was very corroded and a piece had to be replaced. But that cost was minimal.

Another unplanned expense was some dental work. I broke a crown and had to have it replaced. When I asked the dentist how much the new crown would cost, he said it was $1200, but he only charged me $600. I didn't ask for the discount, but I sure did appreciate it.

Frugal Finds - Because we haven't been shopping for non-essentials, and we've been doing most of our meal planning based on the pantry and the freezer, we haven't spent much time at the grocery store, or any store, for that matter. But we did have a couple of recent Frugal Finds. The box of gourmet lettuce was $2 off, so even though we couldn't use about 10% of it, it was still a bargain. We also bought 2 heads of iceburg lettuce (I don't want to hear any noise about iceburg not having any flavor - sometimes we just want a salad made with iceburg lettuce!) for $1.89. Corned beef is usually on sale as a loss leader in advance of St. Patrick's Day, and this year was no exception...it was $1 a pound. So we'll have a nice corned beef and cabbage dinner tonight, with enough leftovers for two more dinners (one of which will be corned beef hash, mmmm) at a cost of about $8.

So that's my Green and Frugal Update for mid-March. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Do We Really Need Any More Reasons to Buy Seasonal and Local

Leah Ingram, who writes the Suddenly Frugal blog, published a great post recently about the Florida tomato crisis. This topic really caught my attention.

 Because of unseasonably cold weather this winter, most of the Florida tomato crop was ruined. The USA Today article that Leah cites in her post reports that wholesale prices have gone up from $6.50 per 25 pound box to $30!

So that means that any restaurant that uses tomatoes in their food (McDonald's, pizza places, any restaurant that serves salads or makes their own spaghetti sauce), is going to pay more for tomatoes, and most will either have to change their menus, charge their customers more or eat the difference.

Consumers will find higher prices for tomatoes at grocery stores too. An ABC News on-line article reported that the price of tomatoes in a New York City grocery store went from $0.99 a pound to $1.89. Prices could go higher due to scarcity. And California tomatoes won't make up the difference. Most of the those tomatoes are processed into tomato sauce, ketchup and tomato juice. So Americans are relying on imports to get their fresh tomato fixes. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, imports of Mexican tomatoes are up 50% since the Florida freeze.

The big issues isn't so much that we have a bad year for tomatoes. Consumers will get over it. Florida farmers may take a while to recover. But next year, barring another freak freeze, we'll be eating our Florida tomatoes in the middle of the winter without giving it much thought. And if there is another catastrophe, we'll just buy the imports from Mexico.

But hold the phone! What's wrong with this picture? Do we really need to buy tomatoes that are grown hundreds or even thousands of miles away from where we live? Take a look at the photo on the right, - it accompanied the Wall Street Journal article. Those green things are tomatoes! They are harvested green. The ripening takes place in warehouses and on trucks that ship the tomatoes all over the country. Then most of them are exposed to concentrated ethelyne gas to speed up the ripening process. While tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables produce ethelyne gas naturally, do you really want more added to make a green tomato turn into a red one without the benefit of the vine or the sun?

So what's my point? I would like to propose that we just say no to tomatoes that have to be trucked great distances. Let's face it:  when the tomatoes on your sandwich or in your salad aren't fresh and local, chances are it's more about the habit than the flavor.  Let's learn to savor fabulous locally-grown - or better yet, home-grown - tomatoes during the months they are available. Buy lots and lots of them and put them up in canning jars. Or make home-made sauce.  (The photo at the top of this post is of cut up tomatoes waiting to be turned into sauce at my brother-in-law's family's annual Labor Day gathering.) When the fresh ones are gone, think of them fondly. Then turn to the canned version when you crave tomato flavor. But don't try to replace fresh, seasonal tomatoes with a poor substitute from far away places, that, by the way, come with a huge carbon footprint.

Thoughts? Please share.

Making Compost

When I was growing up, there was always a compost pile located somewhere at the back of the yard. My dad tossed on grass clippings, fall leaves (that were raked, not blown around by noisy machines...oh, wait, that's a post for another day), dead garden plants, over-ripe tomatoes, and other organic material from the garden beds. I don't remember kitchen garbage added to the pile, though I do recall seeing grapefruit halves, egg shells and coffee grinds in a neighbor's compost. Back then, in the semi-rural neighborhood of my elementary school years, everyone had big yards with vegetable gardens. And the refuse from those gardens was thrown on a pile. I don't know if most people called it compost, and I have no idea if the end-product -- that amazingly rich, decomposed organic gold - - was ever used by those neighbors.

Today, everyone seems to know at least a little about composting. When I did a Google search of "how to compost," more than 8 million matches appeared!  Well, here is number 8 million and one.

I'm a big advocate of composting. By composting garden and kitchen waste, we can divert all that matter from landfills, thereby reducing the amount of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide produced. Since organic matter mixed with trash accounts for about 40% of the stuff dumped in landfills, composting will prolong the life span of a landfill, reducing the need to truck refuse even greater distances to newer landfills. If that weren't enough of an upside, we have the end product...compost.

When decomposed organic matter is added to soil, it provides all kinds of nutrients and organisms essential for soil health. Compost will also improve soil texture and helps maintain a nice, "neutral" pH. And, over time, with a good, thick layer added every year, compost can reduce, or even eliminate the need to resort to environmentally-unfriendly fertilizers.

I compost in a heavy-duty bin made of recycled plastic similar to the one pictured here. We keep a small stainless steel compost pail next to the kitchen sink to collect the waste so that we don't have to trek out to the garden everytime we generate some garbage. In addition to kitchen waste, you can compost:

• leaves
• weeds (without seeds)
• grass clippings
• dryer lint (especially if most of the fabrics you dry in the dryer are natural fibers)
• shredded or ripped newspaper
• thin cardboard
• pine needles
• straw
• woodchips
• cornstalks (the more broken down the better
• manure from plant-eating animals

Never add grease, meat or fish scraps, dairy products, bones or dog or cat poop to the compost pile. And avoid adding diseased plants. In a future post, we'll look at tricks to maintaining a healthy compost pile.
Do you compost? What kind of bin do you use?

A Gardening Interview

 Awhile ago, I did an on-line interview about my book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegetable Gardening, and about vegetable gardening in general. Here it is.