apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Wow, what a great thing to keep in mind. I have an expensive Calphalon copper saucepan that I desperately wanted because it looks so cool hanging from my pot rack. Is it pretty? Absolutely. Is it delicate and difficult to keep clean? Yes. A stainless steel from ebay would have been cheaper and more practical.

Oooh very good advice. I like that!

@TVsJessica: I'm sure you already know this, but you can quickly and effectively clean your copper with a fresh halved lemon, and for extra scrubbing, use salt with it.

@mjr: I guess I didn't think about that, so thanks :) I admit that I do like the patina on it though.

i didn't buy it, but i accepted a second hand living room suite from my husband's parents.

the furniture has down-filled cusions, which are quite comfortable, but they send feathers flying all over the living room. those little buggers work their way through seams and zippers.

think twice before buying down-filled sofas!

Can you talk to my husband for me? I'm (unsuccessfully) getting him to (slooooowly) purge his posessions. I can't even count how many t-shirts and beer memorabilia items he has. (help. help me please.)

All of those white sofas you see in decorating magazines are a lie. Especially the ones with the adorable dog sitting on the floor next to them.

I learned the hard way.

Second the white sofa with cute (big, red) dog lying his dusty body alongside the sofa. Taking the covers off to clean is a big project!

Well, I'm like your grandma, only with homes...we're trying to buy, and my husband wanted a bigger home than me, and i said I'm willing to CLEAN a two bedroom, but not a three...plus the smaller the space the less unnecessary purchases you will make. Thus, we just put a bid in for a quaint two bedroom (which I will happily clean if we get it!)

Yeah! Can I just say one thing grandmas rock! In my experience the advice given to me from my grandmother regarding cleaning, frugality and need/want were always the most important lessons I ever had.

Amen to that! I had a white slip-covered sofa once that was so much work because I had to clean it ALL THE TIME. Thanks for that Granny-wisdom.

CKBH--so true! My parents have a semi-large 4BR house and now that we kids have moved out, it's a big pain for my mother to keep clean, even with my father's help. It's best to have a home that fits your life.

Excellent tip!

Emily

I bought a lovely black-brown Ikea table top. The issue is that this house is particularly dusty. I end up dusting the table three or four times a week. The birch furniture that went into the room the same day, hasn't shown any dust yet.

Yes, I bought this soft white fur rug and it looked great until it started shedding everywhere. there were fur balls in every corner of the room, under the bed, in the hallway. It spread everywhere. I finally just gave it to a thrift store.

THAT is a priceless thought. Thank you. Love your grandma.

This goes exponential once you have kids!!

My favorite grandma quote that I say often when shopping:
"When in doubt, go without."