Apartment Gardening

It may not look like much. These are my babies. I also have parsley, rosemary and seedling oregano, basil, bell pepper and habanero.

This is the only thing in my life that I didn't do the math on in buying. I had to do it. I am a country girl at heart and as such, I need to garden. The sight of green plants makes my heart smile.

The start-up costs of apartment gardening can hit the frugal wallet hard. The containers can run anywhere from $6 to $60. The container on the left isn't actually a pot for plants. It's a tote container for summer drinks and such. I got it for $4 at Wal-Mart. Yes, it's pretty shallow, but the plants in it are okay with that. My husband drilled holes in the bottom. Very carefully, mind you, because the hard plastic can very easily split, enough splits and the bottom falls out (similar to what we discovered on the bottom of my husband's car... another story, another day).

Bell peppers alone can run 50 cents or more. The packet of seeds was a dollar. My husband and I planted six plants from a small seed starter. We had to buy soil ($4 a bag) and a container ($4 each). I also bought plant food. The food lasts a ridiculously long time, a tablespoon of food per one gallon. The containers can be used many times. The soil will have to be replaced eventually.

In the long run, it will pay off. Like making my own bread, I may not save much money in the end. Maybe only pennies, maybe I'll have paid a few cents... but the joy of growing my own veggies is well worth it.

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.