5 Lessons From the Great Depression
that crippled the world.
The decade is teeming with sob stories, powerful anecdotes, and great advise on how to live the frugal life. It still rings particularly true today, in the midst of our modern day comforts and sensibilities, it pays to look back at our grandparents’ generation and gain insights. From growing your own herb or vegetable garden to making do with what you have, these are sensible and timeless tips that may be applied even today.
In fact, penny-pinching can be quite an admirable trait, particularly in this era of adverts and instant gratification. While the thirties’ Spartan approach fits day-to-day life, it can also be adapted to home renovations.
Homeowners who are thinking of upgrades or improvement could learn a thing or two from the thirties.
Apparently, the thirties was not the time for impulsive home upgrades. During that time, homes were built to last. When it comes to improving bathrooms, kitchens, or even outdoor areas – glass tiles are an ideal candidate. Contrary to what we know about glass, these tiles are strong and some types are even used as flooring. In addition, glass tiles protect against moisture and are easily maintained with soap and water. If that isn’t durability, we don’t know what is.
- Scout for bargains, coupons, or closeout sales.
The Do-It-Yourself culture didn’t really go mainstream until in the sixties but in the decades before that, people preferred to do or make things instead of buying or paying for it. When it comes to home improvement projects, this is where ingenuity, resourcefulness, and skills come in. However, we only advocate taking this route if you truly have the skills; otherwise, you might wind up shelving out more for correcting tiling mistakes. To save on contractors, what the unskilled (or apprehensive) homeowner can do is to take on the demolition job instead. If there are walls that need to be knocked down or old tiles that need to be stripped off – get dirty and work those hands.
I still have to see and hear a financial adviser telling their clients to use credit cards. It may be convenient but that seemingly harmless piece of plastic is loaded with hidden charges in the form of interests and other fees. Avoid going over budget (or heaven forbid, getting into debt) and pay for everything in cash or in check. If you must use plastic, debit cards are a better alternative.
This goes in line with scrutinizing every would-be purchase. If you can’t go for a full glass tile wall, then mix and match it with other tiles. What’s fantastic about glass tiles is that it makes an impression even when used in small quantities. As accents or borders, glass tiles still add punch to a room.
Roberta Madison leads the marketing department at Glass Tile Store. The company is known for its high quality and beautifully designed glass tiles, exotic tiles, stone tiles, metal tiles and subway tiles.