$1500 Challenge

Where have I been these past few weeks? Getting ready to move into my new apartment. Yes, it takes that long since I set myself a goal with the intent of saving money but also proving you don't have to spend a lot to get something that looks decent.

When I moved away from Toronto last summer, I sold all the furniture I had and almost everything in the kitchen. I thought I'd be overseas for much longer than I was so it seemed like the smart thing to do. Now I'm home and have to start all over again. So I set myself a limit of $1500 to get the whole apartment furnished and decked out to look like a professional something lives there and not a student, no futons to be seen.

In case you're wondering how this is possible, here are a few ways I saved money:
1. accepted gifts from family, like bed and dvd player
2. designed my own furniture and got my dad to build it (which he loves doing, btw)
3. scowered craigslist for cheap and free stuff. Two big finds: a 27" tv with amazing colour and picture that I got out of a back alley, and a chest of drawers someone tossed on the front lawn. I also scored a free tv stand from some lovely woman who said it was easier to give stuff away than to sell it
4. I'm having a shower instead of a birthday party this weekend. People seem to like that I've 'registered' at Superstore. I'll try anything PC except the beer.

Hints:
1. If you design a coffee table, don't do something with glass - it jacks the price up considerably no matter how cheap you try to go
2. Stain sucks. Go with paint and avoid the headache from fumes and frustration

Of course this is not easy and I've almost killed myself with all the projects I took on to meet my goal, but it's looking good and at this point I've got $30 in change leading up to Saturday's big paint/move. I have to break the budget since I'm painting the whole place but I will not go over by more than $200, my conservative estimate.

I'm tired and just want to be done all of this, and I'm really hoping it was all worth it.