Ideas for Summer Rental Requested
9 years ago
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The lazy, crazy days of summer. This summer I will . . . .
Comments (28)Bumblebeez- "I will admit that I hate the heat. 4 more months of this, yuck." You took the words right out of my mouth! It's a relief to know someone else feels that way! It seems almost unbelievable to most that there are people who don't really care for summer. I find summer to be neither lazy nor crazy, just kind of hazy! I like to go out early too--to do yard work, and run errands. Was out at 6:30 A.M. today to rake, water and tidy up. (Went out yesterday afternoon around 5:00 for an hour and almost passed out!) Got a solid hour of work done and really enjoyed being outside as the temp & humidity was fairly mild and low. Then all the "worms" came out...people walking (and talking!) I do enjoy talking to these people, and enjoy visiting with their dogs as well, but then I didn't get much done the remaining hour I was out. After 9:00, certainly 10:00, I can't work in the direct sun. I may try to go out again after 5:00. There's a finite period during which I can get things done outdoors during summer. Your idea of a trip to the beach in November sounds nice! People are expecting me at the neighborhood picnic this weekend. Eating outside in the noon-day sun when it's in the 90's is not my idea of a good time. I told one neighbor, "If they'd just have this thing in December, I'd love to go." She looked at me like I'd turned green and sprouted horns. I'm such a grouch. The "Grinch who stole summer!"...See More1914 Bungalow (rental) - need ideas
Comments (20)I have to disagree with Lynsee. Our 1908 bugalow had a vanity in it, which I ripped out immediately with some cost to the plaster walls. The other posters are right - keep it as much in the tone of the original dwelling as possible. It doesn't matter that the stuff that is in there is not period; it would be better ro replace with period looking pieces. For our bathroom, I found a stand alone cabinet from Target that I put in the bathroom and a period medicine cabinet. I have plenty of storage. Our floors are also soft wood that has been sanded and clear coated. They are beautiful and I would NEVER cover them up with carpet. In the kitchen, I sanded down the cabinets, painted them and added period looking hardware. We also tiled the counters. The total costs was less than $500. So if you want to get the most out of this home, keep or add back the period details that give it a sense of history, some character and a reason for some one to buy it. Here is a picture of my 100 year old kitchen. Diane...See Moreideas requested
Comments (10)1. Ah yes, the relentless restrictions of a budget. Write it down. As others said, write down every penny you spend. It will surprise how much money slips through your fingers. 2. Budget a specific amount of money (in cash) for groceries - which is for FOOD ONLY (people food), and stick to the budgeted amount. Budget another amount for non-food items. -My food budget is $75/every two weeks for two adults. I never spend the entire amount, but as the money accumulates I purchase 100-pounds of wheat ($20) several times a year, a year's worth of a powdered whey-based milk substitute we use instead store-bought. I mill my own flour and make all our baked goods for a fraction of the price of commercial breads and baked goods. -Contact your Vet. for recipes for homemade options for your pets. My sister-in-law made a rice-based recipe for their pooch (as prescribed by their Vet.). -I keep meat purchases to $2/pound or less, AND no more than $10/week. Figure those unit prices. If you purchase a 5-ounce can of tuna for $1.29, that equals $4.13/pound. That's not a meat bargain. You can't STRETCH meat by adding more carbohydrates (which most people already consume far too many servings of per day). The only way to "stretch" meat is to use low-priced sources of protein in order to get your recommended amount of protein each day. I make ground gluten at home and mix it 50/50 with ground beef/pork/turkey. Gluten (aka seitan) is an excellent source for inexpensive protein. I also make it into a crunchy cereal, "jerky", cutlets, "meat"balls, etc... -Reduce meat (the budget buster). Friday is vegetarian day for us - using eggs, cheese, beans, and gluten for our protein servings. Wednesday we have stir-fry, which is a low-meat day. I mix small amounts of meat with beans (Mexican and Italian Meals) on Thursday. Sunday is homemade pizza, another low-meat day. Saturday is soup and/or sandwich day. The only day I make a large portion of meat is Monday and that large cut of meat (roast beef, baked chicken, turkey or turkey breast) serves the rest of the week for many meals, base for homemade soup, sandwiches, casseroles, and possibly some for the freezer. That leaves Tuesday - leftovers... -When fresh shell eggs are more than $1.60/dozen I switch to powdered whole eggs (which are less expensive per egg at that price point). -Avoid eating out, take-out, and convenience foods. Cook from scratch. I make my own "convenience" foods. We choose whole foods which tend to be less expensive and easy to prepare (Mother Nature's original "fast food"). -Watch those portions. Over-eating ANYTHING is expensive. -Avoid wasted food - that's the most expensive food you purchase. -Eliminate junk food. Snacks at our house are air-popped popcorn (less expensive than microwave), home-dehydrated apple slices, home-dehydrated zucchini (we use them instead of potato chips), nuts, homemade granola... -No single-portions (juice boxes, chips, fruit/pudding packs, etc.), they always cost more than portioning your own food from a larger package. -No ready-to-serve fruit juice - it's cheaper to purchase frozen concentrate and add your own water. Use only 100% real juice. Avoid fruit "drinks" that contribute nothing in the way of nutrition. Don't use fruit juice to quench thirst. A serving of juice is 3/4-cup and equals one fruit serving. -Pack your lunches using leftovers. -Drink tap water (or filter/distill your own at home) instead of paying for pre-packaged water bottles. Reuse your own container. 3. Instead of worrying about how to save a few pennies on dishwasher detergent (although pennies are important and you can purchase a no-name brand of dishwasher detergent), lets focus on saving the dollars: -Eliminate all subscriptions (newspapers, magazines, etc.) -Cut the cable TV. -Get rid of expensive monthly charges for cell phones and get a TracFone (we spend $99/YEAR on a TracFone and always have minutes that roll-over). Restrict your use of the TracFone. Cell phones, the new non-narcotic addiction. -Eliminate memberships (gym, social groups, clubs, etc.) -Eliminate expensive, unnecessary, self-indulgences: Coffee shops, hair care (I cut my own hair and nature has applied "highlights" free of charge), manicures and pedicures, purchases at convenience stores, any food/drink that doesn't have any redeeming nutritional value, shopping (without a reason and without a budgeted amount of MONEY)... -Eliminate buying books and movies and utilize the Public Library instead. If you haven't been there for awhile, you'll find all kinds of wonderful things to take advantage of that will be FREE. -Check your insurances and see if you can save money - increase deductables. Place home and vehicles with the same insurance company and save. Shop around for better prices for insurance. -Are you paying for unnecessary bank fees? Move from a bank to a credit union. Use a debit card and eliminate ALL credit cards. -Turn the thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer. We keep our house 62-64F. We've replaced as many lights as possible with LED and CFL. From "The Tightwad Gazette" - by Amy Dacyczyn 1. But it cheaper 2. Make it last longer 3. Use it less -Grainlady...See MoreNeed design ideas for a sunroom in a rental!
Comments (12)Hi Kristen -- What a gorgeous space to have, you lucky thing! I can see why you want to make the most of it. Like you, I think the blue rug is...not the best choice. I'd focus on finding a solution that works well for you there, because that could really drive how you want the rest of the room to go. If you fall in love with a bright rug/carpet squares, you may want neutrals elsewhere. And if you stick with a jute/sisal rug (or neutral squares) you may find you crave some color elsewhere. The green is great for a sunroom, though! (IMO, anyway) I'm posting two possible sources of inspiration -- your room would work well as a mash-up of both. #1) Pale (green) rug; chairs I'd want to cushion-up but are great colors (spray painted)? Pretty sure if you did shelving full of plants I would be greener than they are. ;) #2) Dark ceiling; medium-dark natural fiber rug; large white mats around art; lots of white upholstery (I'd definitely avoid the heavy + dark-toned furniture since your room isn't a this big ole one) Whatever you end up with, I'd think about adding small touches of darker-colored items to help tie the wood to what you put in. Could be a print that has deep grey or darker green, could be thin legs of a lovely table like Roarah's.......See More
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The last couple of summers we've gone to Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. Largely because my wife's family would all go there for vacation when she was young, and because her sister has now bought a vacation home on the island.
The main part of the busiest beach has a sign saying dogs must be on leash, but most of the rest of the beaches around the whole island I've seen dogs off leash.
There are also miles of walking trails around the island, a few (maybe a dozen) interesting restaurants in the small town center and a few small shops, but also its much easier to find seclusion.I know nothing about finding a dog-friendly place to stay, but I know the ferry does allow dogs.
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