Cheap Ways To ...

Dad and Mom brought me to a discount furniture warehouse where they picked out furniture for the house they’re building. They got name-brand leather couches, coffeetable, end tables, dining set and hutch for much less than they would have paid in the stores—and thanks to my grandfather’s connections, the owner of the store gave them an additional amount off. I believe it ended up being at least $1500 off the already discounted price. They got a great deal.

And of course when there are deals around, I start salivating. Here is a loveseat I found in the back in the clearance section. The owner gave me an additional amount off of it, and didn’t charge me tax either. My parents are going to have to bring it down to me, though! This will go perfectly with my eBay couch.

On my last day there, my parents took me to Cootie Brown’s, a really redneck name for a really cool and eclectic restaurant. Handpainted tables, mosaic walls, bright colors, industrial-looking folk art. Anyway, I had a to-die-for hamburger with spinach, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Here are their really cute fried chips. Can chips be cute?

Here are my grandparents, the Rev. G.D. and Lou Peters and my parents, Steve and Jewel Baker, are pictured above.

Dad took me by a whole-in-the-wall car repair place that specializes in working on those old hippie VW buses—which my husband is obsessed with. His dream is to have a Microbus. So I took this photo for him.

Here’s a photo of the house my parents are building, just a street over from my grandparents. It’s a beautiful area. They looked for houses for a few months and found that the prices were way above the quality of the houses. So they’re building. They’re spending the same as they would have to buy an existing house but they’re getting a brand new one which will increase in value a lot faster than those older houses that weren’t in good shape.