So it's come to this: life in the excessively cheap, frugal, thrifty lane.
Call it what you will, but many of us are downright broke, spending more than we can stomach on gas ($50 every four days to fill my Isuzu Rodeo), on groceries, on our ballooning mortgages, churning over our last nickel to those unforgiving bill collectors. Oy vey! I can't go on.
I'm getting depressed.
But all this means we are spending more time at home than ever before and that is where yours truly -- your fabulous but penny-pinching interior decorator -- will help you find something to smile about.
If you're going to be stuck looking at those four walls, at that weathered patio, at that vast backyard with that lonely mango tree, then why not make it fab? Why not make it the place you've always wanted it to be but never had the time nor the millions it surely must take to turn your pad into the breath-taking rooms designed by those eternally perky and never budget-challenged designers on HGTV?
So that is what we will do, ladies and gentlemen, in my blog ``Your Pad on a Penny.''
Over the next month, I'll be blogging in The Miami Herald's No-Spend Zone (MiamiHerald.com/personal_finance) and helping you transform your space to that oasis you have always wanted but thought you couldn't afford.
Now let's be clear: it cannot be done for pennies. It can rarely be done as cheaply as they say on HGTV. (Alas, they do not pay for labor on those shows and that is where the bulk of your costs are!) Even so, there are plenty of tricks of the trade, some of which I'll share as we take this journey together.
There won't be many rules. We'll likely tackle some of the best ways to decorate key rooms -- living rooms, a master bedroom, a powder room, a patio, a small water feature. I'll also give you a behind the scenes look at how we tackle some of our current projects at my design firm, Oasis. (Believe me, it isn't all glamorous and there are some clients who are charged a few extra bucks for the endless therapy and bottles of wine I need to get through some projects. They know who they are!)
Now, just who am I to be offering you advice on all this?
Well, you may recall that I once graced the pages of this very newspaper as a reporter covering everything from the sagas at Miami Beach City Hall to how people traded sex for rent on online network Craigslist.
Ah, but I also had a secret life.
I spent weekends and evenings redoing the homes of friends for free. Eventually I started charging a small fee. One client led to another. I teamed up with my best friend, Jazz, and we started doing some projects in Jamaica. I then teamed with another partner here. We parted ways, but I'm eternally grateful to her for teaching me how to step out on faith and to be relentless when it's time to get paid.
My current business partner is the super talented Ralph Forde, who has been exiled on the island of Barbados since January working on one of our largest projects to date. He worries about the construction and technical aspects of our design plans and provides the reality check to some of my hair-brained ideas as he should, given his more than 15 years experience in the business.
He's also the go-to person for our outdoor projects and water features. He's truly obsessed with ponds and Koi so will be the person who will help me answer any questions about such matters -- especially since I am still learning how filters differ from pumps.
If you'd like to see some of our projects, go to www.oasisied.com.
So let's go. Send me your thoughts, your wish list, your must-do project and we'll help you transform that pad on a penny -- or at least limited dollars.
We'll also pick one lucky space to transform this month. Your pad, your penny, my time for free. (For more details on this makeover, check out my blog.) So send me pics, your budget, your wish and we'll announce the lucky winner by month's end.
Start counting your pennies.
