HomeGoods Manhattan

I heart HomeGoods.  As the name implies, they sell "home goods", but at lower-than-typical-retail prices which a bargain hunter like me can't help but appreciate!  The neat thing about HomeGoods is that the inventory changes frequently, and varies from store to store, so you never know what you're going to find!  Like its affiliate stores T.J. Maxx & Marshall's, the inventory at HomeGoods can be hit or miss, so you never know whether you'll strike the big time or come home empty-handed, which is part of the fun of it.  ;)

Last year, a new HomeGoods location opened in Manhattan's Upper West Side (right around the corner from my old apartment in fact!) that I'd been curious to check out so when I read that Apartment Therapy's Maxwell was going to make an appearance in late January, I decided that was a good of a time as any to go.

The store is gorgeous.  It's huge and new and really well-stocked with throw pillows, wall art, mirrors, lamps, cook books, bake ware, pots, pans, bathroom accessories, furniture, rugs... you name it!  Ahhhhh, if only this mecca was in the 'hood when I lived there...

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As luck would have it (I typically have the worst luck ever so this was super exciting for me!), I was one of the first 25 people to respond for the event, which earned me a free autographed copy of Maxwell's book!

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Maxwell's presentation was informative and interesting -- he gave helpful and budget-friendly tidbits specifically applicable tor smaller-sized home (a.k.a. apartments) and even took questions from the audience!    For example, using a larger area rug or accent furniture in smaller spaces is better than keeping everything on the small side (which makes the room feel even smaller than it really is).  The use of mirrors to add depth and open up the space in a room is an oldie but goodie trick as well.  Finally, creating an artificial "divide" such as an island between an otherwise combined kitchen and living area help gives definition to each space, although adding to the "footprint" of a small space might be counter intuitive to some.  I haven't had the chance to read the book yet, but I'll definitely share any other great insights when I do!

Splurge or Save?

The hubby and I have been searching for a rug for our master bedroom for a while now.  We definitely want something blue, and soft, but other than that we're stuck.  We're trying to avoid super-detailed patterns (a la oriental rugs) but also don't want anything too plain since the room is big and right now in serious need of some eye candy.  One day while searching I came across this beauty...

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It was nice, but I wasn't looking to commit to a rug that was $763! (Even if the so-called "list price" on Amazon was $1187!).  Then, I came across this one from Home Decorators Collection:

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Look familiar?  Yep -- same pattern but slightly lower price.  HDC charges shipping, but it's also relatively easily find coupons for that site, so I could've probably saved $100-$200 compared to the Surya on the Amazon website.  I still wasn't satisfied though.  But when I saw this beauty, I knew I'd found "the one"...

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Could it be???  The exact same pattern on Overstock.com for a fraction of the price?!?!  The regular price was $362, but the item was on sale for $308.  I quickly found an online coupon for $30 off, plus free shipping, bringing the total down to $278!

Now whether all 3 of these rugs are from the same manufacturer, I cannot say for sure.  However, when it comes to rugs I prefer to judge a book my its cover and not its author, so to speak.  ;)  As long as it looks great in the room and feels cozy, I'll take it!

Splurge or Save?

As I've been (obsessively) combing the internet for home decoration and organization tips, I've noticed that most every item out there is available at multiple price points.  Take this pillow for example...

World Map Pillow

I stumbled upon this while meandering through cyberspace one day and thought it was neat.  As you all know, Shep and I looooove our vacations, so I thought this throw might make a great addition to a chair or sofa in our new apartment!  But at $110 (for a pillow?! yikes!) I quickly decided to pass.

My bargain-hunting self, filled with curiosity, took the reigns of the keyboard thinking there must be something comparable out there on the world wide web for a lot less than $100.

And I found this...

Vintage Chic World Map Accent Canvas Pillow

A hand-made canvas and linen pillow cover for...$10?!  Now that's what I call a bargain!  This splurge or save quiz seems like a no-brainer to me.  Not only is the Etsy version a lot more affordable, but it's hand-made, which makes it a tad more special.  The low cost makes it easy to replace when we decide to change our decor up a bit, so I definitely think the "save" option in this instance is the clear winner.

Are you a splurger or a saver?  Which pillow would you choose?  Have any favorite bargain-hunting sites you care to share?  :)

Happy New Year!

Milestone alert...we had our first overnight guests in our new home!  The hubby's cousin and his fiancee recently came to celebrate the new year with us.  Of course the night before and day of their arrival consisted of me frantically unpacking boxes/shoving the items wherever I could to make space in our guest room for them to sleep, but LOTS of fun was had by all once they got here!

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Well, fun and (unfortunately for them but fortunately for us!) work.  ;)  You see, the hubby's cousin is incredibly handy.  Me and the hubby?  Not so much!  So we took advantage of the visit as an opportunity to cross a couple items off of our ever-growing to-do list...

(1) After several frustrating trips to Home Depot to purchase, then return, and exchange several different items, we were finally able to get our hands on and hang a mirror in the guest bathroom (after a couple days of our poor guests using a hand mirror)!  Pretty, isn't it?!

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(2) The kitchen faucet we had definitely saw better days -- although it was fully functional, it had paint all over it (which we won't talk about) and the sprayer button had literally been worn through to a hole!  Not attractive.  But now we have this beauty!

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Oh how I love it!

(3) We swapped out the ugly gold door hinges for softer nickel ones that actually match our new door knobs!  It's a small thing but the mismatching was totally annoying me.

(4) We swapped out a light switch in the master bathroom that shorted out after we moved in, which allowed us to see our new vanity lights in action for the first time!

(5) We removed an ugly low-voltage converter that buzzed whenever it was on and was connected to some tiny recessed light bulbs that were half burned out and impossible to replace in the guest bedroom and instead placed some rope lighting above the molding.  Since there is no electrical connection in the ceiling of that room, our options for ceiling lighting are pretty limited.  This will work fine for now, and we'll obviously supplement with floor and table lamps.

(the lighting is more of a yellow tone in real life)

(6) We bought a cordless drill/screwdriver so we could accomplish all of the above, and more!

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And by "we", I mean the hubby's cousin.  Thanks so much, Best Man!!!

Now on to the other 54 items on our to-do list...

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're Back... to Square One

Hi readers!  It's been a while since you've heard from us due to the insanity that is life at our home(s), but we're trying to focus on moving forward, and what better way to do so than to get back to blogging?!  It's so cathartic to blog -- sharing makes the tough things seem less scary and the positive occurrences seem even more great!

The past month has been really hard due to what can only be described as the worst painting experience ever in history.  Unfortunately, it seems our uphill battle continues: the potential buyers interested in our beloved 1 bedroom condo have terminated their purchase contract due to their inability to obtain a mortgage.  We had a feeling this was coming, since the process has dragged on for months, but now it's official.  We have re-listed the unit for sale and will be re-listing for rent as well.  This is definitely not the outcome we were hoping for, but we're pushing on and hoping that another buyer comes out of the wood work asap!  Wish us luck!

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Due to the chaos that ensued throughout November, we had to postpone our move, but we're finally getting back on track and will hopefully be moving later this month.  Now that we're in December, I'm wishing for a change of pace.  Hopefully we can lose our bad luck like the trees are losing leaves.  I know I must be on the "nice" list so hopefully Santa will help grant some of my home-related Christmas wishes this year.

Oh, it's so good to be back...

Basic Window Coverings

We want to get some nice drapes for the balcony doors in each room to customize the rooms a bit, but just for privacy to hold us over until we get those, I ordered some sheer curtain panels for the master bedroom, living/dining area and guest bedroom.

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Originally $28 per panel, I nabbed them on sale at jcpenney.com for $12.99 each PLUS an extra 20% off!  Talk about a deal... the amount I saved actually surpassed the amount I spent.  Let's hope they're as pretty as they were a bargain!  ;)

Some Good Deals!

Hi readers, I have 2 great money-saving deals to share with you!

The first item is a coupon code worth 40% off any 1 regular-priced item from Land's End + free shipping on your order, but you have to act fast because the code expires tonight 10/21/2011 at midnight CST!  The great thing about ordering from the Land's End online catalog is that you can return the items to any Sears store without having to pay return shipping.  Those of you who know me know how much I love me some free-shipping-free-returns-online-shopping-deals!  In fact, I may or may not have already purchased a new pair of winter boots for myself using this code.  ;)

The second is a 15 piece cookware set + triple bonus PLUS $30 rebate from JC Penney for less than $34!

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The set is originally $149.99, but is currently on sale for $74.99 (50% off).  Code BESTOCT drops the price an extra 15% to $63.74 and the website is offering a $30 AmEx gift card for purchasing this item, making the final cost only $33.74!  77% off?!?!?!  Now that's what I call a deal!  The jcpenney website reviews give this set an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars.  Not bad!

Happy shopping!