Hello world!

This is my new blog that can help you be a baller on a budget! Ok, so I'm not really a baller, but I definitely am a girl on a budget. Since moving into a house and being single with no live in handy man, I've come into some real challenges with fixing up my house without spending a million dollars. This blog can really be geared towards everyone, women, men, anyone who thinks certain home improvements are just "too hard", or they just think a professional should do it. I'm here to tell you that's not always the case. My view is, why pay someone to do something I can do myself. If some yahoo out there can do it, then damnit, so can I. It may take me longer, but I'll get it done. Don't get me wrong, there are certain things you need a professional for, but I'll give you my ideas before you do! I know I have a lot of creative, handy friends out there so if you have better tips or ideas, let me know! Also (and this is my favorite), if you have any projects you've done that I don't have here that you think I can do around my house, please let me know. I'm loving new ideas!
I really have to thank my friend Kelly for getting this DIY ball rolling. She got me to start looking at things differently, and literally opened up a whole new world to me and it all started with an artificial tree. I'm going to tell you some of my must do's and must have's. I’ll take you through some of the projects that I have done and let you know what I did to get to the job done and any tips I have to share. Most of my projects have been A LOT of trial and error, so if I can save someone some of the trouble and time wasted that I went through, why not!  Here are some of the things I do to help get what I need done for as little as possible:

• Research, Research, Research – this takes some time, but you can really save a lot. I research every single thing I buy, every single thing. Once you figure out what you want to get, get the style you want and search online for it. I use Google shopping. You can sort by price and compare and I have found things for SO much cheaper than if I would have just went to a store and bought it. Keep shipping in mind. Even though one place is cheaper than the other, after shipping it can end up being more.
• I found when I wanted to start fixing up the house, I could afford the materials I needed, but could not afford to hire someone to install them. So I thought, “how hard could this really be”. So now every project I decide upon, I go online and search “how to”, there is always instructions or a video so you can see just how easy most projects are. So before you call someone to come out, look online, watch a video and give it the old college try, I mean, what’s the worse that could happen? You have to call someone out to fix it? You were going to do that anyway, so you might as well see if you can save yourself a buck….or 500.

I've done quite a few projects already like regrouting my kitchen tile, replace some of the kitchen tile I cracked, installing a new bathroom faucet, installing a new porch light, installing a new ceiling fan, and installing a new cooktop and kitchen hood.
Some projects I have coming up, replacing a flood light, sealing my patio so that it doesn't leak, installing sod, building a retaining wall, expanding my patio, painting patio furniture, sewing cushions for said patio furniture, refinishing my kitchen cabinets, painting kitchen hardware, painting door knobs, installing a pond and sooooo much more. If you dig it, subscribe and maybe I can help you out, or you can just see my progress!