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likeawildthing · 4 years

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in terms of design advice, any ideas for a broke college student apartment room? 💕💕

college is a weird time because you are kind of a grown up but also definitely not! and your interests and tastes will change so rapidly in the next few years. so honestly it’s a great time to experiment and be creative. this advice all depends on your particular space, but in any small space everything that can be double duty, should be double duty (night stand is also a tv tray/laptop tray, art is also bulletin board or jewelry holder), the more uses you can get out of something, the better! going vertical on the walls where you can get away with it is amazing. here are a few easy and cheap ways to upgrade and some basic design principles:

take this design quiz to find out your style (plug in a fake email) and then google or pinterest away. you’ll see repeat themes (for ex. major bohemian trend is macrame, which easily DIYable, or MCM is all about legs and clean profiles). maybe that would be fun post - to highlight different styles and trends. but here are some upgrades that translate to any design style for cheap:

PLANTS

don’t go to a nursery and drop a hundred dollars you don’t have. a plant or two or three you really love will change the vibe of the whole space, and give you something to take care of, which is ofc good for your mental health. tips for getting plants and planters on the cheap!

think of a relative or friend who already has houseplants and ask for free ones next time they’re splitting. i literally did my entire garden this way in my first place.

look on like FB marketplace or whatever your swap site is because people are often selling plants or cuttings for a discount.

i have literally split the cost of a plant with a friend and then split it in half, like a baby before Solomon

pothos plants of any kind are easy to take care of and can split into smaller plants pretty regularly.

succulents are usually a few dollars at the store and everyone loves them! start with one simple succulent.

herbs! if you get herb garden seeds or plants you literally make what you eat!

if you have pets, make sure they are pet friendly.

i do not spend a lot of $$ on planters! i use terra cotta because 1. they’re cheap as hell and 2. cute! some of my favorite planters are terra cotta pots kristina painted for me! you can also thrift pots, which i would encourage, or reuse food containers by putting small holes in the bottom.

create hanging plants by making yarn macrame holders! youtube is your friend on this! you can get a ceiling hook for like $3 if it’s a solid ceiling (drywall) and super easy to patch up when it’s time to leave.

ART

function + form. something organic that you can change out inspiration or art, like a cork or inspiration board (look on like a varage sale or in a thrift store for this). you can get four12x12 cork boards from target for $7 and create something like this from two of them, which is in and of itself a piece of art (and you can take it down w/out damaging walls)

other cheap things i have done for art:

calendar or magazine pages in thrifted frames (my favorite cheap tricks is to get matte black or white craft paint for $1.25 from wm or target and paint a bunch of odd frames to unify them)

a picture ledge like this from ikea is your best friend because you can interchange the art to be whatever you want!

embroidery hoop fabric bulletin boards

seriously, posters are cool. get a cheap poster online and hang it with washi tape. it’s not precious. if you want something more grown up, try to thrift a frame for it for cheap. if you don’t like the color of the frame, paint it! if you can’t hang something heavy like this on the wall, use command velcro strips OR set it on top of a dresser or bookcase and lean it against the wall.

i love tassels and buntings. just google either of those and you’ll get thousands of cheap ideas. in my last bedroom i just had a bunting i cut and made over my bed and it acted like a bedframe and i loved it.

just free prints from the internet hung up with little clips like this ($2 from target) or bulky push pins – those holes are so easy to patch!

when my kids were little until two weeks ago i had an entire wall covered with their artwork. i’m saying maybe go to the thrift store, get some ugly canvases with your friends, and have a painting party. everyone brings a $4 thing of acrylic paint and a brush and have a party. good memories + new art for everyone. swap at the end!

pictures! actually print out those pictures and tape them to the wall with washi tape. you can also do something like this with push pins for as big or small as you want to make it (i have this in my living room

here’s a proper primer on the 7 elements of design, but you can skip that and go here if you want!

BALANCE

white space and focal points. in the same way that you need to break up one massive wall of text into digestible paragraphs, you also need to break up the focus in your room. a FOCAL POINT is a statement area in your room (i.e. the window, over your bed, your desk) that your eye is drawn to, and where you want your eye to be drawn to. ideally rooms should have ONE focal point (that’s like the adverb room for writing) but in a dorm apartment, that isn’t practical because it HAS to be multifunction. the important takeaway is that white space on your walls is okay, and important. it gives you a soft space to land, visually, which is important in making you feel more relaxed and even productive.

groupings – grouping like with like makes great sense organizationally AND design wise. a collection of postcards will look amazing on the wall together rather than spread around the room.

LAYERS

adding layers can make a space feel luxurious – curtains, rugs, extra throw pillows or an extra blanket on your bed or chair. plants are great for this, but fabrics and baskets can add another layer. these can be pricey so i would a. raid your mom’s house if that’s an option and ask if she needs ‘x’ rug or curtains anymore. you can also thrift curtains for cheapppp or even look for clearance fabric – once you wash the curtains they really are safe to use. clearance frabric can be hemmed without being sewn and hung with curtain rings if you need to. and $5 tension rods can work as a curtain rod inside a window frame if needed. i could do a whole post on this but a cheap rug next to your bed and something soft on a window can do wonders! dude i have also bought cheap cotton weave cloth from walmart and used rit dye to make turqoise curtains and i loved for years. see also: RIT DYE

so decorative pillows are expensive as HELL but regular, cheap pillows are like $4. i get cheap fabric or thrift fabric and sew my own, which you could do by hand, really, and use the pillow stuffing to make it. ikea also sells great cheap pillow covers!

COLOR

gosh there are no hard and fast rule here but here is a great primer series on color theory for design that you can translate to your room

simplifying a color palette will feel more calming to you, and so will using cool colors like blues and greens. but again, no hard and fast rules. repeat a color or element (shape, pattern) throughout a room 3x (ex. i have a blue rug and that same blueish tone is in a chair and also on a bookshelf. they don’t have to be the same blue, just color family, and it makes it all seem more intentional)

HOW TO DO IT CHEAPLY

buy secondhand. there are entire thrift makeover and upcycle youtube channels that are amazing! same for diy blogs.

reuse and repurpose what you have. i turned a dvd player box into a toy oven for my kids and they used it as a play kitchen for four years. my bookshelf that stores our games in my living room was $12 from salvation army - i just painted it and added casters for $15. my dresser was a thrift from the REstore, a habitat for humanity store. my end tables are actually butcher block pieces that were in my dad’s factory for forty years. i love bringing old things back to a different life. and you don’t always need a ton of tools to do it.

barter and trade. i traded a one of my kid’s dressers for the hutch that holds our toiletries outside of our upstairs bathrooms.

sell and repurchase something that works for you. i sold my old bookshelves on fb marketplace and bought another that actually works better. this isn’t applicable to everyone!

make muffins for someone in exchange for their sewing skills or knowledge. i’m teaching my friend to sew right now! libraries often have classes and such to learn new skills.

OK so i have rambled enough. i could ramble more. i hope this gets you started and if you have more specific or follow up questions, on this or organization side of things, let me know! remember these are all just guidelines and the most important thing is having a space you love, that makes you feel comfortable and that you’re proud of and happy in. comparing yourself to others isn’t always the best and you can make it a space you love no matter where you are.

#linds dispenses hack job design advice #Anonymous #dorm room #design

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qazastra · 4 years

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Thoughts on clothes

this is so vague raven thank you for responding to that ask post i reblogged

i like em. its very fun to wear clothes that i like even/especially when they’re a little obnoxious. can’t wait till it gets colder outside so i can wear LAYERS again... catch me with neon fishnets and a plaid skirt and a striped turtleneck with another shirt over That one... oooooh im excited. more is more that’s my philosophy. also death to fast fashion please! though it is marvelously entertaining to see what the industry comes up with it’s not worth the human rights violations. cheap fashionable clothes RULE but there must be a better way. also haute couture and labels and especially supreme is a scam. pay for the labor don’t pay for the name!! and honestly idk how i feel about the Fashion Industry... like... clothes are to be worn. if they don’t make you happy why bother putting any effort into picking them out just to follow trends or Look Good if you don’t really love what you’re wearing. personally i love looking like an absolute buffoon and clown every so often.

more thoughts under the cut because i just kept rambling

ALSO it fucks me up how many labels that put a lot of effort into their lines ‘for women’ are designed by MEN??? i’ve never understood that and i dont think i ever will lmao Let the Ladies Design...

also SUSTAINABLE FASHION!!!! you love to see it. never but something new if you can get it secondhand. this goes double for leather goods if they’re in good shape. i don’t like pleather, leather lasts a super long time if you take care of it and bonus it’s not plastic. always mend your clothes if you can and donate your old clothes or resell them (for rEASONABLE prices! please don’t be like those people on depop selling clothes for $30 they bought at amvets for 3 bucks... like yeah i wish i could make money that way too but it’s Just Not Quite Ethical now is it)

side note it also fucks me up how workwear is In Style right now??? like dickies and overalls?? had a friend who i assume is relatively wealthy (wealthier than me at least) buy an entire new outfit to go walk in the woods and it included some dickie’s overalls. girl. i get that you want to look like a ‘cute little train conductor’ (direct quote) or whatever but idk it just rubs me the wrong way, maybe that’s a me problem?? like i have a pair of dickies work pants that i literally wear to work for my dad when we’re painting or stripping woodwork. and i think they look sick bc of the paint splatters and stuff so i wear them normally too. but. they’re actual work pants. this is in the sam vein as whoever just made an ikea bag and tried to sell it for hundreds of dollars. pathetic. if you’re gonna be a big name expensive fancy fashion house then at LEAST do something interesting???? baffles me how many simply do not sometimes (or at least a few years ago when minimalism and normcore were The Things)

but yeah i love clothes so much and i love fashion subcultures so much!! i got really into english-speaking lolita fashion youtube for a while a few months ago and it was pretty cool. also i see a group of people in black with like green hair and shabby clothes like they just stepped out of the 90s grunge scene and i go feral on the inside like: YOU GUYS LOOK SO FUCKINGKUGG COOL OMFG......... my dream is to absolutely Dive In to multiple fashion subcultures but like switch it up every day. so one day i’d be like fairy kei, then the next it’d be 80s berlin punk, then 2005 garage rock revival strokes copycat band, then next it’d be hawaiian shirt bisexual, then architecture professor, then kpop idol with one dangly earring, then like flowy prarie girl or whatever, then what lovenikki dress Up queen thinks street style is, then luna lovegood, you get the picture. you get it. at this point honestly my greatest limitation is the physical size of my closet.

hope that was vague and specific enough to answer your ask lmao

have a wonderful night yall

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anneedmonsonus · 4 years

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A House Decorated by Marketplace – and Tips for Thrifting

Of all the bad things to come out of Facebook – the creepy harvesting of our online data, a rise in loneliness, infidelities kindled from long-lost acquaintances, the erosion of individual self-worth through unfavourable comparison, to name just a few – there are also a lot of good things. For example, I re-met my now-husband through Facebook… something I like to remind him of every so often, that lucky guy. And I’m also going to add that the fairly recent invention of Marketplace is another one of those good things to come out of Facebook.

Furniture, homewares, rugs, plants and art… these are the kinds of things being sold on Facebook Marketplace that are often super CHEAP, my friends. Often it’s sold by people who just want to be rid of it, fast, and sometimes they don’t have a true understanding of the worth of what they are offering (I remember seeing a designer-name vintage sideboard marketed as “brown cupboard”).

Another bonus is that when you buy from a person on Facebook Marketplace, you can also see if you have mutual friends in common, thus reducing your chances (hopefully) of being murdered (“Yes, he has a teardrop tattoo and he’s holding a chainsaw in his profile pic, but he’s also friends with Julie from Baskin-Robbins”). In fact Marketplace has so many good things about it that I feel jealous of people moving house or getting a new place, like my sister, because they get to furnish and style their house in the Marketplace era. Like, I remember moving to this house, and looking at ads for secondhand dining tables after going to the newsagent and buying The QUOKKA. Yes, a physical copy of a classifieds ad newspaper, with tiny, succinctly written ads and no pictures, woaaah. Furnishing a home now that there is Marketplace is kind of like getting married but before there was Pinterest and after there was Pinterest, but better than that. I say this after spending pretty much TWO DAYS of my life making little white and milk chocolate milk balls with carefully affixed, painstakingly handmade customised chocolate wax seals for bonbonnieres, simply because I had seen a picture of them on Pinterest and I HAD TO RECREATE THEM, and I don’t think a single person at my wedding appreciated the sheer effort that had gone into these chocolate wax seal balls except my best friend from high school who had flown in for our wedding from London, saw the different-coloured chocolate balls and shrieked, “Does no-one notice that these chocolates have RACIAL CONNOTATIONS.” (This is why we are friends).

Anyway, many of my friends share my Marketplace and thrifting love – but I don’t know anyone more enthusiastic about it than my friend Nelly Reffet of Twinkle and Whistle Interior Design. (In fact, we put together this post on our fave Marketplace finds a while back). Recently Nelly shared photos of this Perth house with me – one I instantly dubbed The Marketplace House, because she and the owners styled it to sell using a LOT of thrifted Marketplace finds. And look how inviting it looks!

RUG LOVING: The rug in the living area is a beautiful Persian-like wool rug, 3m x 2m. “It’s super plush and soft, in pristine condition and it cost $250 – normally it would retail in the thousands,” says Nelly. “It took forever to get though, as the seller was difficult to reach and spoke little English. But it made the purchase almost… exotic!”

Nelly met owners Mark and Jasmin back in 2009, when they first asked Nelly for design help. Mark and Jasmin had recently bought their first home together, an ’80s house in East Cannington in need of a revamp. “Even back in those days, I loved their appetite for non-beigey interiors, and the low budget considerations made me tap into some small but efficient creative tricks to make their house shine without blowing the budget,” says Nelly.

After a full reno and a fair bit of styling, Mark and Jasmin enjoyed many years of happy memories in their sweet light-filled home. However the desire to live closer to the ocean, so the kids (and the dogs!) could roam free on sandy beaches and everyone could enjoy cooler summers, led them to move out of their first home a few years ago.

Nelly’s daughter playing with Mark and Jasmin’s kids, now her friends.

“What was their sanctuary became a rental property, and with that came a few years of sometimes neglectful tenants and inevitable house mishaps,” says Nelly. “In order to simplify their life, Jasmin and Mark decided recently it was time to sell their beloved first home, but unfortunately, the property was not quite ready for it. A fair bit of work was required before the property could be advertised, and with a pretty gloomy-looking market in Perth, they decided to furnish and style the property to maximise its overall attractiveness.”

That was when Mark and Jasmin called Nelly to the rescue again. With a budget worn thin by essential maintenance and repair work, they could not quite invest in buying or hiring new furniture. “Instead, we decided to go in full shoestring mode and source pre-loved furniture and homeware to make their house shine again,” says Nelly. “With the exception of most linen pieces, which were purchased in store, and of some of the decorative items, which are from Mark and Jasmin’s personal collection, almost everything was gathered through Facebook Marketplace, and occasionally from the verge.”

I know some people will ask, why bother furnishing and styling the home at all? – and it’s not an unreasonable question. Well, home styling, or staging, as it’s called for the real estate market, is about presenting a home to its best – showing people how a house can be lived in; and trying to get them to form an emotional attachment to a home, ideally leading to a sale. Staged homes tend to sell faster (frequently in half the average time) – and for an estimated 7 to 12 percent more than unstyled homes, so the financial benefits can be worth the work and monetary investment put into the styling. And contrary to popular notion, good home staging doesn’t have to be expensive, or just for high-end homes – which is why Perth has seen a big boom in the past ten years in property staging businesses as well as interior designers that offer staging as a service.

Nelly says Jasmin and Mark wanted their house to stand out from an already saturated property market, and colour was one of the ways to go.

“In a very competitive market, we didn’t want another grey-on-grey-on-pastel-colours house,” she says.

“We wanted a place that would be warm and personal enough to feel like a home, but not too individual, as so not to be too personal.

“Many blogs out there and real estate agents too will advise you to remove all personal belongings and to go as neutral as possible to appeal to a wider audience. I beg to disagree with that, at least partially. If you keep a mostly neutral palette on your walls and floors (so potential buyers don’t have to do any work when they move in), you can still have a little bit of fun when styling by using bright or bolder removable items, such as soft furnishings and art.” And the scouring of Marketplace began, to give this modest yet pretty home a facelift.

LIVING ROOM: The yellow sofa and its matching ottoman were $250. “These were the first pieces we bought, and they became the driving factor for the living room design,” says Nelly. “The colour was a bold choice, but the shape is not bulky so the colour doesn’t overpower the room. All other pieces were picked with that yellow couch in mind, i.e. we wanted them to tone it down and let it shine at the same time: we didn’t want strong contrasting colours or too much harsh black or white. The neutrals soften it up, while the rug – because of its texture but also style and colour, grounds the room.”

NEW BED: “The upholstered queen bed in the master bedroom was totally brand new and sold at $250!” says Nelly.

Using Marketplace to style a house often means you need to allow a bit more time to put together than a traditional styling job would, says Nelly. “As you rely on what people put up for sale, it’s not as easy as driving to a showroom and helping yourself to what you like. You have to be patient to find the right piece, quick to contact the seller, and willing, sometimes, to travel a fair distance to collect your goods. You also don’t quite know the actual condition of the item until you see it, unless there are plenty of photos.”

Each item was carefully selected so it would fit the space well, both from a layout and a style perspective. As things tend to sell quickly on Marketplace, it was sometimes frustrating to miss out on a ‘perfect’ item. “But with the high turnover of the platform, we found alternatives within days, and sometimes hours,” says Nelly.

So is it all worth the effort and the risk? Mark and Jasmin felt the cost of the styling to be worth it. “They ended up spending just under $2,000 for styling their three bedroom house – a fraction of the cost of what new furniture would have been,” says Nelly. “Their biggest (unexpected) splurge was a $150 throw bought at Adairs, which was incorrectly placed on a “Sale” shelf… they only found that out at the time of paying, and by then, they liked the throw too much to put it back!” The house sold for $20k over the agent’s initial expectations, after only eight weeks on the market – which Mark and Jasmin considered a win in their suburb and in the current market.

At this point you might be thinking, ‘Ok, so they bought a lot of furniture and then what? They sell the house and they’re stuck with a bunch of stuff they don’t need?’ Two things. One, Mark and Jasmin bought things that they either hoped to use in their new home, or that they could easily re-sell, if required.

Their biggest win: a beautifully soft and plush large Persian rug in as new condition bought from Marketplace for $250. “It would retail at around $1000 at least new in-store,” says Nelly. “Jasmin is looking forward for the house to sell, so she can bring the rug to their home pronto.

“That is one of the advantages of buying second-hand items instead of hiring furniture: the items belong to you! You are free to do what you want with them once the house has sold: sell them again or bring them home.

“Similarly, if the house doesn’t sell in the expected timeframe, you don’t need to extend a hiring contract and incur additional expenses either. It’s maximum flexibility at a limited cost.”

MORE MARKETPLACE: The grey couch was only $180, and was from just around the corner.

BEFORE. The dining room got a small facelift with a light change.

AFTER

So, if you are thinking of selling your house soon – or even if you just want to revamp your home a little �� don’t hesitate to explore Marketplace instead of hitting the shops, advises Nelly. “It can be a fun and rewarding ‘hunting and gathering’ experience, it treads lightly on our planet’s resources, you can find some unique pieces, and save some significant cash in the process. What’s not to love about that?” Maya x

NELLY’S TIPS FOR MARKETPLACE SUCCESS

1. Be reactive. If you see something you like, initiate contact with the seller fast! You can still sort out the logistics a little later. Great scores get snapped up very quickly on Marketplace so the faster you react, the more chances you have to secure the deal. Special brownie points if you offer to pick up immediately or on the day.

2. Be polite and personal. To make the buying process easier, Facebook has come up with default questions and messages you can send the sellers as a first contact. If you’re really keen on something, try not to use them. Even when communication is digital, being polite and addressing people personally often goes a long way. That doesn’t mean you have to tell your life story though, but starting your message with “Hi” and using the seller’s name may make you stand out in a sea of “Is it available?”

3. Read the ad in full. As a seller, it is infuriating to receive messages like “where are you located?” when the Marketplace ad clearly says so. Do you have time to answer questions that have already been addressed? I don’t. Most people don’t. Some ads are pretty short (or quasi-inexistent) and others more descriptive. The least you can do if you see an item you like is to read the ad in full and only ask questions that are essential and not already covered. Common sense, huh? But you’d be surprised how many people don’t go past the photo and headline!

4. Don’t mess with collection. Once again, speed is key on Marketplace. I do not encourage you to go beyond speed limits on the freeway to pick up your bargain, but you don’t want to mess around with collection. Ask the seller when it’s best for them or suggest a day and time, and stick to what’s agreed. If you don’t have a suitable car and struggle to ask a friend for their trailer or ute, hiring one is often inexpensive and fast. Or you could hire an Airtasker or other individuals who hustle as delivery drivers to do the heavy lifting for you.

5. Be open-minded and patient. The more specific you are, the more narrow your pool will be. So identify your essential criteria (for furniture, measurements are crucial!), and keep some flexibility for the rest, being brand or style, colours or materials.

6. Be patient! The beauty of Marketplace is that it is a big cycle that moves fast. People buy and sell all the time. You just have to be there when opportunity knocks at your digital door.

7. Be safe. Give someone the details of where you are going and when, and ideally bring a friend or your partner to do pick up with you if you’re feeling unsure, especially at night.

You can follow Nelly’s thrifting adventures on Instagram @nelly_reffet or visit her site at Twinkle and Whistle.

The post A House Decorated by Marketplace – and Tips for Thrifting appeared first on House Nerd.

from Home Improvement https://house-nerd.com/2020/01/23/the-marketplace-house/

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kennethherrerablog · 5 years

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How to Budget for All the New Expenses That Will Come With Your Baby

Having a baby is exciting. And overwhelming. And expensive.

Your life will change, and so will your bank account.

But while your precious little one won’t come with an instruction manual, there’s plenty you can do to prepare yourself for managing all the new costs associated with raising an infant.

Your income may stay the same — or even decline a bit if you take time off or cut back your hours when the baby comes — but with some proactive financial planning, you can find ways to cover the additional expenses you’ll face.

If only it were so simple to find more time in the day for a decent nap.

Budgeting for a Baby: How to Get Started

Babies are tiny, but they come with a bunch of needs. If you don’t have a surplus in your budget before having your baby, you’ll likely have to make some sacrifices.

A good approach is to create a new budget based on the bare-bones expenses of your family. Focus on essentials — like housing, utilities, food, transportation and medical expenses — plus the baby-related necessities, like child care, diapers, clothing and formula.

If you have room left in your budget, that’s where you can allocate money for discretionary spending, saving, investing or paying down debt.

Using a zero-based budget to determine where every dollar is going can be super helpful for a new parent. A zero-based budget will lay out exactly how much you will spend in each of your budgeting categories until all of your income is accounted for.

Nora and Shane Martin, of Palm Harbor, Florida, used a zero-based budget to keep track of expenses and help save up before having their son, Turner. They cut back on dining out, entertainment and spending on their dogs.

Nora also created a spreadsheet to identify all the baby items she thought they’d need.

“My list was ridiculous,” she said. “Like any new, first-time mom, you buy all the stuff.”

Now that they’re expecting a second child, Nora said she has a better idea of what she really needs to budget for.

Saving Money Before Your Baby Arrives

If you or your partner plan to quit a job, work fewer hours or take unpaid time off after your baby is born, create your budget now based on what your income will be in the future.

By living off one income during the pregnancy, you can build up a significant amount of savings for all those one-time expenses your new baby will require. (More on that a little later.)

To make sure you don’t stray from your budget, you may want to automate your monthly bills and switch to cash for your variable expenses like groceries or entertainment. The cash envelope method helps budgeters avoid overspending, because once you’ve spent all the cash in your envelopes, that’s it until payday.

If you find yourself in the negative when you draft up your budget, you’ll need to find ways to lower your expenses or increase your income.

To increase your income, try negotiating for a raise or picking up a temporary side gig. Purge your home of any unwanted items and sell them for extra cash.

Trim your budget down by reducing unnecessary spending like the Martins did. Call your service providers to see if you can lower your phone, internet, cable or insurance bills. You can also consolidate your debt or transfer your credit card balance to a card with 0% interest to save money fast.

You may have to sacrifice some of your financial goals when you’re a new parent. It’s smart to save money for emergencies and retirement, but that’s assuming you have a handle on your day-to-day expenses.

If you’re working on a tight budget, you may only be able to afford to make minimum debt payments or contribute just enough to your 401(k) to meet your employer’s match.

These financial sacrifices don’t have to be permanent. The first few years of a child’s life are some of the most expensive. It won’t last forever.

After time, your kid will be out of diapers and graduating preschool, and your budget will feel some relief.

Recurring Baby Costs to Include in Your Budget

If you aren’t used to caring for an infant, you might be surprised by all the expenses you’ll be adding to your budget during your child’s first years of life.

BabyCenter has a baby costs calculator to help you estimate how much you’ll spend during your baby’s first year.

But here’s a rundown of the major things you’ll need to pay for on a regular basis — along with estimates of their costs.

Feeding

Formula: If you’re formula feeding, you might spend anywhere from $50 to well over $100 per month on formula, depending on how much your baby consumes, the type of formula and the brand.

Money-saving tips: Choose a generic brand, use powdered formula instead of liquid, ask your doctor for free samples, or reach out to the formula brand for coupons or samples.

Milk storage bags: If you’re pumping and storing breast milk, you might spend about $15 to $20 for a package of 100 bags.

Money-saving tip: Pump milk directly into bottles and store in the fridge. You can store breast milk in the fridge for three to five days. You could also freeze breast milk in freezer-safe containers.

Baby food: Expect to spend between $1 and $1.50 for each jar or pouch of baby food. Once your baby starts eating solid food (around 4 to 6 months old), you could spend from $60 to $135 per month on baby food.

Money-saving tip: Make your own baby food by pureeing some of the food you already have at home.

Clothing and Diapering

Clothing: Babies grow a significant amount in their first year. About every three months, they’ll move up in size. And babies tend to soil their clothing frequently, so it’s not uncommon for them to go through a couple outfits in one day.

If you’re buying new clothes, you might spend $10 to $15 per outfit, or you can buy bodysuits for under $10. You can buy packs of baby socks for about $1 per pair.

Money-saving tips: Ask family and friends for hand-me-downs, or shop at secondhand stores. Don’t buy a bunch of newborn-sized clothes; your baby will likely outgrow those quickly. Don’t bother buying infant shoes until your baby starts walking.

Diapers: The cost of disposable diapers varies by size and brand. It’s worth noting that smaller diapers cost less, but younger babies tend to go through diapers more frequently than older babies.

If you’re changing your newborn 10 times a day, you can expect to use $30 worth of diapers each month if you’re paying 10 cents per diaper, or about $90 a month if you’re paying 30 cents per diaper.

Money-saving tips: Buy generic diapers to save money. You also get more for your money by buying in bulk, although you may not want to stock up on newborn sizes that your baby will quickly outgrow.

Cloth diapers can also save parents money over the course of their babies’ lives, but they require a large upfront investment. Cloth diapers range from $5 to more than $10 per diaper. They’re best purchased in sets. You’d probably want at least two dozen diapers on hand if you don’t plan to do laundry every single day.

Baby wipes: You could spend about $1.50 on a single pack of wipes that will last you a week, or you could drop about $15 on a bulk package that could last a few months.

Money-saving tip: Use baby washcloths in lieu of disposable wipes.

Child Care

Child care is often the most expensive recurring cost new parents face. Last year, The Penny Hoarder surveyed over 1,200 parents about their child care costs, and 82% said they spent $500 or more each month. The amount parents spent varied by the age of their child, where they live and what type of child care setting they chose.

Infant child care is typically the most expensive type of care. Parents can easily spend over $1,000 every month for infant care.

An in-home child care provider (who watches several children at their house) typically charges less than a child care center. An even more expensive option is hiring a nanny to come to your home.

Money-saving tips: Eliminating the need for child care is the most obvious way to save money — either by becoming a stay-at-home parent, working opposite shifts from your partner, or having a grandparent or loved one provide free child care.

But you can also look into child care assistance programs through the government or your employer. Child Care Aware, a nonprofit child care advocacy organization, provides information on resources available in each state.

You could also reduce the cost of child care by bringing your baby to work, sharing a nanny with another family, or putting your child in the care of students training to become early childhood educators.

Other Expenses

Medical costs: Check with your employer to find out how much your health insurance premiums will increase by adding a child to your policy. Save room in your budget for doctor’s office copays every couple months as your baby fights illnesses or develops rashes. You can also expect to spend about $10 on vitamins every few months.

Money-saving tip: Take your baby to all scheduled well visit checkups so your doctor can assess the baby’s growth, make sure your infant is healthy and administer vaccinations.

Since these checkups are considered preventative care, you likely won’t have a copay.

Life insurance premiums: As a new parent, you should get a life insurance policy if you don’t have one already. You could pay as little as $30 per month for $1 million in coverage.

Money-saving tip: Get quotes from multiple insurance providers to compare costs.

Save Money for These One-Time Baby Purchases

In addition to all the ongoing costs you’ll be dealing with as a new parent, there will be a slew of one-time purchases you’ll need to make.

One great way to save on baby gear is to throw a baby shower. Fill your baby registry with essential, practical items — plus all the goodies you think would be nice to have.

After the baby shower, take inventory of the things you still need. See what you can get secondhand from garage sales, thrift stores, online marketplaces, friends, family or neighbors. Determine what you need immediately, like a car seat, and what you can buy a few months down the line, like a high chair.

As you’re buying things to prepare for the new baby, try not to get swept up in the preciousness of all the little things. They might be so incredibly adorable, but going into debt from overspending isn’t cute.

Furniture

Cribs: You can expect to spend between $150 and $400 on a good crib. Many parents opt for buying a new crib, because used cribs may not adhere to the latest safety standards. But many cribs on the market today convert into toddler beds — with some also converting into day beds and full-size beds.

That allows you to get many years of use out of this piece of baby furniture.

Crib mattress: Those cribs need a tiny mattress for your little one to rest on. You can expect to spend about $50 to $100 on a decent crib mattress.

Crib sheets: You can find fitted crib sheets for less than $20. You can also find a crib mattress pad or mattress protector for about the same price.

It’s good to have a few spare sheets and mattress covers on hand. The amount you’ll need will depend on how frequently you plan to wash them — and how messy your baby will be.

Safety gear: You could spend $20 or more on safety gear, depending on how many cabinets you need to lock, how many plugs you need to cover, or how much furniture you need to anchor to keep your baby safe.

Cleaning and Grooming

Bath gear: You can snag an infant tub for around $20 to $30. Baby washcloths can be purchased in sets at less than $1 per washcloth. You can find baby towels for less than $10, or purchase them in sets for an even better deal.

Baby grooming kit: A kit with items such as a brush, comb, nail clipper, nasal aspirator and thermometer can cost between $10 and $20.

Travel Gear

Car seat: You can expect to spend between $50 and $300 on a car seat. As with cribs, it is recommended that parents buy this new rather than used due to safety standards.

You could choose to buy an infant seat, which is easily portable, designed to be rear-facing and can often connect to a stroller system. These will be good for the baby’s first year or two.

Or, you could buy a convertible seat. These are larger and not easily portable but made to convert from rear-facing to forward-facing so that a child can get more years of use out of the seat. Some even convert to booster seats.

Stroller: Many strollers (or travel systems that include an infant car seat) range between $100 to $400, though you can purchase a lightweight umbrella stroller for under $20 for babies who can sit up independently.

Diaper bag: You can spend from $20 to $85 on a diaper bag. Some diaper bags are designed to be carried on the shoulder, while others have straps like a backpack.

Feeding

Bottles: A pack of three bottles will cost between $5 and $20. The amount of bottles you need will depend on how frequently you bottle-feed and how often you plan to wash your bottles. Newborns will need to be fed every couple of hours.

Breast pump: A manual breast pump could cost around $30, while an electric breast pump might cost between $100 and $200. However, your health insurance plan may cover the cost.

Bibs: Bibs can be purchased in packs for about $1 per bib. Babies can make a big mess when they eat, so it’s good to have several bibs on hand.

Extras

Bouncers, swings or rockers: These motion seats for babies can range from $30 to $200 each.

Portable play yard: You can spend between $50 and $250 on a portable play yard.

High chair: You could spend up to $100 or more on a high chair, or purchase a booster seat that attaches to your dining room chair for $20 to $30.

Baby monitor: A baby monitor can range from less than $40 for an audio monitor to over $200 for a high-tech video monitor.

Bassinet: You can buy a baby bassinet for $50 to $100..

Pacifiers: Pacifiers usually cost a couple dollars each.

Teethers: You can purchase teethers for $5 to $10.

Toys: Toys vary in style, age range and, of course, price.

You can purchase baby toys for under $10, while others cost over $50.

Nicole Dow is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s a thrifty mom who embraced hand-me-downs, breastfeeding and a minimalist approach to baby gear. She also experimented with cloth diapering and homemade baby food.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

How to Budget for All the New Expenses That Will Come With Your Baby published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

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merlinficreview · 7 years

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The Student Prince: Chapter 1-5 Review!

Sorry it’s been 84 years since Romeo or I have posted anything. Romeo is back to school for the semester so her time is limited and work has been really draining on me recently. Never fear, we are still here though and I’ve got a review!

The Student Prince by FayJay

Word Count: 145222

Ok guys, this is it. The infamous Student Prince fic. I have read this one before and I liked it because it seems to be the closest fic I’ve found to a modernized version of the BBC show. Plus, as I’ve already said before, I am a sucker for Modern Royalty AUs. This fic also takes place at the University of St. Andrews, which I know nothing about. So google will be my trusty friend throughout this review.

Here we go!

Chapter 1

We begin with Merlin getting hit in the face with some luggage and falling onto some poor elderly lady. Merlin has to maintain an extra sense of control when objects are flying towards his face because he has magic and doesn’t want to out himself. Yay Modern Day Magic Fic!

So it turns out the luggage situation was someone else’s fault. “She glanced from Merlin to the lady and then back again, her face the picture of mortification, and Merlin – who had been feeling a little disgruntled about the whole unexpected-rain-of-luggage scenario – took one look at her huge brown eyes and immediately wanted to reassure her that he had thoroughly enjoyed being knocked half unconscious.” Haha, aww.

The luggage canon introduces herself as Gwen. Yay, Gwen! She is studying engineering at St. Andrews. I think it’s weird that Gwen already has all her textbooks. Have they already signed up for their classes? How would she know what to buy?

Gwen tells Merlin she also has a hammer in her bag. "’Of course there is,’ nodded Merlin, gravely. ‘Who travels without a hammer in their luggage these days? One never knows when a spot of joinery might be in order.’ The corner of his mouth twitched. ‘Stop!’ he said, raising one hand in front of him. Gwen blinked, and after a beat Merlin added: ‘Hammer Time! Dooo doodoodoo! Doodoo! Doo! Hammer Time!’ as he improvised a quick, and truly terrible, attempt at the Hammer Dance in the cramped confines of the aisle.’”

Oh my God. How embarrassing. Stop it, Merlin. Then Gwen tells Merlin that she makes her own jewelry and Merlin is super impressed. Merlin even does the dance a second time and I want to crawl in a hole and die from secondhand embarrassment. Merlin, you JUST met Gwen. Calm yourself.

“’Hey, it's not really Merlin, is it?’ Gwen asked, looking at him sidelong. ‘I mean – really really? You're pulling my leg, right? I mean – nobody's called Merlin. Why would any woman name her baby after an old man with a long white beard and a pointy hat? It's like calling your baby Gandalf.’” This is the second time Gwen has awkwardly expressed disbelief about Merlin’s name. Stop being weirdly obsessed with his name, Gwen. How fucking rude. Poor Merlin. Getting assaulted by luggage and then getting his name made fun of. Good start to college, Merlin. Good start.

Then Gwen points out that Prince Arthur is also going to be attending St. Andrews and she says Merlin and Arthur will become besties. Merlin points out that her name is Guinevere and that she’ll be future queen.

"’That isn't why I applied there,’ she insisted. ‘I mean, I know that there must be thousands of girls who filled in their UCAS forms with St Andrews just because they're living some kind of stupid “Princess Diaries” fantasy and they think they're going to meet him and he'll fall for them and they'll end up with a tiara and a load of corgis, but I'm serious about my career. St Andrews has an excellent engineering department. I was going to apply there long before I heard that's where Arthur was going.’”

But that’s not the plot of The Princess Diaries at all?

I also have the St. Andrews website pulled up because like I said, I know nothing about it, or going to school in the UK, to be honest, and it doesn’t even look like St. Andrews has an engineering department. Man, Gwen is going to be pissed when she finds out she spent all her money on textbooks for a degree her school doesn’t offer.

Then Gwen tells us how King Uther met his wife while they were at Oxford once upon a time. "It's such a beautiful story, isn't it? The way they met at Oxford when she borrowed his jar of Gold Blend, not even realising he was the Prince of Wales at first because he was in the middle of shaving and she was distracted by her friend's dog...oh, they were so in love!" Gold Blend is coffee, by the way. I had to google it too. In what situation would a man be shaving his face next to a container of instant coffee while a random dog is nearby? That’s such an odd scene to imagine. Maybe she knocked in his door to borrow the coffee and she had the dog with her? Were there co-ed dormitories back then?

Merlin is just as suspicious about this story as I am and pops Gwen’s bubble, telling her it was most likely PR. I agree.

"Merlin shook his head mutely, and carefully didn't mention any of the books or magazines he might possibly have read about Prince Arthur and his family. Especially not the outrageously hot photoshoot in GQ magazine that he'd been hiding under his bed for the past three months, and frantically jerking off to most nights. Nope, definitely not mentioning that. Gwen rolled her eyes. ‘Uther and Igraine – it's like a modern day Romeo and Juliet!’" First of all, 100% do not mention that to Gwen. Good decision. Second of all, Gwen has a really hard time grasping plots, doesn’t she? No wonder she decided to major in a non-existent department at her university. She’s not a very bright girl.

We then learn that Merlin is planning to major in physics. That is a department at St. Andrews, good job, Merlin! Then Gwen compares their journey to Hogwarts. “He found himself wishing he could explain about Professor Gaius and Doctor Nimueh, and about the kind of text books he had stuffed into the bottom of his rucksack – but that wasn't going to happen. Magic was secret, and secret it should stay. Nobody wanted to go back to the days of witchburnings.” Poor Merlin. It’s always so sad that he has to hide himself. I will also give him a pass for already having magic books because that’s different.

Gwen and Merlin talk a little more about Harry Potter and then go right back to talking about Arthur and how they’ll probably never meet him. Well…

Then Merlin gets real depressing real fast. "Whatever. All those posh interbred types with more rooms than they know what to do with and flocks of sheep wandering around on their enormous ancient estates - that's who he'll be hanging out with. Not with a physics student from a grotty little council estate in Cardiff, or an engineering student – however lovely – who lives above her dad's garage in Wembley. Face it – we don't have our own flocks of sheep." Brutal Honesty Hour! It’s my favorite time of day!

Merlin then shares some chocolate with Gwen and they enjoy the rest of their train ride.

Chapter 2

“The door was open a crack when Merlin reached his room in St Salvator's Hall, and he could hear voices inside, and what sounded rather a lot like The Rolling Stones.” I looked up St. Salvator’s Hall and holy crap those rooms are nice. According to the photos, the rooms are like twice as big as the dorm rooms of the university I went to. I also decided to compare prices, for funsies, and also to sit and cry about how much more ridiculously expensive it is to go to university here than in other countries. The fee for a shared room at St. Salvator’s Hall is £5,837 which includes a meal plan. That’s 6292.55 USD for comparison. At the University that I went to, a shared room with communal bath is 6,795 USD. This does not include a meal plan which could add up to around 800 USD if you pick the one with the most meals. Those rates are also per semester and not for the entire academic year. Now, St. Salvator’s rate does not state whether the fee is per semester or for the whole year but either way, it’s still way more expensive here in the US. It also looks like St. Salvator Hall doesn’t have communal bathrooms like the one located here that I looked up. Yay not affordable education here in the US!

Anyways, Merlin enters the room and his roommate is none other than the Prince of Wales himself, Arthur. Oh my god. I NEVER saw that one coming!

“’Only – I thought – well, I pretty much assumed that you'd be staying over at New Hall. Where they have single rooms. And ensuites with all the mod cons,’ blurted Merlin. ‘Not sharing a room in Sally's. Why are you sharing a room in Sally's?’ Arthur frowned. ‘Because I lost a bet, if you must know. With my father.’ He stared at Merlin, looking puzzled and a touch irritated. ‘You weren't expecting this, then? They didn't get you to sign things – Official Secrets Act, all that?’” I think that’s a fair question Merlin is asking and I also want to know what sort of bet Arthur lost. How fucking awkward that no one alerted Merlin to who his roommate was supposed to be. Don’t they give out roommate names before the semester starts?

So then Arthur gets bitchy that Merlin hasn’t signed a non-disclosure agreement. “Well – sorry if this sounds, you know, rude, but basically if you touch any of my stuff, or take photos of me or my friends, or tape conversations, or sell your story to the press, or – basically, if you act like a dick, right? Well, we're talking Tower of London, pretty much. That's the Cliff Notes version.”

Calm the fuck down, Arthur. Throwing Merlin in the tower for borrowing your history book is way too excessive. So then Merlin asks if he can make a citizen’s arrest if Arthur does any the aforementioned things to Merlin. Good job, Merlin. Arthur is a complete asshole about that, acting like Merlin’s stuff is grosser than the stuff on the bottom on Arthur’s shoes and tells Merlin he will replace anything he ruins with something of “equal value.” "’Like a stick of gum,’ murmured Kay, sniggering.” Yeah, be prepared to really really fucking hate Kay in this. "’I can see why you have to swear people to secrecy, if this is how you act when you're not around a reporter,’ blurted out Merlin, feeling cheated. ‘You really are a massive prat, aren't you? A smug, self-entitled, patronising git.’” Yassssss. You tell him, Merlin.

Arthur and his friends leave and then Merlin goes to find Gaius. We learn a little about the School of Sorcery. This School can be found in every single building on campus, one just has to find the special door with a dragon on it. Merlin finds the door located in his residence hall. Of course the dragon on the door talks to Merlin, "’Young Merlin!’ it said, in a voice like a rusty gate, blinking sulphurous eyes impossibly as it writhed through the wood like an eel in water. ‘Back so soon?’ ‘What?’ Merlin stared at it. ‘I haven't – this is my first time here, Master Dragon.’” So we get a little hint of reincarnation.

Merlin finds Gaius who tries to shoo him away until Merlin gives him his name. Gaius changes his tune after that and tells Merlin he knew his father. The first thing Merlin does is complain about sharing a room with Prince Arthur. He says it will make it too hard to hide his magic. “Gaius blinked at him owlishly. ‘Then I suggest that you learn some discretion, young man, and quickly,’ he said.’” That is such an annoying adult thing to say. What a non-answer. Poor Merlin. Gaius tells Merlin he is supposed to be rooming with Arthur so he can protect him and that wizards have always protected kings and queens. Merlin is unhappy with this news.

Chapter 3

This chapter opens with:

“Hey, Gwen – how's McIntosh Hall?

Brilliant! How's Sallies?

View good, mattress soft, roommate total plonker. Yours?

She seems OK. Sorry you got plonker. Want to meet later & go to Union together?

God, yes please!” It’s written just like that (italics represent direct quotes and bold represents italics within the fic. You know the drill). I assume they are texting.

Anyways: “It was the tail-end of summer, but apparently that meant something rather different on the East coast of Scotland than it did in Wales, and by the time Merlin got to Gwen's Hall of Residence he was wishing he'd brought a coat, rather than just pulling on a black v-neck jumper.” Does Merlin not know how to read a map, or?

Like… I know the UK is small compared to the US but he can’t really be that surprised that the Northern part of the UK is colder than the Southern part. There’s almost 500 miles in between Cardiff and St. Andrews. I’m glad Merlin isn’t majoring in geography.

So Merlin meets up with Gwen outside her residence hall where she has acquired a gentleman caller. It’s probably Lance. Merlin and Gwen hug. “’Hey, you,’ he said into her hair, feeling something in his chest tighten unexpectedly. ‘I missed you.’”

Calm down, Merlin. You’ve known her for thirty seconds and only been away for her for three of those.

Lance is not happy with Merlin’s presence. “’Hi, Lance,’ he said, ducking his head in Lance's general direction. Lance smiled back – or at least, he bared his teeth, which was almost the same thing. Merlin had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. ‘Hi,’ said Lance reaching out a hand that Merlin rather suspected was going to be bone-crushing. He let go of Gwen and accepted the handshake, and managed not to buckle under the pressure of Lance's Very Manly Indeed deathgrip of macho posturing.” LOL HOW HILARIOUS. Men treating women like objects and prizes to be won. Real knee slapper, that joke.

Gwen tells Merlin that Lance is going to be her Academic Dad and then informs us that there’s only 8 weeks until Raisin Weekend. Thanks, Exposition Gwen! So I also googled this Academic Family business since that’s not a thing we have here. So, basically an Academic Mum and Academic Dad are like mentors for first year students and freshmen are allowed to ask for someone to be their Academic Mother but the Academic Dad has to do the asking to the freshmen. So it makes no sense that Gwen was so shocked about Lance asking her. Whatever. Raisin Weekend is basically just an excuse to drink excessively with your Academic Parents and dress up in costumes that Monday and have shaving cream fights. Typical college nonsense.

“’Well, if I'd known they were giving away hot blokes with every room, I'd definitely have put my name down for McIntosh Hall.’ Lance made a startled noise, and his territorial expression shifted rather quickly into something entirely different and almost maiden auntish as Gwen punched Merlin's arm.” Get it, because Gay Merlin is no longer a threat to Lance chasing after Gwen. No one tell Lance bisexual people exist. I think his head would explode. No, you know what? Someone should tell him. He’s an asshole.

“Lance gave her a slightly sheepish grin. ‘It's okay,’ he said. ‘I'll be your designated driver – I'm not big on the alcohol.’ ‘I don't need a designated driver,’ said Gwen, looking at him sidelong. ‘It's a three minute walk! It would take longer to get a car started than it would to get there!’ ‘Right – well, designated guard dog, then. Or knight in shining armour, or guardian angel, or overprotective Dad – whatever you want to call it. I don't drink, so, you know – I'll make sure you're okay. Promise.’”

Oh my God. Slow your fucking roll and let her do what she wants. She’s not some poor defenseless damsel in distress.

Lance gives off an extreme sense of superiority in this fic. He’s a Buddhist, doesn’t drink, volunteers all over the fucking place as Professional Knight in Shining armor and he’s vegan. “’My Dad disapproves of the veganism,’ he admitted, sheepishly. ‘But it's not so hard, really. It feels good, knowing who I am, and what I want out of life. Being mindful in all things.’” Be more pretentious, Lance. Really, I want to see if you can top all of that.

“Merlin studied Lance, trying not to be too damned obvious about it. He wasn't at all sure if this guy was for real, or if he was playing some kind of elaborate joke, with all this holier-than-thou schtick. There was a disconcerting intensity to the man. Merlin wanted to like him, but he wasn't at all sure what to make of him. He did seem a bit too good to be true.” See, Merlin knows.

Oh and Lance is going to teach Gwen kickboxing. He has classes on Wednesday. Of course he does. Merlin is not into it, especially after meeting one of Lance’s students, Elaine. “Merlin looked at her biceps and swallowed. ‘Yeah – no thanks,’ he said, with a watery grin. ‘I've got a suspicion she'd crush me like a bug.’” Mostly I just included this because I wanted to talk about the phrase, “watery grin.” I see this ALL THE TIME in fanfic and it drives me crazy. What the fuck is a “watery grin?” If your smile is “watery,” swallow your fucking spit. That’s disgusting.

“Gwen bit her lip and glanced up at them. ‘Would you hate me forever if I left you for five minutes?’ she asked. ‘I need the ladies' room. I know I should have gone before we left, but I was caught up talking, and I didn't get around to it. Can you wait for me?’ ‘Until the stars fall from the sky,’ said Lance, bowing with an elaborate flourish that made Gwen roll her eyes.”

I don’t even have a response to this bullshit.

So Gwen goes to the bathroom and Merlin does his, “hurt her and I’ll kill you,” speech to Lance and afterwards they become friends and Lance offers to be Merlin’s Academic Dad.

When Gwen comes back she is absolutely flipping her shit because she saw Arthur. “’ComeOnComeOnComeOnComeOn!’ she said in a singsong voice. ‘You should see him! He's sitting at a table! Drinking a beer!’” Yes, let’s all go and gawk at him like an animal in the zoo. Gwen and Lance are being really annoying so far.

So Merlin tells Gwen that Arthur is his roommate and that he’s an asshole. He then requests that they not go stare at him like total creepers. Gwen is not happy. “He looked at Gwen and sighed. ‘Look, I promise that you'll get to see him again. In fact I'll text you when he's in the room, so you'll know when's a good time to swing by and visit me in Sally's and meet him properly. I'm sure he'd love to pose for a photo with you, and give you his signature, and all that kind of meet'n'greet thing.’” Ok, Merlin. This shit is why Arthur already doesn’t like you. No inviting people over to stalk your roommate and make promises on his behalf. Stop it.

They all go dance and Merlin makes a fool of himself doing the hammer dance, covered in glitter, wearing DIY hammer dance pants (I don’t know) that he got from… somewhere. Arthur stares at him and Merlin falls off the stage.

Chapter 4

Merlin wonders how many other sorcerers are at St. Andrews and we learn that he is there on scholarship. Must be nice. My poor loan debt ass is going to be paying for the two years I spent in nursing school for like ten years. Cheers.

Merlin hears Gwen laughing, “He spotted her over on the other side of the room, in front of a table advertising the St Andrews Fencing Society.” Gwen? Fencing? I mean, I guess. Why not? She’ll have a lot of time on her hands when she realizes the major she’s chosen doesn’t exist at that school. Gwen is with her roommate, Sophia.

“With that thought in mind, he marched purposefully over to the rainbow-festooned table advertising the St Andrews LGBT Society in cheery glittering letters. ‘Sign me up,’ he said, firmly, grinning at a bald girl with enough silver in her various cavities to sink a small ship. ‘I'm a card-carrying friend of Dorothy, and I'm gagging for a shag.’” What a colorful way to introduce yourself, Merlin.

Merlin stops in the middle of registering for his LGBT club to fantasize about Arthur. As you do. “’Oh, marvellous,’ said a faintly familiar voice behind him, rippling with laughter. ‘Oh, that's just perfect. Does Arthur know yet?’” The person is Morgana, “’Er...?’ he said, trying to think where he knew her from. ‘Sorry, are you talking to me?’ ‘He doesn't, does he? There'd have been even more bitching and whining if he did,’ she said, decisively. ‘Oh, this is going to be good.’” Get it? Because Arthur’s homophobia is such a hilarious joke and it’s going to be SO LAUGHABLE when he finds out his roommate is gay.

Merlin goes out for coffee with Morgana, who I do like in this fic minus her laughing at Merlin’s sexual orientation in the previous scene. Morgana asks Merlin if he is in to Arthur. “He's an insufferable, rude, arrogant, overprivileged berk, and I wouldn't suck his cock if he was the last man on earth and he was paying me, so there!” Me thinks the man doth protest too much.

“Fine. We won't talk about how much you want to get into my cousin's royal boxer shorts. So – magic!” Morgana gives no fucks. I like that about her. Merlin freaks out because you can’t just go talking about magic all willy nilly like that. Merlin insists on calling magic “macramé,” but Morgana is having none of it. They decided that their cover story for being so familiar with one another is that they have played World of Warcraft for years and are finally meeting in person. Sure. We also learn that Morgana is studying Art History. Good job, Morgana. That is also a subject that St. Andrews provides.

“’Now then – word on the street is that you might actually be worthy of that remarkable name.’ She took a long, thoughtful drag, and Merlin watched blue curls of smoke snake out of her nostrils like she was some kind of very small, elegant dragon. ‘Is it true that you changed the seasons?’ she asked. ‘No!’ Merlin said. ‘Or at least – well, not on purpose.’” Yikes, Merlin. I guess Merlin was 10 and throwing a tantrum about cherries not being in season so he changed the season from winter to summer. He also summoned a kracken when he was 12 years old on a school field trip. Poor Hunith having to deal with Merlin. He sounds like an insufferable child.

They then proceed to get drunk and Morgana becomes Merlin’s Academic Mother thingy. Merlin gets Morgana to be Gwen’s as well.

Chapter 5

Merlin gets back to his dorm and Arthur is there. Arthur apologizes to Merlin and suggests they start over. Arthur then realizes that Merlin is drunk. Merlin drunkenly tells Arthur that he is friends with Morgana and they were drinking together and that she is now Merlin’s Academic Mother. Turns out she is also Arthur’s. Who didn’t see that one coming? Arthur admits that he looked Merlin up and knows a lot of stuff about him. Merlin says stuff he shouldn’t say, basically admitting he is a sorcerer and he finds Arthur hot and Arthur doesn’t pick up on any of it. Arthur is stupid.

Merlin starts to fall asleep on the floor and Arthur can’t have that, for platonic friend reasons, and so he gets Merlin into bed and decides to help him drink water and take some pain killers. “There was an uncertain space of time, and then Merlin was being manhandled upright by someone warm and shirtless, who smelled good. Merlin knew he smelled good because he was slumped bonelessly with his nose pressed into the hollow of a freshly-washed collarbone. Because it seemed like a good idea, he licked it, and made a small appreciative sound, and then tried a gentle bite. The owner of the collarbone gave a startled hiss, and flinched away, but didn't drop him; and the voice, when it came again, was decidedly hoarse.”

See, Arthur is fucking stupid. If a friend/someone I wasn’t into randomly bit and licked my chest, drunk or not, I would be like, “yo, that’s not cool.” Because that’s not something someone does with their platonic friend.

When Merlin wakes up, “Another thought wandered idly through his brain, and he was faintly aware that it was significant: he wasn't alone. He was, in fact, wrapped around somebody else in the manner of an affectionate baby octopus, one leg tangled between theirs, one arm hooked firmly around a neat naked waist and his mouth pressed damply into the warm, soft-sharp curve of a shoulder blade.” Arthur is awake too, “Do you have any idea of how much fun and frivolity I could have been having last night, while you were busy cutting off the circulation in my limbs? I'll have you know I was going to have a fantastic evening.”

Umm… you made the choice to stay behind and spend the night cuddling your roommate, Arthur. You could have shoved him over if you wanted to.

Merlin and Arthur go get breakfast together. Merlin texts Gwen to tell her about Morgana being their Academic Mother and that she is also Arthur’s. Gwen freaks the fuck out.

That’s it for this review. It’s a decent set-up to the fic. We get to know a little bit about Merlin and how powerful he is. We also have a rough start to the Arthur/Merlin friendship but then it’s nice to see Arthur actually own up to his shit and apologize to Merlin. Arthur is stupid for not realizing how into him Merlin is. Gwen and Lance have been pretty annoying so far and if I remember correctly, they continue to be insufferable for the majority of this fic because their “will they won’t they” cliché set-up is stupid.

Until next time

#merlin #bbc merlin #merlin fic #review #the student prince #modern royalty au #Merlin has magic #arthur is dumb #gwen and lance are annoying

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anneedmonsonus · 5 years

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What I’d Buy on Facebook Marketplace Today (If I Wasn’t Broke)

I was a teenager the first time someone told me I had an addictive personality. “Oh!” I said brightly, flattered. “Meaning people find me addictive?” I was picturing myself as this alluring, magnetic creature. “NO,” they shot back rudely. “It just means that you get addicted to things very fast.”

It wasn’t the last time anyone said that to me, and I have to admit, they have all been correct. When I start getting addicted to ANYTHING, I feel this pentup, excited, nervous energy coursing through my blood, like there is a happy little person is in my brain hopping up and down on the spot shouting more more more “MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE OF THIS”. It’s at the back of my mind always. (So many examples. The Sims. Chalk paint. Jamaica Blue walnut brownies. Marie Kondo. The other night, when Mr Nerd taught me how to play Blackjack, then dragged me away from the table once my eyes got the crazy gleam. Forbrydelsen. Work. Pinterest. Manhattan Nest. Words with Friends. Coffee. SNES Battle. etc).

One of my latest addictions is Facebook Marketplace. (“MORE MORE MORE,” shrieks my inner crazy). It’s like Gumtree but better, to be honest. Firstly, a lot of things in the homewares realm tend to be priced cheaper than they would on Gumtree, with some people just offloading stuff for very little or even free. Also, with the ability to check out a seller’s public profile, I like to think you have a lesser chance of going out to a stranger’s house and them being an axe-wielding maniac (I hope).

Similar to image-sharing platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, Marketplace is predominantly image-focused, making it more visually pleasing and fun to browse. This is a feature that I also think makes it pretty effective if you want to make a sale. One of my friends was telling me how she listed three items on Gumtree for a week with no bites; on Facebook Marketplace they were gone within the day, one within 20 minutes.

While I think the userface could be improved in some ways, on the whole Facebook Marketplace is great – particularly if you’re decorating a house. There are so many furniture and homewares bargains to be had. Sure, some of it has that scary “did someone die in this armchair” vibe, but it’s all about envisioning (and maybe re-upholstering).

There’s a LOT of cool secondhand furniture, art and homewares – and a lot of bargains. Especially at the moment, with a whole lot of people going KonMari-mad after binge-watching Marie Kondo’s Netflix show Tidying Up during the New Year break. (You might have seen my Instagram, I definitely went a little Konmari nutty). Something might not spark joy for you; but it sure as hell can spark joy for someone else browsing Facebook Marketplace.

HOWEVER. We now have a six-month-old in our midst and I’m only working part-time (essentially in naps and at night, ugh. Which as you can imagine isn’t the most conducive set-up).

Ok, so I’m not exactly broke (that was me getting your attention with my click-baity title, and you’re here so clearly I succeeded) however, we are pretty much a one-income family at the moment and are trying to be more careful with our spending, so we’re on a bit of a budget. Also, to be honest, I have everything I want, really. Our not-huge house is full; I wouldn’t mind swapping Mr Nerd’s bedside table for one with more storage, but at present, furniture-wise there’s really nothing I neeeeed.

That doesn’t mean, however, that it isn’t fun to just look! Sometimes even when I’m just on Facebook, things on Marketplace pop up on my feed and I can’t resist an idle browse; the same way I scroll realestate.com without the aim of buying a weatherboard cottage in the Blue Mountains.

One of my friends who shares my fondness for online bargain hunting is Nelly Reffet, an interior designer at Twinkle and Whistle. Nelly’s signature style of interiors caught my eye long ago when I first saw them online – what I liked about them is that she relishes the challenge of finding vintage and secondhand things and making them work, in both her own home and her clients.

And man, Nelly is the Facebook Marketplace QUEEN. She regularly texts me things like, “Look at this *insert any covetable MCM design* chair/table I got from Facebook Marketplace.” I gape in awe. “FOR FREE,” she continues. “Master,” I moan.

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She also puts my bargain hunting to shame. When I text her things I like, she’s usually like, “It’s pretty! But too expensive.” She is the Facebook Marketplace equivalent of that friend everyone has where you them what they thought of that guy you liked and she’d be like, “Yeaaaah…… you can do better.” Brutal.

So when I thought of writing a fun story on things I’d buy on Facebook Marketplace if I wasn’t on a budget and had a few big houses to decorate, naturally asking Nelly to join in was the second thing that came to mind. She was keen. “What I like is that we can show people that we can get super cool-looking interiors without breaking the bank, without resorting to Kmart or big stores, and we recycle things too, so it’s much better for the environment,” she said to me. “Plus, people are Marie Kondo-ing their lives, and Facebook market is becoming the source of all good things that spark joy!”

So here’s our pick of what’s out on the Perth Facebook Marketplace at the moment – what we’d nab, and also, Nelly’s awesome guides on how she’d style some pieces and in what kind of setting to get a great look for less. “Certain items are more than we would personally pay – but they are beautiful and were available at the time of putting this together,” says Nelly. “But I always think when it comes to buying secondhand online, the best deals are usually made by being patient. I set myself a price I don’t want to go over, and I wait… the concept of Slow Decorating is key to cheap deals!”

So here are our picks! Look, Nelly doesn’t agree with all of mine, but hey, one person’s trash is another’s treasure, right? Enjoy.

(Also, if you’re looking for an interior designer to help you pull your own curated, individual look together, I recommend Nelly regularly. You can contact her via twinkleandwhistle.com or check out her Insta @nelly_reffet).

VINTAGE WARDROBE

The item that sparked this post. I so badly wanted this linen cupboard. And it’s $20. Do I have any room for it, anywhere? No. Do I need it? No. Do I love it? Yes. It’s such a pretty shape and colour. I could see it in a children’s room.

MID CENTURY HABITAT DESK

Oh I love this. And what I love about it is that the light rattan sides and back would help disguise any ugly under-desk computer stuff, cords etc, but they don’t weigh the piece down and make it look heavy. If your study/home office is open-plan with the rest of the house, it’s a desk that would add to your home’s style, not detract from it. It’s beautiful and $450 is decent for something like this.

VINTAGE CANE CHAIR

I think this is cute. It’s a nice cane, not a yucky blah orange-y cane. I see it in a bedroom with a little white fluffy throw against crisp white walls, or with a colourful pillow and an oversized plant or a little mother-in-laws tongue. OR I’d have it outside on a (protected) deck with a little side table. I’d also reupholster the pink cushion. Nelly thinks it is too expensive, but she is brutal.

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INTERIORS THEME: BOHO CHIC

“Think plush, weathered sofas you want to collapse in, bold patterns and a few shimmering touches for a casual and fun place to call home,” says Nelly, who loves the vibe travertine tables like these add to a room. “Real marble and travertine will never go totally out of fashion,” she says. “If they do, don’t worry, they will still remain cool!”

GET THE LOOK Sofa Coffee Table Rug (as an aside, Marketplace can be a great place to find beautiful secondhand rugs) Metal Bowls Hanging decor

Total budget: $1,710

VINTAGE DRINKS TROLLEY

I love a drinks trolley or a butler’s cart and I would have one in every room if I could. This one has a sort of daintiness about it that is quite pretty. I’d restore it or maybe even paint. (Is that bad?)

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RUSSELL WOODARD SPUN FIBREGLASS VINTAGE CHAIRS

At $275, they’re not such a bargain that I’d cry tears of joy, however, it’s worth it. For a) these chairs are stunning and b) They look like they are in great nick, and c) for that price you could buy two new chairs or two awesome vintage pieces that you could sell again down the track without them losing their value. They’d look so good on a patio or veranda against an old rendered wall or in a black/white/themed garden setting.

INTERIORS THEME: AUSTRALIANA

Here’s a nod to a more simple life in our country. “We’re so globally focused these days that we forget the natural beauty Australia has to offer and how inspiring its landscapes and colours are,” says Nelly, who is French-born but now an Australian citizen. The kangaroo chairs are a little kitschy, but cute in their own way. We can picture one of them in a kids room at a cute desk (see the school desk coming up). Inspiration source.

GET THE LOOK Watercolour Wardrobe Chairs Basket

Total budget: $180

FREEDOM ATLAS SOFA

I cannot go past beautiful brown or camel-coloured leather couches. My sister-in-law has this Freedom couch and it is such a nice modern shape and is also long and comfy enough to have been the recipient of many a nap. $1500 is a decent price too.

ANTIQUE 1904 LONDON MARBLE TABLE

This is expensive (for Facebook Marketplace) but it IS a beautiful piece and it looks like it’s in great nick. If you had an old house and a large kitchen it would work in there or even in a large hallway as a very pretty drop zone.

OLD PAINTINGS

My love of an old painting knows no bounds, it appears. My husband would hate them, but these are cute, and c’mon, $5, people. I think I’m drawn to paintings because at one point you can tell that someone put so much time and love into them. I think my fave is the one of the mountains with the haphazard-looking cabin and the unnaturally blue water.

REGENCY STYLE BUFFET SIDEBOARD

From what I can tell in the photos, this looks in good nick, although they say it is veneer. I do love walnut anything though – it’s such a nice versatile timber colour and I love the front detailing on this, and the legs. I’d have it in a dining room or even behind a sofa or against a wall in a really large living room.

VINTAGE FLIP SCHOOL TABLE

A nice easy DIY project (sand the top, sage green or duck egg blue legs?) and in a kids room – if our kids room were larger I would nab this.

INTERIORS THEME: DESIGNER-INSPIRED

Nelly and I share a massive design crush on Arent & Pyke. Seriously, they can do no wrong. Everything they do is individual and eclectic yet cool and pulled-together. They are not afraid of colour, or taking risks that I think a lot of people – even other designers – would be afraid of. “When I first saw their Bronte beach house, I fell massively in love with the living room they had created, and it’s been haunting my visual brain – in the best way possible – ever since,” says Nelly. “So when I stumbled across a FREE armchair on Marketplace the other day that vaguely resembles that grey beauty in their design, my heart raced a little bit. Oh the opportunity! Sure the free armchair will need to be reupholstered (which is lucky for me since my hubby is an upholsterer and is just about to start his business and needs a few pieces to redo to get his portfolio started), and it is not the same as the beautiful designer one from Arent & Pyke. But still, it is testament that we can get a bit of a designer look, on a budget, without resorting to flat pack and Kmart.”

GET THE LOOK Armchair Sideboard Rug Vintage chandelier Artwork

Total budget: $995

BOOK SHELF

Simply put, seller. You call a spade a spade. I like it. And sure, this book shelf is simple and basic, but something about the top is cute, and it’s $10. I’d buy this in a second, give it a bit of paint (I’m thinking spearmint or yellow, something fun) and use it in a kids room or hallway with a cute trailing plant on the top. I used to collect bookcases the way some people collect shoes. When I moved out of homeI realised I had nine bookcases through my parents home. I do give away books regularly, but there’s still some I just can’t part with.

INTERIORS THEME: TROPICAL COOL

This look is 70s and 80s glam with a hint of Bali about it, and these Casala chairs are the biggest bargain of the lot. Inspiration source.

Casala Chairs Bamboo dining table Beaded Chandelier Vintage bird ceramics Teak bowl Artwork

Total budget: $355

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CARVED SERVING TRAY

This is pretty and would be lovely in a light and white coastal home. I’d lean it against the top of a sideboard or buffet in the dining room with a white sculpture or little framed picture in front and a Boston fern or something next to it.

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MID-CENTURY WALL UNIT

Don’t quote me on this but I’m pretty sure my in-laws have this exact same wall cupboard that was passed down to them. It’s not a classic designer piece but it’s well-made and sturdy. For $75, if I were a first home buyer again and furnishing say a cute mid-century cottage, I’d snap this up for storage and fill the side panels with books.

ART DECO

“Curves curves curves! And pink, soft velvet. A definitely feminine twist on Art Deco,” says Nelly.

Dresser Stool Armchair Ceiling light Rug Artwork

Total budget: $710

TWO JARRAH AUSTRALIAN MID-CENTURY CHAIRS

Something about these chairs makes me think of two old grandfatherly types, sitting in their chairs and laughing over some inside joke. I think just one would be cool in a living room teamed with a more modern sofa. They have a nice solid shape and you could reupholster the pillows.

WEST ELM CHAIR

Given its $170 it’s probably not hugely off the retail price (I’m not sure, you’d have to check) but this would add a bit of warmth to a bedroom corner or kids room at a desk. Yep I really am a sucker for brown leather anything.

80s FLAVOR

“The 80s were not for the faint-hearted,” says Nelly. “It called for strong patterns, bright, contrasting colours, and a rather playful take on furniture design. You couldn’t quite be neutral or minimalist in the 80s.” But elements of the 80s are coming back, and if you like the look, here are Nelly’s picks.

GET THE LOOK Curved Sofa + Ottoman Round Chair Pottery Decor Cowhide Artwork Artwork 02

Total Budget: $1,069

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IKEA SPINDLE CHAIRS

For four chairs for $20, I’d run there. These are cute; I’d probably spray paint black or mint and have them around a round table or an old farmhouse table.

CUTE RETRO BEDSIDE

This is a little different to the usual and the handle is a nice feature. I’d get it if it weren’t too low for our bed!

Have you ever bought anything awesome on Facebook Marketplace? Maya x

The post What I’d Buy on Facebook Marketplace Today (If I Wasn’t Broke) appeared first on House Nerd.

from Home Improvement https://house-nerd.com/2019/02/02/what-id-buy-on-facebook-marketplace/

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