Budgeting With Boys

When we bought our house, I loved the kitchen but the one thing I did not like was the microwave above the stove. While the microwave hood vent was convenient it was an eyesore. I kept the microwave above the stove because I did not want to spend the money to replace something that still functioned. Recently, we had huge storm and our microwave suffered a catastrophic death due to a power outage. I knew it was my time to finally put in a regular hood vent! Instead of hiring the job out, I decided to tackle the project myself and build a DIY Custom Built Hood Vent.

Buying a New Hood Vent

I did not want to alter the existing cabinets or change the ventilation system already in place so I went on a hunt for the perfect hood vent for my space. The entire hood vent would be covered in wood so the unit did not have to be fancy. I ordered a basic white hood vent from Home Depot and it was cheap! I ordered the Glacier BCSD 30″ Under Cabinet Range Hood for $126.48!

While I waited on the new Hood Vent to be shipped to me, I began demo on the old unit.

Prepping The Space For The New Vent Hood

First, I removed the broken microwave from the cabinet.

Next, I removed the cabinet doors. from the existing cabinets. I saved the cabinet doors to use for future projects.

Finally, I removed all of the existing cabinet trim from all of the upper cabinets and the weird wooden box that was installed behind the microwave .

Since I was keeping the cabinet color in the kitchen the same, I had to get paint to match the existing cabinets. I took one of the cabinet doors down to Home Depot and had them color match it. Home Depot created the most perfect color match for my DIY Custom Built Hood Vent!

INSTALLATION

To install the new vent hood, I had to improvise and use screws and bolts I had around the house to fit the unit in place because I did not want to alter the existing venting system. I successfully secured the new vent hood and began installing a frame for the vent hood cover that would extend to the top of the ceiling.

I used primed 1×3 trim pieces to frame out the extension to match the existing cabinets. Using a very thin piece of cabinet ready wood I found at Home Depot, I covered the existing cabinet opening.

To cover the metal vent front, I created a trimmed out box out of primed wood. I purchased industrial magnets and used those to secure the vent cover onto the metal vent.

Removing the microwave left a portion of exposed unfinished wall below the new vent hood area. In order to make the area look cohesive, I installed vertical painted 1×2 pieces of wood to the area. This is a similar look to the Wood Slat Wall we completed in my son’s bedroom.

Lastly, I installed all of the thick wood boards to the top of all of my upper cabinets to create a more modern look. I caulked and wood filled all of the holes and spaces. Once everything was ready, I painted the area to match the existing cabinets.

I purchased and installed all new gold cabinet pulls and handles throughout and it added such an amazing change to the space!

Finished Space

The finished space completely elevated the kitchen. While this was a relatively easy project, it was a harder one for me to tackle because I was afraid of what the outcome would be since I was paint matching custom built glazed cabinets. Turns out I had nothing to be afraid of! I am completely in love and can’t wait to start my next project!

A few years ago, we removed a door and added a small mudroom area with shoe storage and lockers. As our family grew, I realized I needed more shoe storage space. There was a small unused space as near the doorway in our mudroom that I wanted to utilize. After some research, I decided to make a Built in Shoe Cabinet. I contemplated building one myself but I decided to buy a prefab unit and modifying it to meet my needs. Here is how I created our new storage space with a Built in Shoe Cabinet!

Materials

First, I searched and searched online for a great inexpensive shoe cabinet. After reading several reviews, I decided on NOVAMAISON Narrow Shoe Storage Cabinet. The cabinet was on sale for $89 and free shipping through Amazon. It didn’t really matter what the unit looked like since I would be modifying it.

After purchasing the cabinet, I went through my wood scraps to see what I could use for this project. I generally try to asses what scrap wood I have from other projects before buying new wood. For this project, I used mainly wood scraps but I did need to purchase one piece of wood from Home Depot for my countertop I was adding to the cabinet.

List of Materials Used:

• NOVAMAISON Narrow Shoe Storage Cabinet
• Primed 2×4 Board
• 1×3 Board
• 2×4 for Back Frame
• Shoe Molding
• Caulk
• Paint
• New Cabinet Handles

Assembling the Built in Cabinet

The first step is assembling the NOVAMAISON Narrow Shoe Storage Cabinet. This cabinet was pretty easy to put together.

Once the cabinet was assembled, I checked the placement of the cabinet on the wall. I did not want to remove my baseboards for this project in case I wanted to remove the cabinet in the future. Instead of removing the baseboards, I placed 2×4 wood boards on the back wall to secure the unit to it.

Next, I attached the cabinet to the 2×4 with the mounting hardware provided with the cabinet. Then I began adding scrap trim pieces to fill in the gaps where the cabinet meets the wall.

Once the entire cabinet was framed out with scrap wood, I added a larger piece of wood to act as the countertop. I stained the counter top prior to installation to match our Bifold Pantry Doors.

Next, I painted the entire cabinet to match our kitchen cabinets.

Finally, I added some baskets I purchased from Hobby Lobby to store the kids papers from school.

After completing my Painted Concrete Walkway, I decided to tackle the next painting project, my outdoor Yardistry Greenhouse. For this project, I knew I wanted to go big and attempt a stenciled concrete. Texas has gotten progressively colder during the winter over the last few years. I have been looking for a Greenhouse to protect my plants and I came across the Yardistry Greenhouse at Costco and knew this was the perfect one for our property. Follow me on my building journey!

Painted Concrete Flooring

When we poured our concrete walkway, I had the crew pour a concrete pad for my future greenhouse. I prepared the concrete for paint exactly as I did for our Painted Concrete Walkway. Once the concrete was prepared, I painted a base layer of gray paint. Next, I used a star stencil and black paint and tediously painted each tile square. In order to prevent stencil bleeding, I used a special paintbrush and dabbed the paint into the stencil. Make sure if you are painting with a stencil to use tape to hold the stencil in place and prevent over painting.

Once the stencil painting was complete, I cleaned the concrete and let it dry before applying the sealer. It took me approximately a week from start to finish to paint the stencil because I worked during my little guys nap time.

Building The Yardistry Greenhouse

Once the concrete painting was done, I began building the Yardistry Greenhouse. I built all of the walls inside of my garage.

Once the walls were built, I moved everything out to the greenhouse site and began assembling.

The Yardistry Greenhouse kit has easy to follow instructions and came with a lot of pre assembled pieces. I built almost everything myself, I needed help getting the roof up but once it was in place everything was smooth sailing.

It took me approximately 2 weeks from start to finish to fully complete the Yardistry Greenhouse. If I had someone to assist me in the build I could have finished it a lot sooner. I could not be happier with how this project turned out. Once winter hits, I will figure out what I need to adjust on the Yardistry Greenhouse but for now I am enjoying looking at it in my garden!

After completing the In Ground Trampoline, it was time to tackle our next outdoor project.

If you have been following me a while then you know we have been steadily adding to our yard throughout the years. Having 1.2 acres was what we thought we wanted until we had to landscape it! The backyard is still a work in progress. One of the first projects we did was a patio extension with grey concrete. The new concrete met up with an old concrete walkway we had leading to our garage. The concretes did not match and needed to be fixed. I decided to try a painted concrete walkway, follow me on my journey!

Supplies

• Nap Paint Roller
• Smaller Paint Brush
• Concrete Etcher and Cleaner
• Painters Tape
• Concrete Primer
• Concrete Paint of Choice
• Concrete Sealer
• Outdoor Scrub Brush

I picked up most of my supplies from Home Depot because it is down the street from my house. There are several companies that sell different color varieties and types of outdoor concrete paint. I chose two colors for the concrete because originally I planned on doing a stencil.

Stencil vs. Taped Design

The stencil on my walkway was an epic failure. The concrete was far too bumpy and the stencil bled everywhere. While the stencil would probably look alright touched up, I am far too much of a perfectionist to look at the wonky stencil everyday. Switching plans had me scrambling for a direction.

After several online searches, I decided to paint an outdoor rug design. If the design did not work out, in my head I had decided to just leave the walkway one color and be done with it!

If you have the patience and ability to look over error a stencil for outdoor concrete might work for you. It was far too laborious and unfinished for me.

Prepping the Concrete For Paint

First, you have to assess your walkway. My walkway had never been painted or sealed before this project so I had a blank canvas to start with. If you have preexisting paint you need to get power wash and chip away pealing paint before starting your project.

Next, I filled in any cracks and chips on the walkway with premixed concrete I had in the garage. I wanted to start off with a fresh and new looking walkway. After the concrete dried, I followed the directions on the Etch and Clean Bottle and cleaned the entire walkway with a scrub brush.

After the concrete was cleaned I waited 24 hours before applying the primer coat. Once the primer dried for a day, I added the first coat of paint. I started with grey as my base color and applied 3 coats.

Painting The Design

After the base layer of paint dried for 24 hours, I placed my tape down where I wanted the design to go. My design inspiration for this project came from a google search. I saw several inspiration photographs for painted outdoor carpets. Since the stencil failed miserably, I decided to give the painted carpet design a try. I applied two coats of black paint for my design. Once, I removed the tape, I touched up the paint design.

The tape had several areas that bled through so it took quite a bit of time to touch up each area and make sure it looked good.

Once all the paint was dry I applied two coats of paint sealer.

End Result

This project was the trial run for my painted concrete greenhouse floor. I learned a lot during this project. First, I will never try a stencil on concrete again unless it is a completely smooth concrete paver. In fact, I have plans of stenciling some concrete pavers as a walkway to my car to tie into the concrete walkway so stay tuned! The stencil has to be put to use somewhere!

Second, while black looks great it shows all the dirt and water stains. For high traffic areas I would suggest a lighter colored paint.

Painted concrete is a lot of work but the end result is worth the sweat! I would definitely do this project again and will be soon for the greenhouse! Stay tuned for my next project!

This past summer I discovered an amazing App while I was looking for fun things for the kids and I to do around town. Even though we own a pool, sometimes it is nice to take the kids to a resort for the day or enjoy a daycation. Resort Pass offers day passes and spa passes to a variety of high end hotels in your area.

Spa Pass

Whenever I need a reset I generally go to the spa or go shopping. My ideal spa experience is one that has a steam room, sauna, and hot tub. When I lived in a bigger city I would buy day passes from our local spa and spend the entire day there enjoying the amenities.

For years since moving, I have been looking for a spa that offers day passes with a variety of amenities with no luck. However, that all changed when I discovered Resort Pass.

My first Resort Pass experience was a Spa Pass to Omni Resort Barton Springs. My sister and I spent the day at the Omni Resort Spa in the steam room, sauna, and hot tub and it was amazing. The spa even had a restaurant where I could stay in my robe and order lunch! It was too cold the day we went to enjoy the rooftop pool at the spa but I knew we would be back.

Booking Parties on Resort Pass

My second experience using Resort Pass was hosting a baby shower! I planned a spa baby shower for my good friend. All of the guests either booked Resort Passes for the spa or booked a treatment through the spa itself.

We had 10 girls in total and we rotated our time between the rooftop pool and the spa amenities. It was an amazing party and everyone had the best time!

Waterslides, Lazy Rivers, and Much More

As an end of summer send off, I booked a Resort Pass for the kids to the Hyatt Resort Lost Pines. Instead of a general admission pass, we decided to rent a cabana since it was comparable in price to general admission tickets for the entire family.

The hotel and cabana were amazing! The cabana came with a TV, lounge chairs, a fan, a refrigerator with water, table side service, and much more!

We spent the day cruising the lazy river, enjoying the splash pad, and sliding down the waterslide over and over again!

The kids had the most epic time ever and keep asking when we can go back!

Discounts

Sign up for Resort Pass emails and download the App for a variety of discounts and coupons. The App was just recently running a deal where they offered $20 off $100 spent.

The App also provides you with a coupon code for a discount if you leave a review after your experience.

If you don’t see any discounts or deals alway check Honey before booking.

Book Your First Staycation

Resort Pass is a great getaway for a discounted price. Check your area to see what hotels and resorts are participants in the App.

Anyone with pets and children knows how hard it is to keep an area rug clean. There are several options on the market for washable area rugs. However, it is hard to know if the rugs are worth the price and hype. Read along to find out my review on which washable rug is best; Ruggable or Boutique Rugs.

Ruggable

Ruggable was one of the first companies on the scene to sell washable area rugs in a variety of patterns and sizes. Like most people, I was drawn into the allure of a washable rug.

Even though the price tag is high, I purchased an 8×10 Ruggable for my living room. There are several negative things about buying a washable rug with Ruggable. First, you must purchase a rug pad or base to go with your rug. The rug pad costs almost as much as the rug itself. Second, the rug is very thin and the edges tend to roll up requiring you to use tons of rug tape to hold it in place. Lastly, although the rug washes well it is a pain to get it all put back together.

The Ruggable is not a soft rug, it is very flat.

While the concept of the Ruggable is great the long term upkeep and constant flipping up of the carpet edges left me desiring a different rug option.

Boutique Rugs

After being fed up with my Ruggable Rug, I did a Google Search for washable rugs and came across Boutique Rugs. My sister has purchased area rugs from them in the past and really liked them.

Boutique Rugs has a line of washable area rugs and runners. The price point on the rugs was very low compared to Ruggable. I purchased an 8×10 washable area rug and a matching runner for $250 total including shipping. Boutique Rugs always has a promo code, if you don’t see a discount code on their website then check Honey.

Always check Rakuten when shopping for big ticket items. If you shop for Boutique Rugs through Rakuten you get a minimum of 2% cash back!

Another bonus is the rugs can be purchased using Amazon which insures fast shipping!

Boutique rugs are soft and fluffy like a traditional rug though they are still thin. The edges do not roll easily like the Ruggable.

Securing your Ruggable or Boutique Rugs

Since I already had the Ruggable base, I decided to use it with the Boutique Rug as a rug pad. The Ruggable base works perfect with the Boutique Rug which saved me some money on having to purchase a new rug pad.

Keeping the Ruggable base also allows me to swap the rugs out whenever I need to. This will be great for when I am washing the Boutique Rug. With dogs and kids you never know when someone is going to spill or have an accident!

To make sure the rugs stay in place, I use carpet tape. Carpet tape is especially needed for the runner, nobody wants to be sliding all over the house!

Conclusion Ruggable or Boutique Rugs

While the Ruggable washes easily, is light weight and contains a variety of patterns; Boutique Rugs have a better overall look and feel. It comes down to durability for me. The Ruggable edges flip over constantly due to the kids and the dogs to the point that rug tape does not help. Boutique washable rugs are the better option in both durability and price.

Years ago I discovered Chick-Fil-A’s app that allowed you to earn reward points for purchases.

Now, almost every fast food restaurant offers online reward incentives. Recently, I stumbled upon a new app that will change how you buy items from local restaurants. Saving money while eating out doesn’t have to be boring; in fact, you can treat yourself while helping reduce waste!

Not Too Good To Be True!

The app Too Good To Go was actually created in 2015; however, I did not hear about it until a few weeks ago. The concept of this app is to help reduce waste. Restaurants often have a surplus of leftover items that end up in the garbage. To help reduce the amount of food items wasted, the app Too Good To Go was created.

The concept of the app is great. Restaurants with left over food items that are perishable, list the items for sale through the app at a severely discounted price. The catch for the buyer is the items you receive are a surprise! If you are down for a food adventure at a severely discounted price this site is for you. It will provide you with a serious discount and help you save money while eating out!

Participating Restaurants that Help Save Money While Eating Out

A lot of the restaurants that participate in this app, at least in my area, are bakery related. This is great because who doesn’t love cake, pie, and pastries!

Explore the restaurants in your area on the app by entering your zip code and checking surrounding miles you are willing to drive to find a deal.

I live in a fairly small town and several of our local restaurants are involved with this app and not all are bakeries.

Our local BBQ Restaurant, Deli, and Coffee Shops are all members of this app. If I want, I can travel to Austin which obviously offers more diversity.

Reviews and Feed Back

The Too Good To Go app provides customer ratings of each restaurant that participates in the app but they do not provide customer pictures. If you want to dig deeper into what is available in your area, you can join your local Too Good To Go Facebook Page. I found one for the greater Austin area. The Facebook page is great for providing honest reviews of the restaurants along with pictures of the items they received.

This is not an every day app but more a way to have fun and save money while enjoying some great local food options. If you are up for an adventure definitely download the app!

After completing our Inexpensive Outdoor Patio, we decided to tackle some of the outdoor kids area. Texas can get very windy. The kids loved their above ground trampoline but every time there was a storm I panicked. I had a constant fear that the trampoline would blow into our neighbors yards and damage their property. We got rid of their above ground trampoline and set out on a journey to create an in-ground trampoline area for them to enjoy in the yard.

Buying an In-Ground Trampoline

There are plenty of options online for In-Ground trampolines. They may seem daunting to install but they actually are quite easy if you have the right tools.

I did lots of online research and finally picked out an In-Ground trampoline that would fit our yard from Trampolines.com. We ordered a 14 Foot Round Avyna In-Ground Trampoline and paid $1,595 including shipping.

In-Ground Trampoline prices are in line with above ground trampoline prices which honestly surprised me.

We opted out of getting a net for the trampoline but they do sell them for In-Ground Trampolines.

Installation

Let me start by saying if you are going to install an In-Ground Trampoline yourself, rent a digger from Home Depot to make the project a breeze.

My husband and I did not in fact rent a digger and spent months digging a 3 foot deep hole approximately 12 Feet in diameter. While it was a great workout, I would rent a digger in the future.

The In-Ground Trampoline Kit came with detailed instructions and video links to watch the installation process.

Digging the hole for the trampoline is the hardest part. Once that is complete you simply snap the frame together and install the springs, mat, and pads.

Let the Jumping Begin

After months of self imposed hard work, the trampoline was installed! While the Texas summer heat has been brutal this year, the kids and I enjoy swimming and jumping every night after their baby brother goes to bed.

Honestly, I don’t know why we didn’t install this trampoline years ago. It is easy for the kids to get on and off and I don’t have to worry about them suffering a fall. I can’t wait to enjoy this for years to come.

Stay tuned because next up is our all natural swing set and green house with painted tile floors!

Originally when we bought our house, we thought we wanted as much land as we could afford. Fast forward 5 years and we are still working on landscaping our 1.2 acre plot. In order to save money, my husband and I have tackled a lot of projects on our own. There are some things we have hired out like the pool and surrounding concrete but we knew we wanted to add a visually pleasing patio near the pool. While we would have loved to hire someone to complete the patio, I knew we could save money by doing it ourselves. Follow me as I transform a boring area off of our pool into an inexpensive outdoor patio area!

Researching Cost and Materials

When we originally moved in we created a walkway in our grass using large premade stepping stones we bought from Lowes. For this project I wanted to utilize the same design idea on a bigger scale to keep things cohesive.

Lowes and Home Depot both have great options for concrete stepping stones at relatively fair prices. Home Depot is closer to my house so we went and purchased 18in x 18in concrete stepping stones for this project. If you are a Veteran, Home Depot and Lowes both have a loyalty rewards program. By using the Veteran discount, I was able to get 10% off of all the materials I used for this project.

In total, we ended up purchasing 55 concrete stepping stones for a total price of $246.51. Make sure when you are selecting stones you inspect each one; often times these stones can be damaged at the big box stores.

As luck would have it, several of our neighbors were doing backyard renovations at the same time I was planning this patio. They lovingly gave me all of the pea gravel I needed to complete this project for FREE!

Lastly, I needed edger to define the patio and help keep the pea gravel in place. Originally I purchased the no dig plastic edger but I am currently switching it out for metal edger because I prefer the look of the metal. It is simply too hot for the plastic edger in Texas, I found that it would warp and change in the direct sun.

Getting Started On The Inexpensive Outdoor Patio

First, I leveled the area I was placing the patio. The existing area already had weed block and a base layer of crushed granite which saved me some time. Next, I installed the original plastic no dig edger.

Once the ground was level, I began laying all of the cement stepping stones. I checked to make sure each stone was level and in line with a large leveler after I put each stone into its final resting place. Also, using string and stakes help maintain an even line while laying down stones. Make sure to do whatever is best and easiest for you.

Next, I began filling in the spaces between the stepping stones with pea gravel. Adding pea gravel was the longest and most physical part of this entire project. I used my handy garden cart to load and move the pea gravel from my front yard to my backyard.

Finally, I evened out all of the pea gravel until everything was in place. I used Mulch Glue and sprayed the pea gravel to ensure the pea gravel would stay in place.

Finishing Touches

After this project was complete, I realized I should have used metal edger instead of the no dig plastic edger. In the near future I will change out the plastic edger for metal edger. Metal edger is also easy to install it is just more expensive.

Currently we are installing an in-ground trampoline and DIY all wood swing set for the kids. Follow along because those projects will be hitting the blog soon!