Browsing Tag:

family room

Decorating/ FAMILY/ Frugal/ HOME/ Homemaking/ Kids/Family

Family Room Basement Makeover With The Help Of Credit Card Points

Basement Makeover With Credit Card Points

My husband Todd is someone who has taught me many times what it looks like to live intentionally.  He is a thinker, planner, and is very strategic in making decisions.

He is wise and intentional when it comes to our family decisions and how we spend our money, including what credit cards we use. Thanks to carefully saving up our credit card points for 2 (almost 3) years, we were able to pay off our recent family room basement makeover.

Family Basement Makeover Paid For With Credit Card Points

We use the MasterCard Citi Thank You Preferred Card and earn ‘thank you’ points when we do. We use the credit card for everything that we can. Todd is careful to pay it off, in full, each month. The points add up, allowing us to do extra things that we normally would not be able to do, like makeover our basement.

family basement before and afte3r

Our girls are 13, 16 & almost 18. We wanted to create not just a family space to enjoy the little time we have left with them, but also a space that they could bring their friends (and boyfriends) to hang out and be comfortable (but not TOO comfortable…boyfriends..ahem..) in.

BOWMANS_CHRISTMAS_2016-15

We finished off our basement 10 years ago when we moved in, but it needed updating. The paint color needed to be changed, the couch was sad and sunken with so much wear and tear that holes were starting to form, and our TV was too small for the space. A bigger TV meant a larger TV console. We also wanted a table with 6 chairs for playing board/ card games and a ping-pong table.

Family Room Game Playing

Our Basement Family Room Makeover Wish List

  • paint
  • new couches
  • large television for movies and video games
  • television console with storage
  • table + 6 chairs for board/card games
  • ping pong table

Thanks to the help of credit card rewards/points, our wishes came true.

We changed the bright orange paint to a warm blue. We found gray couches that were firm but cozy. The table and chairs were hard to find since we were adamant about having 6 chairs but the space we had to fit them in was pretty small. Todd’s intentionality came in handy when measuring the space and making sure the table and chairs would fit. We have made some great family memories around that table already!

Family Basement Makeover Paid For With Credit Card Points

We have so enjoyed our larger TV during family movie nights and the storage in the new console is amazing. It hides all our video games and controllers. The ping pong table is very popular when friends come over.

ping-pong-family-basement

Family Room Games

We have so enjoyed our new family room basement makeover and are very thankful for the credit card we use, the rewards we receive and how it is the perfect match for our lifestyle!

Finding The Perfect Credit Card

There are so many types of credit card reward programs out there. There are some reward programs that literally give you cash back, others give travel points, and some even give gift cards to your favorite stores. Some have an annual fee, some don’t.

It can be overwhelming to decide which card is best for your particular lifestyle, but it doesn’t have to be. Creditcards.com believes in empowering people to make smart choices around their credit cards, which means using the right card for you in the right way.

home-cc.com-mid-big

Their CardMatch tool helps you find the perfect credit card match. It is easy to use and securely matches you with offers in less than 60 seconds. Did you know that 10% of your credit score is determined by the number of inquiries you make to new credit cards? This is why the CardMatch tool is so amazing, you can get matched up with several cards in seconds without your credit score being impacted in any way.

CardMatch Landing Page

Using a credit card responsibly can be a great way to make life easier, and being intentional in saving the rewards or making sure the benefits fit your lifestyle can add much value to your life. It sure has ours.

A basement makeover is great, but the memories we are making and continue to make with family and friends in that new space are amazing. Intentionality pays off!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CREDIT CARD? DO YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF REWARDS?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Decorating/ HOME/ Homemaking

New Plans For Our Family Room & Smart Shopping Online

Shopswell-collage

{Some of my Family Room List items. All items can be found on Shopswell}

Our family room is in our basement.  We use this area to watch recorded television as a family, to workout, play games &  to play ping-pong.  It is long overdue for some attention.  The couches were given to us and are at least 15 years old.  They are sagging and worn down with holes starting to form! Our TV is nice, but I know my husband is dreaming of one a bit larger. The basement family room in general has been very neglected by me and needs my cleaning, organizing and decorating touch.

Basement-before

{our basement that needs some updating & attention}

We have 3 girls, 12, 14 & 16.  We really like to encourage them to have friends over and this space is where they like to take their friends.  We decided it was time to create a comfortable and beautiful space that they would be proud of & love to bring their friends to just hang out.  We also decided it needs to be done ASAP because our girls are growing older and before we know it they will be up and gone.  Now is the time to invest in our living space and create the priceless memories with them before it is too late!

I started decluttering the space about a month ago.  All that is left to declutter is our crazy board game shelves and our bookshelves.  Many of the games on the shelves right now are for kids and our girls have outgrown them. It is time to minimalize! Todd will have to minimalize the bookshelves as most of the books on them are his.

BASEMENT-GAME-BOOKSHELVES

Here is my list to- do for the basement family room:

  1. Minimalize the game shelves.
  2. Minimalize the book shelves.
  3. Get carpets cleaned
  4. Paint. Change red wall paint color to a nice mellow blue.
  5. Create office space for Todd
  6. Decorate

Here is my list of things to shop for:

  1. New treadmill (our’s is old and the motor is SO LOUD!)
  2. New television
  3. New window treatments. (Right now we have pillows stuffed in the window. Ugh.)
  4. A rug
  5. New couch & love seat
  6. A mini refrigerator for drinks
  7. Some end tables to set drinks.
  8. A game table
  9. Lamps for cozy lighting
  10. Pillows & soft throws
  11. A few accessories to add some character and warmth.

It is a lot, and some things may need to wait as we save, but it is never too late to clean, dust, organize, dream and start shopping for what we can buy right now!

I have found the greatest site to do some organizing, dreaming and SHOPPING! It is a site called Shopswell.  You all know that I love Pinterest, and Shopswell is like Pinterest for shopping!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on Pinterest, went to click on an item I’d like to buy, and the link is broken or the item is not for sale. On Shopswell you will never have that issue!  They show only items that are for sale, and their price.

The site is super easy to use.  You set up an account, which is where you can create and keep as many lists as you want.  I, of course, made a list simply called “Family Room” because I’m a simple girl like that! You can get as creative as you want for your own lists. I am keeping items that inspire me and items that I would like to purchase for our basement family room.

I’m eager to make more lists.  I made a second list called “Household” and of course, I have to have one called Wish List! There is so much that you can shop for on Shopswell. Home decor, fashion and tech are just a few of the categories.  They even have food you can shop for!

Shopswell-Lists

You can share your lists and look at other peoples lists for more ideas and inspiration. My “Households” list was inspired by looking at others household items & their lists.  If you find something on a list that you like, you can put it right on your list.  They have turned shopping into a community experience.

Another feature that is very cool is their Priced Tracker.  Once you add a item to a list you can then click the “track” button to add it to you Price tracker list. It will stay in your Price tracker with the current price, and can be set to alert you when its gets to the price your willing to spend on the item.

Screen Shot 2015-10-14 at 5.18.42 PM

Don’t forget to enter the Shop.Share.Win. Program where you curate and create lists then share them. Each month they give $10,000 back to the Shopswell community based on credits earned for helping others. You can get the full details and rules on how to play and win HERE.  You can also track the top earners, its updated every 24 hours.

I will keep you updated on our basement progress.  Let me know if you create a Shopswell account so I can come follow you!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Top