DIY

Money Saving Tips On Your Backyard Deck

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photo credit: Brazilian Wood Depot

Whether you are thinking of adding a new deck to your backyard because of so many of staying home or needing help to take care of your existing deck, there are several things that you’ll want to do to make sure you are properly doing the job well ( and even save money in the process ). Below are a few ideas to help you maintain your deck not only for its longevity but also to help keep its beauty as well as ideas on how to save money in the process of building a deck.

  1. Cleaning Your Deck Once A Year – Depending on what type of hardwood you have, the longevity and the color will vary. There are so many incredible hardwood options to choose from and all are rooted in the same basic principles as far as how to clean them properly. Tight grained natural woods are usually boasted being a watertight wood or water-resistant, however, they do have a surface that will need to be looked at it for any mold or mildew growth. Without cleaning them properly or having proper maintenance, they will rot away. The naturally occurring tannins and oils present in the wood do need to be protected and preserved if you want it to look new year after year. Check to see what type of deck you have and what you need to use to properly clean it. Some use a pressure washer to help get rid of old dirt and grime from over the winter months and also help spruce up your deck in minutes rather then days. 
  2. Deck Design: There are some deck materials are milled in lengths of 16, 12, or 8 feet. In the case of pressure treated wood, every cut not only wastes the wood but also can provide an opening for water to get in. This is essential when you are buying the wood in the milled length does save you money on wood but it can also shorten the time to build the deck as well. 
  3. Find A Quality Deck Company To Assist: Contrary to your design, you want to make sure that you find a quality deck company to assist you to build it if this is not an area of expertise. If you live in the Atlanta area, there is a company you must look into called Brazilian Wood Depot. They offer a variety of hardwoods for you to choose from including their popular ones like Ipe, Cumaru, or Garapa decking.  Garapa wood in particular or Brazilian Oak is a decking lumber with a lemon yellow color that becomes light brown or honey with age. This hardwood has a light ribbon-like natural design, appears water or wavelike similar to silk. Garapa is considered the highest quality, best natural wood decking material on the market right now. It’s also extremely popular with many benefits for those looking for issues including fire resistance, water-resistance, and bug resistant.
  4. Decorate With Existing Furniture: Once you have your deck the way you want it, another money-saving tip could be bringing out old furniture that you already have out to your deck. If you don’t have any furniture that you can use, try looking for any estate sales or check Facebook Marketplace to help find something that can also help your bank account too. See if neighbors are having garage sales or looking into getting rid of old furniture they don’t want anymore. There are plenty of DIY ideas to help you restore or make the furniture your own as well.
  5. Build During Off-Season: One way to help you save money building your deck is to build it during the offseason. With warmer weather during the spring and summer months, those are the busiest times for deck contractors. Everyone has been contemplating their deck over the winter and want to start building with the warm rays of the sun, which then results in a higher demand to hire. The price also goes up for both labor and materials. If you live in an area like the southern states, you can still build during late fall or winter which then leaves you no problem hiring a qualified contractor and perhaps give you a better deal with everything as well. 

There are so many other great tips to help you save on building your dream backyard deck. Have a budget and make sure that you try and stick with it every step of the way. Do your best to hire a qualified, highly requested, and sought out professionals to help you when you need it, ask questions and help you build the proper deck. 

DIY: Kid’s Homemade Slime Recipe

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Are the kiddos driving you crazy? One thing that you can do to occupy their time is to make homemade slime! I recently did this with Brady and we had a blast! This recipe is super easy and literally takes less than 5 minutes to prepare.

Slime Ingredients:

8oz. of Glue. (I used 8oz. of  Elmer’s Glue-All – I would suggest buying a big container like this one to have it on hand)

1 TBSP of Baking soda

Your choice of food coloring

2 TBSP of Contact solution

Optional: You can add beads, glitter and any other fun items that you wish! Look HERE for some fun ideas.

 

Slime Directions: 

Place the 8oz. of glue into a bowl.

Add the baking soda and mix together.

Add food coloring until it is the desired color you prefer.

Add in the contact solution.

Mix together until a ball forms and the mixture becomes harder. The trick here is to keep adding contact solution if the slime is still too sticky to the touch. This cannot be any easier to prepare and it is very budget-friendly too!

Enjoy! Brady and I had so much fun making this!

 

Frugal Farmhouse DIY Table Floral Centerpiece for Under $15!

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There’s something about the springtime that screams new and fresh. I love to decorate my home during the last weeks of March and into April with a few spring-inspired pieces to brighten up each of the rooms.

I love tulips and wanted to do a centerpiece on my dining room table to bring spring into that area. I have been seeing these adorable wooden boxes on Instagram and Pinterest, and knew that I wanted to incorporate one of those somehow into my DIY Farmhouse centerpiece. I found the perfect items at Michaels and Hobby Lobby and wanted to share the outcome with you all. The best part? This is definitely a frugal project and will cost you under $15! I love that you can interchange the flowers throughout the year too!

Here are the items that you will purchase and where you can purchase them:

At Michaels, you will purchase the Tabletop Wood Tray by Ashland  Please note that in-store there are 2 different sizes and they are both on sale this week for 60% off. The larger sized one is $19.99 with 60% off and the smaller one (the one that I purchased) is $16.99 with 60% off. In addition, you can get and extra 20% off sale items with the coupon HERE. Just show on your phone or mobile device. With the coupon, you will pay around $5.80 for the tray.

At Hobby Lobby, purchase 4 of the Open Top Glass Bottles on sale for $0.99 each and a bundle of the miniature tulips for $7.99. Use the 40% off coupon on the Hobby Lobby app for the tulips since they are not on sale this week. That should drop the price to $4.79 for the bundle. Your total should be under $15 for all of the items.

To assemble, simply cut apart your tulips and place them in the jars. Place the jars evenly in the wooden tray and voila, you have a new spring centerpiece that is both beautiful and versatile! Please send me a pic if you do this DIY project!

Valentine’s Day Fun With Welch’s Fruit Snacks!

Disclosure: I received the products in this post for Free. All thoughts and opinions are my own. (All posts may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. Please see my disclosure policy)

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and there is no better time to get crafty with my little guy who loves to do crafts with Mommy! Thanks to Welch’s Fruit Snacks, we were sent a box of supplies to participate in the Welch’s Fruit Snacks Valentine’s’ Day Challenge. Brady could not wait to get started! We had so much fun gluing ribbon and little hearts to a treat box so that Brady can deliver his heart shaped Welch’s Fruit snacks to his friends at school! 

Brady loves the taste of Welch’s Fruit Snacks and I appreciate that they are made with REAL Fruit, are Gluten-Free, and contain No Preservatives! Welch’s® Fruit Snacks feature fruit as the first ingredient, so they taste delicious! (28-Count Box with 0.5oz. Pouches / $4.99) These will make the perfect non-candy treat for your little ones to enjoy and to share with all of their friends at school! Welch’s Valentine’s Day Fruit Snacks feature a holiday themed box/pouch and heart shaped Emoji fruit snack pieces. Each pouch features a “To/From” signable front panel, making it perfect for classroom exchanges and seasonal celebrations!