Supplies on the Cheap

You know where I love to go? The Habitat ReStore. Ever been?

It's a kind of DIY thrift shop except instead of old clothes you find paint and lighting fixtures (and sometimes furniture and appliances depending on the ReStore). The materials are donated to the ReStore from any number of sources (contractors, building supply stores, individuals). All of the funds raised go back to Habitat for Humanity.

It's a great way to pick up paint on the cheap. I am a huge fan of thrift furniture... or of hanging on to the furniture you have until it literally disintegrates in your hands. When I was little, we had several things in our house that were held together by the sheer force of three coats of paint.

My hometown wasn't anywhere near a ReStore so I didn't discover it until I moved, but we did have a Grossman's Bargain Outlet. There are a lot of these types of stores nation-wide. It's a new surprise every time you go. My neighbor once got five gallons of beautiful paint for a buck each because the shade of blue wasn't "blue" enough for the original buyer. Do you know what you can do with five gallons of paint? She painted two rooms in her upstairs and various pieces of furniture for her living/dining room. Amazing.

Unfortunately, in my one bedroom, I don't have room for big projects, but painting is something that can be done anywhere. I have a screened in porch the size of a walk-in closet that's good for painting stuff. It gets the piece out of the way and I don't pass out from paint fumes. Win-win situation... or as Michael Scott would say win-win-win.