My husband removed an old wooden deck that was on the back of our house and under it was a cement patio. I want to paint it and use it instead of another wooden one. We replaced the poles that hold up the roof with new ones yesterday, I want to paint the cement but how do I do it..use cement paint or epoxy? I have included 2 pics 1 of what it looks like now and one with the way I would like to paint it. I do have new patio furniture for it already. Any ideas of how i can also spice it up a bit on a budget?
Now

What I would like it look like

Also the 2nd pic shows grass planted where the old deck used to be

I need a Bar Code scanner that is fully compatible with this particular software. My budget is like 35 bucks is there any suggestions? Please post a link for me. OR ARE MOST OF THE USB BAR CODE SCANNERS COMPATIBLE WITH QUICKBOOKS?

The room is 158" by 176" and they need to run on a budget. They need two beds, dresser (if possible two separate ones), one desk (for the girl) and bookcases, shelves etc. They like the pbteen style but can’t afford to deck out a room in that furniture. The girl doesn’t want a loft bed! The boy wouldn’t mind.

In general I’m looking for decorating ideas. I recently moved out of my parents home and into a very small apartment at college. I want to make it as nice as I can.. considering it is college. I like warm neutral tones.. But the kitchen is so small. Any tips or ideas? I’m on a budget!

My kitchen table is kind of a light wood… it was free so i have to work with it!

Accent wall? If so what color? Thanks to anyone willing to help

Need to have our kitchen remodeled and have no idea where to start. I’m guessing any contractor or kitchen remodeler would probably laugh in my face…but is it possible to have a 40 yr-old kitchen remodeled for under ,000 and get good quality cabinets, new fridge, new dishwasher, new built-in oven, sink and stove top, new countertops and some recessed or in some way enhanced, lighting? And replace existing ceramic tile floor with either hardwood or laminate flooring? The work area is about 10 ft long X 8 ft deep. The eating area is about 9 ft X 11 ft. If this is totally unrealistic, what’s the approximate minimum we’d need to accomplish this? Has anyone attempted this on such a budget?

Our theme is "nature", and I already have ideas for the centerpieces. I planned to place river rocks in tube vases and add tree branches to the vase. It doesn’t sound like it, but it’s really cute. The nightclub has metal aluminum tables and chairs, so I’d like to add a softer, more romantic feel to the place. I want to order paper lanterns in different sizes in our wedding colors (chocolate and robin’s egg blue) and suspend them at staggered lengths from the ceiling. The only problem is there are pool tables and arcade games that are an eyesore. The entire bar area is extremely open, and I can’t think of any ways to cover the games up. Any suggestions? I thought about a curtain of some sort, but I have NO idea how to do that.
Additionally, this is a small reception. We will have 35-40 guests, and we have a limited budget (waaaaay below the national average for a reception).

Darryl is in charge of buying furniture for a new restaurant. Chairs cost 5 and tables cost 0. Darryl’s budget allows ,400 for tables and chairs, and he plans to buy four chairs for each table. How many can he buy?

I have a small patio, with a concrete floor and planting area on 3 sides around the concrete (the other side is for our sliding door to go out). We don’t have much but a few potted plants and a bbq grill. We will be selling our place so now I need to get the patio up to par with the rest of the property.

What kind of plants should I put in & furniture? It needs to look nice but also be done on a budget of less than 0.

Thank you!!!

Sometimes I wonder if it’s suppose to be like this. How much help did/are you guys get/getting when planning your wedding. With my small budget, I don’t even know if it can be done! I have the perfect venue…but it’s the kind where you get the venue, tables, chairs…and that’s it for 8 hours. It’s good because we are able to stock our own bar and don’t have any limitations as far as catering and things like that go…but even though my family and fiance SAY they will help, every time I try to talk about it (and maybe I am starting to talk about it too much but if I had a sense of safety knowing that they will pull through when needed I wouldn’t feel the need for these constant reminders) but no one seems to want to go there. I am a bit overwhelmed. My bridesmaids are all busy with their own lives, many like me, have small children and are barely making it by in this sluggish economy so I feel bad asking for much. I mean, as far as the girls go I’ll be lucky if they will put out much more than for a dress. (And they are all very picky, but I’m trying to make them all happy.) I guess what I’m saying is how is it all going to pull through? I’m a crafty and artistic individual, so I’m know I can get the centerpieces and style aspects done very cheaply yet chic (I’m going with a rustic, vintage kind of farmhouse feel…) but as far as how everything is going to be put in place the day of, set up, taken down…I don’t want to be doing it all myself on the day of. I will do a lot, but I can’t do it all! My fiance and all his friends, I know, will take care of the sound and DJ-ing aspects because they all do that on the side. My fiance also works with many people with catering connections….but isn’t really doing much but asking for names and not following through with finding out websites or prices…

I guess, what I am asking is, how do I approach everyone without seeming like a "bridezilla"? I mean, I really know that I CAN do it, but another factor is that my parents are doing what they can to pay for things…but not really giving me a budget and every time I suggest something they ask me…but how is this going to happen on the day of? Whose going to take care of it? (They suggested this whole ‘real’ wedding thing as well, just so you know. I never expected them to want to pay for my wedding. I always figured it would be a courthouse thing…) I don’t know these answers if no one is willing to put a little more effort into it!!! I will suggest something like, well we could hire this wedding planner that charge 0 for 40 hours of service. (Which includes some hours for dress fittings or taste testings or plain old seating charts and things like that before the day…and then the rest of the hours are for the day of. You know, helping things rudysfunctionalthat everything is set up, delegating jobs, making sure the time line runs appropriately. That after I "exit" that things get cleaned up.) But every time I suggest this to my (quite disfunctional family, honestly) they act like, "Are you kidding me, you want to spend 0 on having someone do what?" Who do they think is going to do all this?

I guess I just need some advice…opinions…ways to approach this situation. I’m about to loose my head. Sometimes I feel like calling it off. The other side of it is, when I try and make cheap shortcuts, like suggest having no flowers,relativestain drinks…general things you can do to trim costs…my father in particular reminds me that we have family coming from all around the world (I am from England originally and we have realtives across the country as well coming.) and that he wants it to be a really nice event. I don’t think anyone realizes that it’s how smoothly things run, how organized it is…that is what is going to make for the best time! The glitz and glam come last to me…I would rather make sure there is a nice place, good food, drinks and no one running around wondering what to do and whose suppose to do what?! UGH.
Thanks Wifeforlife, but I wasn’t asking whether or not you thought I was ready for marriage.

Thanks to everyone else though! There are very helpful suggestions and sites to work with!

We have a limited budget, but would like to find some unique items for kitchen, bath.

we are having a smallish southern wedding with family and close friends. we’re planning on having 100-125 people and a budget of 8-10 grand. our venue is an all in one type place. its a home from the 1800s and the owners are basically helping with whatever we need. they are supplying all tables, linens, chairs, dishes, ect. they are acting as a "day of" coordinator, the bartender at our cash bar, and handling all the set up and clean up. we will also have a "bust boy" walking around during the reception. we will hire a dj, my aunt will be our photographer, and a few other family members (my mom and two aunts) will be helping out a good bit. (im a big DIY gal). all information considered, how much should we tip the owners of the venue, the bust boy, and dj? also, what is a reasonable amount to spend on a thank you gift for the other people helping out, as in my aunt that’s doing the photos.
*busboy, excuse me.

Hi everyone. Well heres the story, almost 2 years ago we moved into a new home. We know have a huge and beautiful backyard. We have a nice deck but we need some new furniture for it. The deck has two levels, a small lower level which is only a step down from the larger level which is the main area. Currently, on the lower deck we have our grill and a chair. I have designated this as a good area for the cooking. The larger deck area has a table with four chairs, a lounge chair and footstool and a few extra chairs and end tables. The problem is that all the furniture is crappy plastic stuff. We have had it for about 6 years and it just needs to go.
We are going to be re-painting the deck within the month so I really think new furniture would show off how great the backyard really is. We are on a budget though. So heres what I’m looking for you guys to help with:
*Dining Table (under 0 and not plastic lol)
*Chairs for table (4-6. under each)
*End table (1-2. under each)
*Extra chairs (1-2. under . not big lounge chairs just different from the dining chairs)
*Accessories (small things. under 0 total)

Thanks! ADD LINKS! Please choose from stores that are readily available such as Lowe’s, home depot, etc. Also, I have a dark green umbrella for the table so please choose tables that umbrellas go in.

Due to allergy issues, we had to pull up carpets in our 80 year old house. Like many older houses, the hardwood is only stained around the perimeter, the center is bare (where an area rug would be) We need to avoid large area rugs, and the bare area is fairly large. We like the rustic look, and don’t really want to sand. There are some varnish marks on the stained areas that will need to be cleaned. We also have an infant that crawls- parts of the floor are sort of rough. We have a limited budget, so can’t call in the professionals.

Now what?

We are building a rustic ranch style house. We installed poplar wood paneling on the ceiling because reclaimed wood did not fit our budget. We applied a grey stain, however, it just looks flat. What can I do to make the ceiling appear to be old aged barnwood?

Okay- my kids dream rooms are getting out of hand budget wise. They both want a *beauty bar.* AKA vanity table. I already got mirrors that go with their themes and chairs. I have looked all over for white tables (even on the internet) that aren’t too costly- but even the cheaper ones have terrible shipping cost.
I always see those tables in magazines that are mounted to the wall. Anyone know where I can find white ones- not too pricey?

*We don’t have an Ikea anywhere close – and the shipping is crazy to this state.*

Any other ideas if you don’t know where to buy those?