Easy Upgrades: Five Things That Make Us Happy
Sometimes it’s the little things that can make any house feel like a happy home. Here are five of our favorite little things that make our days just a little bit sweeter:
1. Our shower radio – it makes it feel more like a mini escape and helps us conserve water because we have a two song limit.
2. Large glass cereal jars – they’re so much more charming than pouring from the box- plus we always know when we’re running low.
3. Fresh flowers and green leafy plants – they purify the air and inject a nice dose of natural texture- plus it’s nice to fill a house with life, both figuratively and literally.
4. Our backyard firepit – when Monday looms there are always melty homemade s’mores on Sunday night to remind us that the weekend isn’t quite over yet.
5. Baskets full of magazines and stacks of hardcover books- they coax us to sit down and relax for a moment and they just make a room feel more lived in and inviting.
So that’s our quick little rundown of five things that bring a smile to our faces (all without breaking the bank). In fact we spent about $12 on number one, around $15 on number two, just $5 to $10 a pop on number three, a mere $28 to build number four, and just a few dollars a month on number five (thanks to subscriptions, which save us mucho bucks off the cover price). What about you guys? Do you have any affordable little upgrades that just seem to make life better at your casa? We’d love to hear five things (or even just one) that make you happy to be home.
Leave a comment
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
What makes my life sweetest right now is watching the birds at the feeders right outside the kitchen window. It’s worth the mess and expense to enjoy the company of this busy little feathered community.
A coffee maker with a timer — we always wake up to fresh brewed coffee.
We also have throw blankets over the arms of nearly every chair in the house. Coziness is never far away!
Quick question: what do you use to serve up the cereal from the glass jars? Are there scoops hiding in there somewhere?
Doh. Just saw the answer to my question. Nevermind . . . ;o)
A freshly made bed w/ clean sheets. THE BEST THING EVER. And since we already own the sheets–absolutely free!
Also, fresh flowers in the bathroom. They are free, too, if they are from the home garden! There’s just something special about flowers in an unexpected place :)
1. Our humming bird feeder and the fact that the birds come so close to us while we sit on the porch and aren’t afraid to perch on the feeder, that we can hear them flying. They sound like giant bees up close!
2. My wonderful new birthday present picnic table that my honey put together for me this weekend, and set up amongst our herb garden in the back yard.
3. Our new “foster kitty”, Punky, that we are watching for our friend for a year or so. He’s sucha sweetie.
4. My yellow kitchen that I painted myself…now if only I can wrangle my tupperware! lol
5. Having ceiling fans installed in every room of my house. And the joy of living in a time when A/C is in our lives… Especially on these ridiculously hot August days1 (heat index of 109°?! Are you kidding me…lol)
I forgot to add number 6!
When my fiancé brings me wildflowers that he picked himself, and has them waiting for me in a jar on our kitchen counter when I come home from a long, horrible, boring day at work.
<3
Do you have any recommendations/favorites for magazine subsriptions? I would like to subscribe to a few home design mags but I’m not sure what to choose. Thanks!
Hey Lindsay,
I love House Beautiful, Better Homes & Gardens, and Do It Yourself magazine. Our recommendation would just be to go to Barnes & Noble and read a bunch of the options there to decide which ones are your favorites!
xo,
s
Ironed pillow cases. The best thing in the world.
I will echo a couple of previous comments…first, my bulldog, Jack, makes me happy just by being there when I get home…second, I too love a nice candle, lately my favorite is Sun & Sand from Yankee Candle…and finally, I just ordered those exact bamboo tongs and I look forward to no longer burning my fingertips when removing items from the toaster oven!
Oh…and one more thing that I completely love and it always makes me happy to see it because I wanted one for the longest time and I found it at an antique/junk shop for such a good price…my convex bullseye federal style eagle topped mirror…I’m considering changing the color of it right now, but I can’t imagine ever getting rid of it because I think with a few tweaks you could make it work with just about any style.
I too love the simple little things. :)
Too funny….I just picked up two of the glass jars from Walmart today for cereal! I thought I would need some scoops, so I found a set of three small aluminum scoops a couple aisles over for $3.97. I can’t wait to start scooping cereal!!
My list of five things are as follows:
1. Air Conditioning – I happen to spend the majority of my day in the heat of a salon, which no amount of a/c helps keep cool, so coming home to a nice cool house helps me to relax, even if boyfriend thinks it’s unbearable!
2. My cozy lazy boy. Even though it is ugly as sin, we got it for free and plan on re-upholstering it!
3. My pets. Even though I’ve aquired a small herd, I find them to be the best company sometimes. They’re quite and like to laze around like they’re decor for my house.
4. My writing desk. It’s probably my favorite piece of furniture. And I love sitting down at it and writing or figuring bills. I always feel so accomplished when I get up!
5. My patio furniture. Love it! It’s always fun to entertain guests or just sit outside and watch the stars in a bug free zone!
i don’t know how or why, but i *just* realized that our sunday farmer’s market (about 3 blocks from the house) OF COURSE sells flowers, too. i picked up some $7 lilies this week, guaranteed to last all week, because there are still buds on the stalks, too!
Hey there, per your earlier post about alphabet letters, Pottery Barn has a set in stainless for $29. I don’t know if that works for a little one, but the streamlined look reminded me of you two.
Thanks for the suggestion. We actually have a plan for alphabet letters! Stay tuned to see how it all turns out!
xo,
s
Great upgrades – I’m all about small personal indulgences! Some of my favourite upgrades (actually essentials) include…
1. A pet. Can’t beat unconditional love
2. Nice scents in the home – vanilla essence is my fave
3. Auto-grind and brew coffeemaker.
4. Egyptian cotton bathrobe
5. Pretty co-ordinated bed linens – with great sheets of course!
I have glass cookie jars in my kitchen to hold all sorts of things. Mine are leftover from our wedding cookie table, a popular tradition where we live. Usually, they’re laid out on trays, but we added the jars for some height and interest. :)
I use magazinepricesearch.com to get the best deal on magazines.
I found a vintage tablecloth that brings a smile to my face every time I come home. It just makes everything seem happier.
Music makes me happy, so I completely second your notion of using a shower radio. We’ve had one for years. What I thought was a silly gift from my husband’s grandmother turned out to be a household essential!
Along with that, I think my iPod sound dock is super awesome. It was a swanky Mother’s Day gift back in 2006, and it has seen LOTS of mileage (we sometimes travel with it, especially if we’re renting a vacation home that doesn’t already have one).
my smile making things? the little children’s sample cast iron stove (antique little thing with pots and a coal bucket and everything) that I found at a garage sale in 1992 or so for 25 cents (seriously!), the two tiny ceramic puffins that my husband and I got on one of our first holidays together, and the curtains I sewed myself from a single thrift store curtain and a much discounted new curtain. all of them make me happy and not one cost more than a few dollars.if we lived in a place where flowers – particularly tulips, my favourite – were less expensive, we’d have them every week….
Aw, such a cute post. I now feel the need for a shower radio!!
My most current easy upgrade are the ‘As Seen on TV’ Debbie Meyer Green Bags for produce. They keep produce fresh for more than double the usual time! Can’t live without them.
http://www.anchoringgemini.blogspot.com
Fresh flowers from my gardens! They are the best way to add color and happiness in our home!!
A little thing that just changed my life: putting a hook inside my pantry door to hang my purse. We don’t have a mud room. For 8 years, I have been throwing my purse on the kitchen floor. This small little hook has seriously made my day(s). Who knew? Just wish it wouldn’t have taken me 8 years to figure this out! :)
Mine:
1. Southern Living and BHG magazines every month
2. a basket full of veggie gardening books in our office reading nook
3. fresh-cut flowers and leafy cuttings from our yard on our mantle, back of the toilet, in a bud vase on my nightstand
4. our handmade foyer console table my hubs made from KNOCK-OFF WOOD
5. the fact that our kitchen is never really neat due to delicious meals prepared daily by me and my husband (an AWESOME cook!)
My husband’s (I read him this post…lol):
1. Oil-rubbed bronze painted doorknobs (cheap can of rustoleum paint…ooh-la-la difference on freshly painted white doors)
2. fresh-cut flowers
3. seed-sprouting container on the kitchen counter(can you tell we love to grow our own food and then cook it? lol)
4. framed photographs
5. crisp white bedding in our sexy bedroom! haha
Question: In your 3rd picture, is that a scent diffuser? If so, do you remember where you got it? I love the look!
Hi Amanda,
Those are actually chopsticks that we collect from special dinners and just display them in a small vase we got at Ikea. You can read more about them (and see more close-up pics) here: http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/01/pick-up-sticks/
-John
I love those glass jars for cereal but can’t find them in Australia! I think they’re adorable.
Well espcially in a our rented house, seeing as we can’t change much it really is the little things that turn this house into a home.
Such as…
My little cat Ollie
My rubbish bun, heh, I know it sounds lame but I used to have a tiny bin that got full really really fast and I recently bought a huge one from Ikea and it just make me happy when I throw something out and it doesn’t make the bin almost full.
Cushions! For comfort, warmth and personality.
& my bowl plates, they make for great casual eating in our lounge, the perfect combination of a big plate with the practicality of a bowl :)
Btw obsessed wih your blog! Can’t wait to have a house of my very own to renovate & decorate, why are houses so expensive?!
Xo
1] any frozen juice that I put into my $2 popsicle molds
2] my freshly painted (in SW “Baby Booties”) office, now I can get organized in style…Priceless!
3] my $7 Welcome wall art in the foyer makes me smile when I imagine my guests feeling welcome in my home
4] the $3 Air Wick scent of the month that greets me at the door
5] my daily dose of YHL – free!
Any recommendations on a natural body wash for the shower? Have you tried california baby? (for yourselves, not Clara. lol)
Also…I have been meaning to ask…what are wasa crackers?
Thanks
We love Dr. Bronner’s body wash from Target (it comes in a huge pump bottle and lasts forever). As for California Baby, we have some of their products on hand for Clara but haven’t used them yet (she’s a water-only baby, so pure!). As for Wasa Crackers they’re available pretty much at every grocery store. They’re just healthy crackers – delicious with cheese, tuna, peanut butter, or deli meat on them.
xo,
s
We have just recently filled our big glass kitchen canister with individually wrapped fortune cookies. It looks super-cute and is great fun when friends come over for meals!
1. Our memory foam mattress topper. Makes my bed feel lovely and makes me want to sleep in every morning
2. My mug rack from Ikea. Grundtal rack with hooks under my kitchen cupboards. Love it.
3. My wood shoe rack in our front closet. Made by my dad. Keeps us organized and our closet looking less cluttered.
4. Two new Lerberg shelves in the living room (see my blog!)
5. my fur babies!
I spotted some different bottles in your shower organizer…..what products are you currently using?
:)
We’ve been loving these for a while: Dr. Bronner’s body wash, Avalon Organics Shampoo & Conditioner, Dr. Bronner’s bar soap, Kiss My Face Shave Cream (and John stores his Burt’s Bee’s Aftershave in there too).
xo,
s
Hello!
My five favorite things that make me happy @ home…
1 – My cat – Zuki (you can see him here: http://umpoucodetudoenada.blogspot.com/2010/05/zuki.html )
2 – Big frame with Hawaii photos and a shelf on the living room with little things form trips we made :) (I don’t have any photo)
3 – My “garden” in the balcony (here: http://tralhita.blogspot.com/2010/05/plantinhas.html )
4 – A frame made by a friend “Home sweet home” (here: http://tralhita.blogspot.com/2010/08/home-sweet-home.html )
5 – My loyal “maid” Roomba (here: http://umpoucodetudoenada.blogspot.com/2010/04/roomba.html )
Sorry if my english isn’t correct…
Love your site!
It’s the simple things that really make a home happy! I can especially relate to #5. I have a huge, ridiculously overflowing basket of magazines! I love them so, I can’t throw them out…