tonitesori.com

08.04.09 | Posted in: General

The end of the semester has been busier than I had anticipated. The blog is on hold for now, but it’ll be back soon with some exciting new features. In the meantime, please check out my redesigned personal site at http://www.tonitesori.com. Take care!

-Toni

08.03.30 | Posted in: Frugality, Natural Living

At the end of each week (pixels or picas), I’ll revisit some of my favorite posts from the past that I’ve starred on Google Reader.

This Week: Ten Budget Beauty Products You Can Make At Home

The idea of making products I usually purchase at the store was a new one to me when I discovered the practice this Christmas. I took the Etsy challenge of only buying handmade/making all of my gifts and, I have to say, it yielded spectacular results. Everyone was quite impressed and happy with what they received.

When I saw the article above, it made me want to take things a step further and attempt to make the products it showcased. I haven’t gotten an opportunity to try them all, but I can attest that the hair clarifying treatment is wonderful!

What about you guys? Have you attempted to make any of these products? How did they turn out?

08.03.26 | Posted in: Decorating, Frugality

I hadn’t prepared to post today, but I wanted to pass along links on what I think is an important topic: being cheap versus being frugal.

The cogs in my head began turning this morning after reading Frugal Dad’s musings on the subject. One of the differences he mentioned was that a fugal person will pay more for something of higher tangible quality. Last week, Lynnae at Being Frugal discussed that very topic. Sometimes it costs less to spend more.

As I’m preparing to move home to St. Augustine and begin my real, adult life, this is a topic that weighs on my mind, particularly when thinking of the purchase of furniture. I’m hoping to purchase a home later in the summer and I’ll be entering into the home with no furniture to my name. None!

What choice should I make?

Sure, a $50 desk made of particleboard might perform the same function as a $200 desk made of solid wood, but which will still be functional a year from now? Five years from now? Ten years from now?

Throughout my college life, I’ve been sustained with cheap, particleboard furniture from Wal-Mart and Target, but I’ve seen the wear and tear put on these pieces in just a couple years of use. It might hurt me now to spend more money for furniture made of better quality materials, but, if the pieces last longer, the higher cost is well worth it.

To me, this is the essential difference in frugal versus cheap. It is not a matter of dollars and cents, but rather dollars and sense. It is truly understanding the value of goods, not just their cost.

What do you think? Is more expensive furniture worth the cost? On which other goods does it pay to spend more?