Marshalls and HomeGoods grand opening tomorrow

HomeGoods is the bomb.com and Lincoln, NE is finally getting one! They're also getting a Marshalls which is similar to TJMaxx, but typically has a bigger men's and shoe department. I used to travel a lot for work and always stopped into HomeGoods stores in the south (FL, KY, AL, TN were my territories), but I could never buy anything because most items couldn't by carried on the plane. Now these stores are on my way home so I can swing by everyday if I want! My husband has been dreading this opening day for months.

They open at 8 a.m. I'm hoping to go after work. I'm sure it'll be a zoo! If you go, let me know what you think!

P.S. The exact address is 2933 Crescent Drive, Lincoln NE.

Easter clearance craft

Hobby Lobby had their Easter items marked down to 80% off when I stopped last night. It was picked over, but I did find a few things. Normally I wait to buy decorations until they drop to 90% off, but I was afraid there would be nothing left.

I found this craft kit which was marked down to $2.59.

It said quick and easy. Quick and easy my a$$. It took me half the night to put together! Even at 80% off I don't know if it was worth the hassle. (Can you tell I'm bitter?) Anyways, here is how it turned out:

DIY headboard

My husband bought a king size bed years ago. In typical guy fashion he didn't buy a headboard or foot board to go with it. It really hasn't bothered me until lately. Something about a nice headboard says "I'm a grown up"... right?

I keep seeing all of these awesome diy headboards and thought I'd give it a shot.

Here is what I purchased:

Free plant food

Pick up Osmocote Plus Outdoor & Indoor Plant Food (2 lb) for free after a $10 mail in rebate! Perfect timing as I'm sure a lot of us are anxious to get outside and garden/landscape.

1. Buy the 2 lb container of Osmocote Plus Outdoor & Indoor Plant Food before 6/30/14. Most couponers were buying it at Target, but here are some online prices I found:

Home Depot - $7.98
Target - $9.99
Walmart - $10.46
Ace Hardware - $11.99

Couponaholic

2. Click here to fill out the online rebate. You'll need to type in your information and print it as handwritten rebates will not be accepted.

3. Attach your receipt to the rebate form. Circle the Osmocote purchase and make sure the store name and date are on the receipt. Mail it in before 7/31/2014.

4. Enjoy your free plant food!

Props to The Krazy Coupon Lady for finding this deal.

Purchase a two-pound container of Osmocote Plus Outdoor & Indoor Plant Food 4/1-6/30.

Click here to complete each field in the online form. Click “Proceed to Print.” Handwritten submissions will not be accepted.

Attach receipt to the printed mail-in rebate page. The original receipt must include store name and purchase date. Circle or highlight the qualifying purchase on the receipt.

Mail the printed form with receipt.

- See more at: http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2014/04/24/free-osmocote-plus-plant-food-target/#sthash.Pql37CwE.dpuf

Purchase a two-pound container of Osmocote Plus Outdoor & Indoor Plant Food 4/1-6/30.

Click here to complete each field in the online form. Click “Proceed to Print.” Handwritten submissions will not be accepted.

Attach receipt to the printed mail-in rebate page. The original receipt must include store name and purchase date. Circle or highlight the qualifying purchase on the receipt.

Mail the printed form with receipt.

- See more at: http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2014/04/24/free-osmocote-plus-plant-food-target/#sthash.Pql37CwE.dpuf

Purchase a two-pound container of Osmocote Plus Outdoor & Indoor Plant Food 4/1-6/30.

Click here to complete each field in the online form. Click “Proceed to Print.” Handwritten submissions will not be accepted.

Attach receipt to the printed mail-in rebate page. The original receipt must include store name and purchase date. Circle or highlight the qualifying purchase on the receipt.

Mail the printed form with receipt.

- See more at: http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2014/04/24/free-osmocote-plus-plant-food-target/#sthash.Pql37CwE.dpuf

B1G1 free Redbox tonight

Today only (4/24/14) rent any Redbox DVD and get a 2nd for free with code GRHHH73M.

Free wine at Hy-Vee

I made a very important stop on my way home last night - #1 priority of the day.

Free wine at Hy-Vee through April 26!

Beringer Moscato: $4
$12 Mail-in-Rebate on 3
= FREE after rebate

That's my kind of grocery shopping.

It was advertised in the Local Values insert

It's only good on the moscato wines. These are the flavors I picked out.

Here is the rebate tag that you'll need to mail in. I had to ask a cashier in the alcohol department for it.

The rebate eligible wines are listed on the back.

Even if you don't like this kind of wine, these make great gifts. I have a bunch of bachelorette parties coming up so I might throw a bottle in with each gift.

Planter ideas

I am a terrible gardener/landscaper, but that hasn't stopped me from trying. Live and learn, right? Unfortunately I haven't quite made it to the learn stage yet. Why oh why do all of my plants and flowers die on me? I'm trying really hard this year to do my research and avoid the "cr*p, they're brown and wilted, maybe I should water them" approach.

I am super anxious to put flowers in our big planters. I used to buy one kind of flower (whatever was on sale of course) and call it a day. Boring. They key to professional looking pots is using more than one plant type so that the pot has different textures, colors, and height. According to Dwell on Joy, you should use the following in each planter:

THRILLERS - plants with height

SPILLERS - plants that spill over the side of the container

FILLERS - plants that fill up the empty spaces between the thrillers and spillers

Dwell on Joy

Below are some examples from pinterest. Click the caption to be directed to the website which normally lists the types of plants used.

Ferns for porch

Boston Ferns were on sale at Lowe's for 2/$16. We picked up a couple to hang on our porch. This was a really quick and easy project. Here are some hanging instructions and recommendations for caring for ferns.

Easter clearance schedule

I love seeing all the family Easter photos on Facebook and Instagram. So cute! I failed to get a nice Easter pic with my family, but I did get one of us at the bar Saturday - the night before Easter. Close enough, right?

husband, me, brother, mom, future sister-in-law

I have zero Easter decorations so I really need to stock up during the after Easter sales! Here are my guesses as to when items will be marked down:

Target
April 21 - 50% off
April 24 - 70% off
April 26 - 90% off

Walmart
April 21 - 50% off
April 25 - 75% off

Extra 25% off Living Social deals

livingsocial.com

Through 4/22 save an extra 25% off Living Social deals by using code BESTMOM. Plan ahead for Mother's Day!

Easter cupcakes

!!!!!!!!!!!!FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

All credit for today's post goes to my fun and always festive co-worker. She brought in these Easter cupcakes yesterday.

Easter treat bags

I love making up little treat bags around the holidays.

This one is for the girls in my family and includes fingernail polish and Easter candy:

I made a bunch of them with a variety of fingernail polish colors. Most colors are spring/summer colors.

Work remodel

A coworker and I have been working on remodeling what we call the "Student Resource Center". It's a great place for students to study and get help from tutors. We are knocking down walls and replacing everything. It'll be about a $50,000 reno. We spent all morning at Office Interiors & Design picking out chairs, fabric, paint, etc. It was super overwhelming, but also a blast. I work for Computer Science & Engineering so we're going for a modern, high-tech look - think Apple or Google.

Freebies and discounts for tax day

Your taxes are due today! Stinks, right? Unless you're getting a large refund! We definitely did not. Thankfully there are some retailers offering goodies to make today a bit better. This list was taken directly from examiner.com.

Free Schlotzsky's Sandwich - Buy a 32-ounce fountain drink and a bag of chips and get a free Original small sandwich at Schlotzsky's on April 15, 2014. Offer one per person.

McDonald's Deal - Participating McDonald's will be offering a Buy One, Get One for a Penny deal for Tax Day. Purchase a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder with Cheese and get a second one for a penny. No coupon is necessary.

Free Arby's Curly Fries - Get a free order of Snack-Sized Curly Fries at Arby's on April 15. Coupon is required.

Free Chips & Dip - Stop by participating California Tortilla locations on Tax Day and get an order of free chips and Queso dip (with any purchase) when you say "Taxes Shmaxes." This offer is while supplies last.

Adding insullation and drywall to ceilings

Sorry for the lack of post yesterday, friends. I took the day off to recover from a bachelorette weekend in Kansas City. I just can't party like I used to and need twice as much time to recover! Anyone else feel the same?

I did help work on the basement yesterday once my husband got home from work. We added insulation and drywall to one of the bedroom ceilings. Make sure you use 1/2 inch drywall on ceilings - so much lighter!

My husband had to add studs around the duct work first. The studs are what you'll screw the drywall onto. Obviously you can't screw into the duct work!

Milk can makeover

I've had this old milk can for a while now and finally decided to do something with it.

Won't you be my neighbor?

It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor,
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

Yada, yada, yada... you all remember that song from Mr. Rogers, right?

Well turns out we'll be getting new neighbors eventually. The house across the street from us just went up for sale. 1,800 square feet on the first floor plus a finished basement, all brick, built in 2000, lot is .32 acres, listed at $219,900.

Poor, poor grass. C'mon spring!

We're really hoping someone with great taste and landscaping skills moves in. We're also hoping it'll be a young, fun couple. That's not too much to ask, right? If you qualify, let me know and I'll send you the address ;)

Sherwin-Williams 40% off paint sale

If you need paint, buy it this weekend! Sherwin-Williams is having their big 40% off paints and stains sale from April 11-14.

We need to buy paint for the basement so I better decide on colors soon. I always feel super overwhelmed by all the choices!

Reuse bottles for centerpiece

I was going to post more of my Craigslist finds today, but I'm kind of tiring of that series. Hopefully it at least opened your eyes to Craigslist if you don't already use it. In addition to what I posted, we've also gotten dressers, a bed, tools, and much more. Currently we're watching for a grill. There is no better smell than a grill on a nice spring day! Plus, don't you think everything just tastes better grilled?

Okay, super easy and cheap project today. Credit for this goes to my cousin Lindsay. She simply took old glass bottles (most of hers were alcohol bottles) and put them on a decorative tray for a table centerpiece. She cleaned off the labels with either fingernail polish remover or rubbing alcohol - I think? I can't remember what she told me now! Goo Gone might work too.

I love the one with all the detailing!

Craigslist finds... decorative door

We spent our weekend replacing doors! I know, I know... what an exciting life we live. Today we'll talk about our front door. This project only cost us $45.

Our old front door was just blah. Here it is:

Craigslist finds...outdoor living

Happy Friday! It's Free Friday at EcoStore today!

We've gotten a few good outdoor deals on Craigslist. I apologize for the pictures. It was so cold and dreary here yesterday. Everything outside was soaked. I didn't really feel like taking pictures last night so I'm using some from a few months ago.

The outdoor couch and table that you see in the pics below was a Craigslist find. We've had them for quite some time so I honestly don't remember how much we paid. It wasn't much especially compared to buying new. Outdoor furniture is so pricey!

Craigslist finds...living room

Brrr... another cold and dreary day! Here I am again in my sweater and boots that I've worn a million times this year. I just want to wear sandals and summer dresses. Is that too much to ask?!

Alright, I'll stop pouting now. Moving forward with the Craigslist series. In our living room we have two items from Craigslist - a chaise lounge and a big area rug.

We got the chaise from a lady who lives by the HiMark Country Club. We paid $100. It's actually still being sold at Slumberland. Now it's listed on clearance for $549.99. The original price was $899.99. I saved between $449.99 and $799.99.

10 free 4x6 prints at Walgreens

Today only (4/3/14) get 10 free 4x6 prints from Walgreens! Simply enter code FREEPICS10 at checkout.

Walgreens

Craigslist finds...dining room

Craigslist is the bomb. I check out the following categories almost daily - materials, furniture, and antiques. Pretty soon I'll start checking the garage sale section since it's almost that time of year!

Don't get me wrong, I've had some frustrating experiences on Craigslist (scammers and no shows), but for me the pros outweigh the cons. You can find some really nice items for a fraction of what you'd pay in the store. You just have to be willing to sift through the junk. Plus, you can negotiate and you don't have to pay sales tax which can save a lot on a big purchase.

We recently picked this table up from a gentleman in Elkhorn, NE. If you're not from around here, Elkhorn is a really nice suburb of Omaha. It's a designer table (whatever that means) that was supposedly $3,000. We bought it for $295. They were moving the weekend we picked it up so I think they were just anxious to unload it.

6 month recap and upcoming projects

This blog has been up and running for about six months and has 153 posts now. My how time flies! I still can't get over how many people read it everyday. Thank you so very much for your support.

The majority of readers are from the U.S., but surprisingly I have a ton of fans in Malaysia! I also have readers from Germany, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, China, Ukraine, Brazil, Pakistan, Denmark, Australia, Russia, and Belgium. Who would have thought? Certainly not me! Whether you live across town or across the world, thank you for reading my little blog.

My most popular post has been the 90% off Target Christmas writeup and my biggest claim to fame so far is that my dresser turned into a tv stand post was featured in a 4-H magazine. It might not sound all that impressive, but I was very flattered when they contacted me!

Warmer weather is right around the corner and I cannot wait to start some outdoor projects. I was hoping to get our basement finished (I know, I know - I've been saying that for months), but it will be a summer project as well. Here are our upcoming outdoor projects: