Self imposed confinement

I am holding a spontaneous Open House. We noticed that the upstairs apartment is holding one today so we decided to piggy back on their traffic. We figure the Realtors would do the same thing if they could, so why not? I already had one young couple come who had come to see another apartment, so I guess it's working. It also means I can't go out in the beautiful sunshine today :(

Do you want to hear about my frugal staging tricks? First, I bought new towels and bathroom accessories which are folded up neatly and put away when we are not showing the place. In the living room, I used slipcovers and new throw pillows. The lamps are from Walmart but I fancied them up with some Freecycle tassels. Now, here is my deepest darkest staging trick which is almost laughable it's so crazy. But it works.

My bed, which is a king, was a mattress and box spring on the floor and I was going to get my husband to build something like a platform type to get it off the floor for showings. We plan to get a new frame eventually but I needed something in the meanwhile. I phoned my stepdad, who is a carpenter and had to spend some time in a basement apartment near his job with spare furnishings. After some hemming and hawing and vehement discouragement of using MDF from Home Depot (an insult to his craft, or "cheap sh*t" as he called it) he finally let me in on his frugal bed frame trick. I bet you all want to know what it is, don't you? OK, I will tell you, but don't laugh! Especially once I tell you that my bed is the perfect height off the floor and this cost me next to nothing: OK, here it is...are you ready for this? Friday, you already know, because you are my best friend and I tell you everything. And yes, she smirked, but she did not laugh at me.

So there you have it. Tomato juice cans. I needed twelve cans for my king size bed. If one were patient, they could pick through recycling for the cans. I bought mine at the grocery store. Up to you.

OK go ahead and laugh at me. I don't mind. I won't cry into my pillow at night :)