Bargain Hunter….

I like nice things. I don’t think I’m unusual there. I think most people like nice things. What I DON’T like is to pay out the nose for nice things.

In other words, I love a bargain.

When searching for design ideas for our new home, I realized quickly that it’s difficult to find a good bargain on design websites. Sure, you can find a million YouTube videos on how to spot a bargain, but are they ever really a bargain? I’ll give you an example: when watching designers talk about which paint companies they use, they almost always cited Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams. I mistakenly began to believe this meant these paint brands were better. Thankfully, I did some checking on Consumer Reports before purchasing paint, and it turned out that those brands weren’t better. Behr Marquee was rated #1 and it cost ½ as much as the Benjamin Moore paint. Well…there’s a no brainer…. Behr was going to be my choice. Score! I just saved approximately $50 per gallon of paint. (You’re welcome, Jeff!)

I also look at furniture companies like Pottery Barn for ideas. I love Pottery Barn aesthetics. Their designs are relaxed and comfortable. Who doesn’t want that lifestyle? I certainly do! When browsing their wares, I stumbled upon a bathroom vanity that I absolutely loved. It had a concrete top and black matte base and it fit with the design of the basement (industrial). What I didn’t love was the $2,500 price tag and neither did my husband. I think his words were along the lines of “no bleeping way.”

With that sorted, I had to search elsewhere for my basement ½ bath vanity. Imagine my utter astonishment that I found a similar style sink basin at Menard’s for a fraction of the price AND it was IN STOCK! I snapped that sucker up and then hoped I could find a base that worked too.

Finding a base was a more challenging proposition. I had to search for ages online to find one that would work AND that I could get in a reasonable time frame. I finally found one on Wayfair.com at a fantastic price point. I ended up spending around $600 for the entire set up! I know, right?! That’s an unbelievable savings! I mean I practically saved $2000 from what I originally wanted to do!

I suppose I should give Jeff some credit for telling me I was “off my rocker” if I thought he was going to pay that kind of money for a ½ bath in the basement (as much as I don’t want to give him credit). But I’m really thankful (on this occasion) that he did because it forced me to scour for the elusive bargain. Finding that was way more thrilling than just ordering an expensive vanity because every time I look at our new vanity, I not only think it’s beautiful, but I also love that it was a bargain.  

And I DO love a bargain….