Our furnished villa is wonderful: 3 bedrooms (2 quite big), a nice size common living area with kitchen, dining and den, 2 1/2 bathes, laundry closet and 2 car garage. Even so we do not have everything we like or even need.
In the USA, we have this way of life that you have individual items for every need. In general, we do not multi-purpose furniture and everyday living items. There are retail establishments everywhere to meet your every whim. Need a special color - choose from 15 colors; need it smaller - no problem, need it special made - you bet, on and on and on ...
In our Villa, we are trying very, very hard to purchase very little. We have bought plastic bookshelves (we brought so many books!), charcoal grill (must for Husband who loves to cook), kitchen trash can, bed "egg crates", ice cream scoop (honestly the spoons bent when I used what was here) and 1 set of linens. The bed "egg crates" we could have probably done without but mattresses are quite firm.
We did get 4 plastic cups. Husband wrote our names on them with Sharpie and now these are cups for the day for each family member.
We have repurposed:
- 2 Large Decorative Tables - Now 2 Desks
- Nightstand - Now TV stand
- Master Bedroom - Now Master Bedroom, my Offfice and Husband's Office
- 2 Outdoor Chairs - Now 2 Desk Chairs
- Large Plastic Storage Container we moved stuff with - Now Toy Chest
- 2 TV tables - Now Tables for Oldest Son and Youngest Son to keep their stuff
- Staircase Rails - Now Laundry Line for wet clothes to dry
- Decorative Basket - Now Art Supplies Holder
- Decorative Bowl for Fake Fruit - Now Real Fruit Bowl (fake stuff in top of closet)
- Coffee Table - Now Play Table for kids
- Guest Room - Now Media Room with DVD Player we brought from USA
- Guest Room Closet - Now Game Closet
- Guest Room Lamp - Now my Desk Lamp
- Plastic DVD Holder - Now Bread Storage
- Beach Towels - Now Throw Blankets all Over Villa
We are trying to simplify. Make do. Be creative. I have found I am oddly stimulated to figure out how to make it all work - so much more fulfilling than to just go buy another thing.
5 comments:
I can, oddly enough, understand the need for a new ice-cream scoop but you lost me at the dvd case for a bread keeper.
I've tried to image that in my mind and I just can't. Maybe it's past my bed time but ... how's that work? LoL
~Lisa :)
Too funny. It is a rectangular plastic storage case with lid that holds the actual DVDs. We needed an air tight container to keep bread fresh and well a plastic container is a plastic container (even if it was intended for media storage.)
It took me a couple of days but I gotcha now :)
What a great idea!
It's surprising how industrious we become with a lil effort and a move to Mexico, LoL.
~Lisa
WOW...I would never have thought to do that...or at least I don't think I would have!
We use all kinds of things for other things you would never in a million years imagine! I actually have an old rolling computer hutch that I use as a microwave cart...and an old buffet thing (not real sure what the technical name of this thing is, but it's one of those things people sometimes put in thier dining room against a wall and have bowls of fake fruit sitting on them...LoL (I just had to mention the fake fruit thing!) anyway...that "thing" is in the hallway by the kids rooms, and it is used as a toy chest! We also use plastic storage tubs as laundry baskets, and I even used one for my dog when we first brought him home before we had a kennel for him! WHAT??!! It worked!;)
If there is anything my Mama taught me, it was to be thrifty...if ya need any suggestions, let me know...I'm sure I could help ya out!
~Jenn;0)
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