Money Saving Tips

When we first moved into our current townhome I wanted window coverings. There weren't ANY. Not even cheap mini blinds. Then again if you don't spring for ceiling lights window coverings probably aren't a huge priority. I didn't really want the neighbors to be able to see me at night so we bought some nice yellow drapes on sale.
Then we painted the wall brown and had to start over again. We ended up with silk ivory colored drapes and it is only now that I realized there was another option.
John and my uncle Mark disappeared for 20 short minutes to Lowes and then reappeared with "cordless" mini blinds. You just take the strip off the top and attach them to the window- the folded paper naturally comes down to cover your window in a day or two. Then the cordless feature can truly be appreciated, with just two little clips you can raise those mini blinds to just about any height (but putting them all the way up can compromise the stickiness and render them useless so use caution). Total cost? less than 5 dollars each.
My sliding glass door was a little bit trickier- but with the help of some Hallmark wrapping paper our window was usable and a little bit of happiness. Plus now Austin doesn't look out the window and bark at the neighbors.

Although I am in love with my new window coverings, I will leave them as a gift for my landlord. After all, the best part about finding something fantastic is sharing it. If you think you can't afford window coverings- think again. And you can always change the wrapping paper for birthdays.