Curl Up With A Good Book…

Are you ready to start small with your Champagne Life good stuff? Do you know where you’re going to focus first? Excellent. On to rule number two:

Love it.

I am assuming you have perfectly functional belongings. Your goal, however, isn’t only functional but also…more. What do you want your home to be? Peaceful? Sexy? Exciting? Colorful? Relaxing? A little of all of it? Uniquiely yours? Be honest with yourself; you know what you need to make it any and all of these. You need to love your surroundings, love being there, love living in it. This is much more than just functional.

We all have to have things. There is no way around it. However, simply collecting things for the sake of collecting things will not make us happy. That adage money can’t buy happiness is a truism. So don’t just collect things for the sake of having things. Since we have to have things, make sure you have things you love.

We’re lucky because we live in an age where your really can find just about anything. Online is a goldmine. Discount shops, membership clubs, thrift stores. Just because you’ve found something that suits your need – that is perfectly functional – doesn’t mean you should buy it. Wait. Keep what you’ve already got a little longer. After all, you have a functional one; now you’re looking for the wonderful one.Whatever it is, keep looking and find one you love. Because that’s a Champagne Life, even on a beer budget.

Enjoy ~

Pauline

Last time, we touched on the two most important rules of acquiring the good stuff. The first one is Start Small. As much as we’d all love to, it isn’t realistic to throw out all the kitchen stuff, the decorations, the linens and buy all new. These changes will have to be smaller than that in order to give your budget a chance to absorb them. But starting small can lead to big changes.

So how do we start small? For me, it was my everyday glasses with stems. I love stemmed glasses. If they’re called  ice tea glasses or tulip glasses or water goblets, I don’t care. They are my favorite drinkware. I kept my other glasses, shopped around, and found tulip glasses on sale, 4 for $5.00. I bought two sets. When I went home, I boxed up my old, non-stemmed glasses, donated them, and have never looked back. They are a vital part of my Champagne Life. Yes, it can be that little, that “insignificant.” All these years later, I still smile when I pull down a glass to pour myself a glass of water or load my dishwasher.

A while back, I asked you to pay attention to your surroundings. Now you know why. This is where you start. With whatever your equivilent of stemmed glasses happens to be.

Maybe it’s your bedroom. Perhaps the corner where you love to curl up with a good book. Or your dining table. Can’t afford the entire new linen collection for your bed? Buy pillows or pillow cases. A new blanket in a sexy red or a peaceful blue. Even just changing your lampshade can make a difference. A throw pillow and blanket or a piece of art that makes you smile can make your book nook cozier, too. For dining, a special mug or two new place settings for you and your sweetie. Or yes, four new glasses for five dollars. You’re getting the idea.

Look for sales. There is always a sale somewhere. And remember not to try to do it all at once. Take each new piece and love it for its own sake. That’s a Champagne Life.

Enjoy ~

Pauline

If you have a style, or like me, have several styles, the title of this post may not make sense to you. But if you don’t have one yet, you understand it completely. Don’t worry, though; you’re not alone. It’s more common than you realize. Think about it – the entire makeover industry, from fashion to home design, is based on people not having their own sense of style. You rarely see people with stylish homes, gardens, or wardrobes being made over.

So, find your style. Or styles. Forget about what’s trendy. Don’t worry about what’s currently “in.” Focus on what makes you happy, peaceful, or confident. We talked about this in terms of clothing. Now, we’re talking about it in terms of our surroundings. In terms of what makes up your good stuff.

Pay attention to where you’re most comfortable in your house. Be aware of which mug you reach for most often in the mornings. When you walk through Target or Fred Meyers or your favorite thrift store or wherever, what catches your eye? Throw pillows? Glassware? Picture frames? Pay attention to what makes you smile. All of this is part of what can be ~ what will be ~ your style.

Finally, don’t listen to the professionals who tell you that you have to have only one look, one style, one decor. That’s just silly. So what if your sexy peacock feathers and art deco art work don’t match the calico print you love on your curtains. Or if you dream of one room being painted black and red, while another is all pastels. As always, it’s about you and your champagne life, even on a beer budget!

Enjoy ~

~ Pauline

Wow. We’ve been standing in front of a cleared out closet for a long time now. Too long. Sorry about that. I think it’s time to restock, don’t you? And you know what that means…Shopping!  However, since we’re talking about shopping, it also means smart, champagne life on a beer budget shopping. Even better. This week, let’s discuss where to shop. After that, we can discuss what to shop for and how to shop. But for now, where!

For many of us, this may be a no-brainer. We have our favorite places; we have our budget; we have our style. For other of us, it’s not that easy, as much as we wish it was.

Perhaps the one good thing about the months (holy cow, months!) between clearing out the closet and now is the holidays are here. With the holidays come the holiday sales. BOGOs, coupons, special hours, special days – you name it, it’s out there. Take advantage. Who cares that it’s for your closet and not someone’s present? It’s still a gift – just to you in instead of someone else! And don’t be embarrassed to use a coupon, inquire about free shipping or ask about the timing on the next sale.

No need to disregard department stores and mall stores but do also pay close attention to places like Target and Kohls, places that have good quality and reasonable prices year-round. Any of their holiday sales can save you big bucks.  While you’re looking around, remember places like Goodwill (http://www.goodwill.org/), Savers (http://www.savers.com/) and thrift shops. The best part of these places is you get new-to-you clothing, reuse resources and help people, all at the same time. Plus, remember all those clothes you just (months ago, good grief!) cleared out of your closet? Many of these places will give you store credit in exchange for your donations. New outfits for nothing more than your old outfits? I do love a champagne life.

My one warning to you – remember the difference between inexpensive and cheap. Inexpensive is great. We’re all about inexpensive here. Cheap, not so much. Remember, it’s better to pay $10 for a sweater and be able to wear it all winter than $5 for one and have it disintigrate after one washing. Stylish and smart. That’s a Champagne Life on a Beer Budget.

Enjoy ~

~ Pauline