I'm sorry, I didn't realize this was a discussion about organic vs. non-organic foods. Well, it is and it isn't. :-) I'm using "organic" as an oversimplified term to mean "locally-produced foods which are grown sustainably and processed minimally". I'm aware that there are many producers who do most of that and who have not undertaken organic certification. They're OK in my book. The beef I have (pardon the pun) is with people who think they're driving the cost of their food way down by buying pork that is injected with up to 15% of its weight with water, salt, and preservatives; buying eggs from hens kept in cages so small they can't move and fed a diet that no chicken would ever select for itself; farmers who use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides to combat monocultural farming; and all of the corporate agricultural subsidies -- paying farmers to not grow crops; subsidizing the cost of transportation by keeping gas cheap and taking the cost of fighting wars off the books; and charging all of us road taxes to repair the damage done by trucking produce halfway across the country and the environmental damage done by runoff from manure pools and insecticides and by top-soil erosion. There are costs associated with all of that, but conventional farmers typically don't pay them. We all do. I do not strictly purchase organic, whole grain type foods. I purchase the best I can with my monthly food budget and go from there. I understand that if you live with such high standards, you probably can't prepare lunches for $1-2 each. What I don't understand is this: where are you able to eat lunch out for $4 and eat purely organic? I couldn't go anywhere in my town and spend $4 and eat to your standards. It just isn't possible. I don't always eat organic. If I'm invited to a friend's birthday party, I won't refuse to attend because they don't buy organic. It is, however, a strong preference of mine (and it's what I feed my guests). It is cheaper to bring organic from home. Beans and rice or some soups and stews can be relatively inexpensive organic meals. I would be hard-pressed to eat out organically for $4, though my food co-op comes close with a mix-and-match hot-food bar for $6. My point (apparently not made very well) is that many people on the Internet claim to make a meal that costs only a couple of bucks. Well, if that's done by purchasing heavily-processed non-sustainably-produced food that is grown, gathered, and sold by people half a country (or half a world) away who don't make a living wage, then someone else (actually, everyone else) is picking up the associated costs. I don't consider a slice or two of "baloney" on Wunder Bread and a banana a balanced, healthful meal, even if they don't come much cheaper than that. It's ironic that the most-heavily-processed food available in the U.S. is often the very cheapest. The "boutique" aspect of organic food aside (I won't deny it exists), organic food costs what food should cost. I don't look upon it as "such high standards" so much as I consider it the standard. If you were to add in the costs of trucking food halfway across the country, providing working wages and basic health and educational coverage to the people growing and harvesting the crops, and the costs of epidemic high blood pressure and diabetes brought on by the heavily-processed American diet and lifestyle, people wouldn't be saying, "I can make a full meal for $1 or $2." It really costs us more than that.

I stick the vacuum in the bottom of my closet, and the ironing board against a wall next to a dresser. The dining-room table leaves are under teh bed. I used to have clothing sort of stuff, or linens, under the bed, until I realized that they could be refolded to almost any dimension, but the table leaves (or the ironing board) could not. So, the non-malleable items went in the physical space that would accommodate them, and the linens & stuff went elsewhere (and I purged, as well). You could put your sofa so it's a few inches out from the wall and lay the ironing board on its side there, if you liked. Or hang it on the inside of a closet door. And the drying rack is just behind the bedroom door--since that door is always open unless we're going to bed, I don't normally see it, and once I'm going to bed, I don't care.

I agree with all those disparaging comments about the makeover shows with the $2000 budget. Amazing how they never spend more than that. And they never actually account for how much the labor would cost. I hate how they have no qualms about intentionally deceiving prospective buyers by covering up flaws. I love how they take the window treatments down and put up sheers and other totally impractical dressing to hightlight a room's "light" while the privacy and heat loss issues are totally ignored. Most of these homeowners just need a stern talking to about clutter, repainting walls and cleaning their carpets. Yes, buyer beware. HGTV shouldn't be proud of this program.

Wall color isn't all that important to me unless it is a very intense color. My light-flooded bedroom used to be the darkest forest green and it was so dismal and dusty looking! But for the most part I think neutral walls look great; whether they're more beige or green or gold doesn't seem to matter too much. My neighbor just painted her kitchen one shade lighter of a terra cotta and I can't see the difference (but it makes her happy and that's great!) In general, I've found johnmari's rule about "light walls for light rooms and dark walls for dark rooms" to be the only rule that's really worth following. I also don't mind furniture that is out of style. Most of the people I know have those slouchy leather sofas and loveseats. They are not fashionable but they are well made, extremely comfortable and stand up to kids and pets. In a room with the right lighting, floors, scale, artwork, etc. it just doesn't seem to matter. I really don't notice details so much as the overall scale of things. I don't care if things go together as long as they are not screaming at me. I guess I have more of an impressionistic outlook. I have a tile floor in my entry that I don't like. It was put in by the POs and is just not me. But, I don't really care. I guess my rule is that if I can't change something without spending a whole lot of time and energy and money on it, I'll just ignore it. (But as someone noted earlier, if I had a money tree I would probably be pickier.) I have oak cupboards that are probably dated and tile counters but they are all in good shape and very functional, so they don't bother me. My appliances don't match, but in a way that is a good thing - the dishwasher blends in with the cabinets rather than matching the fridge and calling attention to itself. I used to feel that lighting was one of those unimportant details that only designers fussed about, but I have since discovered how easy it is to change a space just by adding a lamp or turning down the dimmers, so I've done a 360 on this issue. There are many things that do bug me, but you don't want to hear about those :-)