Low Impact Larger Family Living: Check Craigslist First

Y'all know I love me some Ikea, and y'all also know I have five, count'em, five kidlets, ages 6 thru 9. Although we have a biggish house, we have smallish bedrooms and the kids are at the age where private space would be a wonderful thing. I have been eyeing these loft beds at Ikea: They would get all the kids out of bunks and open up a bunch of floor space, especially for my daughter, who has a postage stamp sized room (but a room of her own, which every girl needs). I could whip up some fun privacy curtains for the bottoms and each kid could have a quiet space to read, think, get away from siblings, even those that share a room.

However. Five times 199.00 is a little steep for us right now. We were going to have to bite the bullet and do something, though, because one of the bunk beds is broken. Soooo, I planned to take a little trip to Ikea next weekend to get two.

Except my sweet Baboo, ever the environmentalist, said "maybe we should check Craigslist first." And when we did, we stumbled upon four (count 'em, FOUR) of this exact model, barely used, all available, and some with extra add on shelves and desks to boot. The grand total for all four? $525. Saved at least 300 bucks, saved the impact of manufacturing four new beds, and saved the time and cost of driving to Schaumburg.

Okay, not that last part, because I'm still going to Ikea next weekend. :p

The moral of the story? Check Craigslist or Freecycle first. And if you have a trip planned to Ikea, for heaven's sake, don't cancel it.

The IKEA Catalog Is Here!!!

It's here! It's here!! The IKEA 2010 catalog is here!! It even has coupons for coffee and cake and meatballs. It came just in time -- I'm going to IKEA next weekend with a girlfriend!!! I LOVE IKEA!!!

Do I sound like Steve Martin in The Jerk? I hope not.

My husband so knows what I will be doing tonight after the kids go to bed. (Sorry, sweetness).

Oh, and just for the record, if you're in the Milwaukee area and are ever looking for an Ikea partner -- hit me up.

Ask For Socks and Ye Shall Receive

So, my dear sweet hubs has been patiently waiting to get himself some athletic socks, since he spent all the money allotted for his clothing budget on a black Sta-Puft Marshmallow -- I mean, Mountain HardWare down jacket on our anniversary trip to Schaumburg back in May. (Hush, I got engaged in Schaumburg. It was super romantic. Plus, there's IKEA there!!!).

Anyway, since we do the Dave Ramsey thing, he's in the red and will be until August, but has a run coming up with one of the kids, and the last thing we all want is a daddy-type with owies on his feets. So we were going to go today to get athletic socks, and he was just gonna be in the hole that much longer.

Except last night, we got an e-mail coupon from Kohl's for $10 off any purchase to get people in the store after the local Kohl's completed their remodel. (Incidentally, I used two of these in June to get myself some running shoes.) Is God telling us He loves us and is providing in all ways, large and small? Or is He just telling us we need to get off our rears and get on the treadmill?

Dunno. Either way, thanks, God!!!