Friday, July 31, 2009

The Difference A Light Fixture Makes


Or in our case, a few light fixtures.

We've recently put ourselves on a back on a budget. We're not great at keeping tabs on our money, but working to follow a budget does help us feel like we're not hemorrhaging money each month, especially on house-related stuff.

And we're back on the cash budget, after getting away from it for awhile. Dave Ramsey-style. For us, it is always eye-opening to pay with cash when we're eating out or buying groceries. Or, rather, it is eye-opening to see how fast we move through it. But when we're not doing the cash thing, we just don't keep tabs on what we're spending, and end up seeing grocery bills of $400 for a single month. For two people and one dog. Ridiculous.

Where was I? Oh right, lights.

New light fixtures on the main floor were a priority for us, and we budgeted accordingly. We splurged on a couple, but for most just went up to Menards (with our cash!) and picked some up. That took care of our house fund for July! But we're really pleased with the results.

And I only got electrocuted once in the process of putting them up.

That sucked. Josh was on the phone at the time and his buddy got to here me screaming in the background. Why can't ceiling lights be plugged in like lamps? I wouldn't be in danger of touching live wires if that were the case.

But the end result was worth it. The more we pull this place out of the 1980's, the better.

Here are some before/after shots for your viewing pleasure:

This one was the worst, in my opinion.


Anyone need a box with light bulbs sticking out of four sides? Yeah, we didn't either.

Or shiny brass?

I couldn't find a picture of the dining room, post-painting, and with the old light fixture. But I did dig up a picture we took when we first visited the house. It doesn't give you a great image of the old light fixture (which was really the least ugly of the group), but this really gives you a good idea as to how far we've come overall.
Wall color - check.
Dark trim painted white - check.
Contemporary curtains - check.
Our own furniture - check.



Clearly, we have a ton of fun with this.

7 comments:

lr said...

Very nice blog. I like your style and the pictures.

Kristen said...

love the fixtures - especially the one over the eating area.

Bargain Headbands said...

that box with the bulbs sticking out is hilarious, I mean, tasteful...

Lynn said...

The box with the bulbs sticking out of it totally cracks me up!

Great job once again. It just keeps getting better.

Erika said...

Oh wow, the house looks sooo different. You guys are doing a great job! We have some of the same light fixtures- your new ones thankfully. We really like 'em :)

Paulina said...

Fun fun! I keep meaning to tell you that the 15th would work if that still works for you guys. It would just be a day trip - I have a bible study in the morning so we would leave around 10:30am from here. Let me know!

Unknown said...

it looks GREAT!
hope your weekend with the fam was good--saw your Dad just as they were headed your way :)