One of my favorite things about my husband being an active duty soldier is that we get to live in lots of different parts of the country. Seeing new towns, trying new restaurants and being exposed to unique cultures are adventures that the average person does not get to experience. Along with all this wonderful traveling comes the part that every army wife loves, trying to fit all your house hold goods into your new living quarters! Not only do you have to make the new arrangements feel like home but it also has to be functional. Our first move, this was VERY frustrating to me. I thought to myself, “Why can’t all army post housing look the same?”. This is the point where you can either fight your situation or roll with the punches. I decided from that point on to roll with the punches.
We moved to Fort Irwin with a high top kitchen table and barstool height chairs. It was a lovely table but it just did not fit anywhere I put it. Not only that, but our toddler was climbing up and down those chairs, and it was just an accident waiting to happen. So we did what anyone would do, we started shopping around for a new kitchen table. I have always wanted a farmhouse style table. When we started searching, I was shocked! The prices we were finding were not what I was wanting to spend. Pay attention, because the next thing is a game changer! I decided not to buy it but build it. I was able to pick the colors and the measurements for the table of my dreams for a fraction of the price. I spent $74 on wood and $13 on stain. I had screws and white paint already in the garage. It took me approximately 5 hours to measure, cut, assemble, stain and paint the whole table and saved me around $500. We also watched the local sales pages for cheap or free chairs. I was able to scoop up three chairs for free and repaint them! I am in love
Repurposing furniture can save you so much money. PCS season is upon us and it is the best time to snag some great deals. Also, locally here at Fort Irwin, we have a HUGE wood pile where you can get lots of pallets and other materials at no charge. Instead of spending $250 on that TV stand you have been looking at, grab the $15 one at the thrift store, slap some new hardware and a coat of paint on it and its good as new! The best advice I can give you is to create things you wish existed, your own style and roll with the PCS punches.