Wow, that's a bunch of great bargains!

Much thanks! I've got some huge projects on the horizon!

And I neglected to mention that the Knox County Schools school coupon book carries a coupon good at Habitat/Restore for 20% off your total purchase, up to $100.

That one I'm saving for spring, when I'd like to install new or used cabinetry across the head of the garage.

I need to visit that place too. I have a bunch of things that need to be done as soon as I get a round tuit.

Another recommendation is the new Ollie's Bargain Outlet, located in what was the Circuit City outparcel at Knoxville Center Mall. They just opened a store in either Maryville or Alcoa, too.

That's where we ultimately bought our 400 square feet of 8.2 mm Stratford brand "wood" laminate (underlayment seperate) last Saturday. It was almost as good a deal as Restore's product, priced at about 95 cents per square foot, relative to Home Depot's $3.29 and up per square foot for Pergo. The underlayment, unattached on either brand at either store, ran about 20 cents per square foot, I think it was.

Ollie's is a Big Lots kinda place, so we spent most of Saturday there and left with everything from the laminate to hand tools, pet supplies, linens, and a smattering of groceries!

Even the mister was getting into it, and he hates shopping!

Tamara,

Thanks for posting this. . .

Folks should also know that there are ReStore operations in Maryville (newly remodeled) and Oak Ridge. There is a HFH Home Store in Lenoir City that is more focused on furniture, clothing, and household items.

It's also a good time of year to clean out those closets and Habitat would be glad to come pick up any bulky items you'd like to donate.

Knoxville - 688-8807
Lenoir City - 988-7427
Maryville - 379-9299
Oak Ridge - 483-5433

You can find a more complete, but older, listing here. Some of the locations even offer a chance to view inventory online.

Oh, I'm a fan, Gary.

I'll be getting back over to ReStore tomorrow to more closely scrutinize a bin of those white faux wood window blinds with 2" slats, for the kids' bedrooms, at just 10% of the price Home Depot charges.

I subscribe to the theory that young children's bedrooms should contain iron furniture and sport concrete floors with a large drain in the middle.

Mine are ages 15 and 20 now, but if they tear their blinds up again, at least I won't be out $100...

(And yes, I'm setting aside those salvagable items I'm replacing to donate them to ReStore. Somewhere, someone is living more frugally than even I?)

I wanted to briefly return to this thread, lest you venture to ReStore, balk at the chipped Avocado Green bathtubs and greasy Harvest Gold kitchen ranges, and wonder what the flip Tamara's house looks like...

For the money, it looks pretty darn good, but I probably should have explained that my "transmutations," as I call 'em, rely heavily on sweat and elbow grease.

For example, you'll see plenty of 70's- through 90's-style shiny (or tarnished) brass light fixtures at ReStore. I paint 'em, using products like that Fleckstone spray paint and/or decorative spray paints in copper, verdi gris, and hammered bronze.

Another decorative paint I've discovered only recently is a gold metallic "spray webbing" that dusts your piece with just a light web of metallic color. I've used it on everything from plastic wastebaskets and tissue box covers in the bathroom to switchplate covers and metal baskets on walls.

Paints of this sort are available at craft stores (Hobby Lobby, A.C. Moore and the like) and we can generally apply some 40% or 50% off coupon to their purchase.

On the subject of painting light fixtures, the task is easy with flush-mounted fixtures but onerous with chandelier-type fixtures suspended from chains. I'd say avoid the latter.

Also, get a little more mileage from pricey decorative spray paints like Fleckstone by first painting your fixture in a solid color like black, brown, or almond then applying your decorative paint over that to add texture and interest. This approach allows your project to dry faster and wear better, too. Don't neglect to seal your finished project with poly for durability and I guarantee your results will be indiscernable from what you'll find on the shelves at popular retailers, no talent required.

Anyway, just wanted to suggest that if you should visit ReStore, consider their merchandise not as to what it is, but as to what it can become, namely uniquely yours.

That's what Martha Stewart and I do...

(Oh...and anyone choosing to buy that greasy Harvest Gold kitchen range can wipe it down and Drumheller's on Broadway will paint it to match your existing kitchen appliances. I haven't done that personally, but a friend did. Her purchase, actually, was a ten year-old $100 range with ceramic cooktop that continues to function well--and look good--now that it's 20 years old. Think outside the box.)

The habitat thrift store for furnishings and clothes. I always find something to use or transform. I found a wooden wall sconce for $1 to mount a $5 target lamp to for a wall lamp, a wall shelf for $2 and a piano bench for $10. I'm going to shorten the legs and pad the seat for a vanity bench.

You go, girl! I have a $5 piano bench--on my front covered porch!

It is part of a "conversation grouping" out there and serves as a coffee table in front of a Chippendale armed bench. I painted/rubbed it with red and brown spray paints to create a muted, rusty color (matches the shutters on the house), then distressed it by beating it with a chain and sanding its edges with some steel wool. Shhh...don't tell anybody it didn't come from Hobby Lobby!

Other of my home decor/furnishings finds from thrift stores in the last six months have been:

--a signed-and-numbered Longaberger picnic basket for $1.00 (sells for $85.00 at those home parties I avoid like the plague),
--a Cuisinart stainless steel wok for $1.50 (Macy's online says $90.00),
--a Ronco Showtime rotisserie oven for $5.00 ("five easy payments of $19.99," their site says),
--and my fav, a Cuisinart stainless steel coffeemaker that grinds the beans, brews the coffee, and holds it in a (stainless) thermal carafe, just $1.00 (suggested retail $199.99 per the Cuisinart site, tho a "factory reconditioned" version of the exact same coffeepot is featured in this week's Big Lots ad for $99.00).

But now I'm starting to hyperventilate. Must be anticipation of Goodwill's big half price sale tomorrow--everything in the store, at all six locations! OMG!

(Gone to start clearing my living room--we're installing new flooring in the A.M.)

You are speaking my language. I just don't have the time or energy right now, but appreciate the money-saving tips.