***Tips on Saving Money in the Bedroom

My recent articles have talked about energy savings, home maintenance, and de-cluttering. Today let’s look at what we can do to save money in our bedrooms.

The mattress – Top quality mattresses usually cost more because they offer you extra pillow tops and nicer piping on the edges. These pillow tops seem to wear out quicker than the mid-range mattresses. If you would like a similar feature, consider purchasing a mattress cover with a built-in pad. Mattress covers help protect your mattresses from stains and are easily laundered and kept fresh. By using this tip, you could be saving yourself several hundred dollars and the cost of replacing your mattress could be delayed by several years. Remember to rotate your mattress twice a year when the clocks change.

Consider purchasing mismatched box springs and mattresses. Watch your local furniture and bed store sales. Once or twice a year they tend to have sales on inventory singles where there is either a missing box spring or mattress to match the items on sale. If you purchase covers for your mattresses and box springs, no one will ever notice the fabric patterns do not match.

Bed Linens – The higher the thread count the more expensive the bedding. A thread count in the 200’s will serve you well. It will be durable and comfortable while saving you money. By the time the sheets wear out you will want to change them anyway so why spend more than you have to. The best time to purchase sheets is in January and July when the white sales are on. Washing your bedding in lukewarm water and drying them at a moderate temperature helps keep them from shrinking. Other places to purchase sheets at a reasonable price are bed and bathroom warehouses.

Window Coverings - Consider using matching bed linens for your window coverings. They will be less expensive than custom drapery houses yet they will be in keeping with your color scheme. Keep your blinds or shutter simple and purchase them at department and discount stores.

Bedroom Furniture – Plan for this purchase and watch for the sales. Do all your shopping homework between sales so you know exactly what you want when the sales do come up and you aren’t scrambling about. Offer the vendor cash. Someone is paying for that 0% financing somewhere and cash is king. There are no debit or credit card fees for the vendor so they tend to pass the savings on to you. Consider arranging your own delivery of the furniture. This can save on delivery fees and you have more control of when the items arrive at your home. We all know someone with a truck who is willing to help us out.

Look at estate sales and auctions as an alternative to purchasing new. You can find some excellent antiques for reasonable prices. If you are patient and can afford to wait, watch your local newspapers for these auctions. If you are handy with a paintbrush and other refurbishing tools and supplies, you can refinish most woods to suite your particular taste in wood stains.
Shop garage sales for accessories or try your local Goodwill or Thrift shop. It is amazing what you can find there. The challenge here is your patience. You may need to frequent these establishments a few times before finding what you really want. The flip side of this coin is, you are also helping your community service those less fortunate and that is a good thing.