toomuchstuff's Profile

This is just a shamefully bad idea, maybe the worst idea I've ever seen on AT in all the years I've been reading. For one thing, the oils in coffee are all over the innards of a coffee machine and will ruin the flavor of any tea made by this method. For another, tea needs to steep by floating freely in the maximum amount of water being used for three to five minutes - something that is NOT possible when water is running through it continuously; beyond the coffee taste, there'd be no tea flavor to speak of. Third, the temperature in most coffee makers is considerably higher than the temp required for tea - especially green, white, or herbal tea - and would destroy whatever flavor you managed to eke out that way. Fourth, black tea leaves a fine hard to remove residue that would clog up your coffee maker over time. And lastly, the coffee maker likely uses a significant amount more power than the average tea kettle - so this idea is not even particularly green.

To sum up, just... NO. No no no. You don't have to be a tea snob to realize this is a dumb idea.

aaand now I realize that I've totally misread the post (not that I don't STILL recommend those books.) It's hard to answer the question actually asked without knowing the age of the kids; and I don't think there's a lot out there for any age. However, reading up on development yourself may make you better able to teach/communicate the kind of thing you'd like to pass on, even if the books don't exist!

I would buy a marmoset lamp in a heartbeat. I really would.

These are nice. I do wish there were budget-friendly options (barring eBay.)

if these are going for cheaper than $16... now that's a good reason to brave our local TJ Maxx!

JasonfromVA, I'm very sorry for your loss.

Erica, the fact that bumpers haven't been banned yet does not mean that they are safe. There has been an ongoing effort for YEARS to get them banned that has been fought by industry lobbyists wielding tons of money. Check out the Chicago Tribune's investigative coverage of it in particular - they've been a nationwide leader on exposing the dangers and the callousness of the industry. Here in Illinois, the Attorney General is trying to enact a statewide ban because the lack of action at a federal level is appalling.

The way I see it, the chances may be small, but they're VERY well documented - and if something did happen, I couldn't live with the tragedy, and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Try handbags on Etsy. I have found some really amazing stuff for <$30 and plan to add my own changing pad and wet bags so I can just use one of those as a converted "diaper" bag. (You can get that stuff for cheap on Etsy too!)

I guess what I'd say is that you really don't need the high-end brand-name stuff to get a good look. And if you're willing to get a little crafty and to repurpose things that weren't initially for a nursery your pennies will go far. I've tricked out our impending baby's nursery quite well with practically zero money (to the point where I hope to submit photos here once the final touches are on!) My strategies:

(a) I've religiously surfed Craigslist, searching a number of keywords for what I was looking for - usually twice a day. (Hey, you're probably on the Internet that much anyway, do it on your lunch hour.) I eventually got an enormous $500 Land of Nod 100% wool rug for $75, a mid-century walnut dresser and a walnut Eames chair & ottoman for under $100 each, a nice changing table for $25, and a whole host of other goodies for practically nothing - it just took a lot (a whole lot) of boring, repetitive, varied keyword searching.

(b) I haunt local thrift shops and garage sales when I have the time - and I am willing to repurpose things that aren't really meant for the nursery. You can find amazing stuff for $5 and under that a little paint or a quick sewing job can transform into great nursery goodies.

(c) I read this blog and Craftzine's blog a lot, looking for cool DIY projects that would spruce up the nursery, and I've been willing to get a little crafty. My sewing skills borderline suck, but when I found $20 worth of awesome 1950s barkcloth I knew that I could soldier through making curtains - and now people ask me where on earth I got them because they're so awesome. And paint can unify any number of disparate objects.

(d) I've spent a lot of time looking for super-cheap artwork and vintage decor stuff - mostly off Etsy, where you'd be AMAZED at the things you can get for under $20 and sometimes for under $10! You should especially consider looking at printable PDFs which can be REALLY cheap and stuck into a cool thrift store frame (that maybe you paint to match) for maximum effect.

...All that said, DON'T STRESS. Do what you have time for - the dirty little secret is that half of babies don't move into their nurseries for months anyway, because it's easier to keep a bassinet in the bedroom when they wake up every hour and a half! Time is your secret ingredient - don't feel like you have to have it all done by your due date, or you'll go crazy.

Good luck!

The first thing I would do would be to make sure that the house was secure, so you don't have to be worried that it's going to happen again. Put window locks on your windows (they're super cheap and easy to install.) Make sure your locks are all sound (it sounds like you've done that though) and change any if you're worried you left keys around for break-in #1. Put multiple lights on timers that go off at random intervals, and make sure that you have decent curtains, so it's not totally obvious from the street what you're doing and when you're home/not home. And consider putting up "BEWARE OF DOG" or "SERVICED BY X ALARM COMPANY" signs (even if there is no dog/alarm service) - that can make a big difference. And ask the landlord to install a motion-sensitive light outside your doors - that can really be a deterrent - and consider a dummy camera up high pointed at your door. Depending on how much it would cost and what you can afford, you may actually want to get a security system, too, but usually they're pretty expensive.

Once it feels secure enough to you, then it's just a matter of telling yourself that you really are safe and doing whatever ritual will make it feel like home again. Unfortunately it will probably be a little while before you settle in comfortably, but it can be done... maybe invite friends over to have a little burglar-vibe-exorcism, spill some wine for the spirits, and try to take it one day at a time!

Oh how I could benefit from getting rid of the CD clutter in my house! AND it's purty. What a boon. Pick me!

One of the things this doesn't even mention is that people in poverty in this country also tend to have crappy access to low-cost, high-quality groceries. The poorer the neighborhood, the less likely it is to have grocery stores and the more likely the food that is brought in will be expensive. So this challenge, for the average AT reader, should be more like "live on $2.50".

I did OK on $25 a week for groceries in college, eating eggs and beans and rice and tortillas constantly and lots of cheap fruit in season - but fruit/veggies are a LOT more expensive now than they were 15 years ago, thanks to gas prices, and they're unlikely to go down. So I don't know that I could do it now. I'm almost embarrassed to say that we spend easily two to three times per person in my household, and although we try to buy organic and/or local when we can afford it, we're still relatively frugal compared to what I see in other shoppers' carts.