More Drapes- Más cortinas

For years, I have been searching for the perfect drapes for our home. In my head, I see luxurious silk velvet blackout curtains with heavy linings. However, when I see the prices of said treatments, my frugal self passes out from the shock, and when I come to, I convince myself that we don’t really need curtains. Honestly, the sheers that I bought soon after purchasing my home are perfectly fine. I love them in the summer, but they feel cold in winter. In the colder months, I crave warmth and coziness that the sheers just cannot provide.

He estado buscando las cortinas perfectas para nuestra casa por años sin éxito. En la mente, veo unas cortinas de terciopelo de seda lujosos y con un forro grueso. Sin embargo, cuando veo los precios de tales cortinas, mi ser austero se desmaya del choque y cuando me despierto otra vez, me convenzo que no son necesarias. Honestamente, las cortinas transparentes que obtuve un poco después de comprar la casa funcionan perfectamente. Me encantan en el verano, pero dan una sensación fría en el invierno. En los meses más fríos, me hace ansiar calor y calidez que aquellas no pueden dar.

Bedroom August 2017

My husband and I are both very against being in debt. Currently, the only debt we have is our mortgage, but we live in Westchester County, NY, one of the most expensive in the country, so the mortgage on our modest house is a whopper. My family did not have a lot of money while I was growing up, and my parents were also careful about not going into debt, so their parsimonious ways are deeply ingrained in me. I freak out if Douglas leaves a light on, the same way that my father reacted when I would do it as a child. Recently, I have been reading the blogs of Mr. Money Mustache, whose family of three lives on less than $25,000 a year in Colorado, and Ken Ilgunas, who lived in his van in order to complete graduate school debt free. I also watch all the tiny home shows and am impressed by how little people need to lead meaningful lives. Then, I feel badly about purchasing curtains for the living and dining rooms, even though we received more than enough money to cover the costs from our parents as Christmas gifts.

Ni a mí ni a mi esposo nos gusta tener deudas. Hoy día, la única que tenemos es la hipoteca, pero como vivimos en el condado de Westchester en el estado de Nueva York, uno de los más caros del país, nuestra hipoteca es bien grande. Mi familia no tenía dinero cuando era niña, y mis padres hacían todo lo posible para evitas las deudas también, así que sus prácticas mezquinas están bien arraigadas en mí. Me vuelve loca cuando Douglas deja prendida una luz igual a mi padre cuando yo las dejaba prendidas de niña. Recientemente, he estado leyendo los blogs de Mr. Money Mustache, la familia de quien vive en Colorado por menos de $25,000 al año, y Ken Ilgunas, quien vivía en su auto por tres años para poder hacer el postgrado sin endeudarse. También veo todos los programas de las personas que viven en casitas chiquititas y me quedo impresionado con lo poco que les hace falta para estar felices. Después, me siento mal por haber comprado cortinas para nuestra casa, aun cuando nuestros padres nos dieron el dinero como regalos de navidad.

New curtains in the dining room

 

To be honest, I did not just buy curtains for the living room. I also bought some for the bedroom. They are not the sumptuous velvet ones that I would have preferred, but they do match our bedspread perfectly. The drapes are lined, so they should be providing some insulation, but just the sight of them makes the room feel warmer. Part of me rues the purchase, because we should be saving every penny to pay down the mortgage, and also I hate to buy new things when there is so much waste on our planet. Then, I remind myself that we do live prudently, well beneath our means. We are saving for retirement, paying down our mortgage much faster than we are required to, we donate to many charities, and dammit, the curtains look pretty.

Honestamente, no solo compré cortinas para la sala. También las compré para nuestro dormitorio. No son las suntuosas que me hubiera gustado comprar, pero se combinan perfectamente con la manta en la cama. Las cortinas tienen un forro, así que deberían producir aislamiento, pero solo verlas da calor. Una parte de mí tiene remordimientos por haber gastado el dinero y no haberlo usado para pagar la hipoteca. Tampoco me gusta comprar cosas nuevas cuando hay tanto desperdicio en el planeta. Después me recuerdo que estamos ahorrando para jubilarnos, estamos pagando la hipoteca muy rápido, donamos a muchas caridades y ¡carajo! Las cortinas son bonitas.

New curtains in the bedroom

Why am I so hard on myself? Ponche did not care how much the curtains cost. He immediately gave them two paws up and then curled up on the bed for a nap. I should be more like my cat. So, thank you Dad and Barby and Mom and Dad S. for the new drapes. We love them.

¿Por qué soy tan dura conmigo mismo? A Ponche no le importaba cuánto costaban las cortinas. Inmediatamente las aprobó y se acostó para tomar la siesta. Yo debería ser como el gato. Gracias Papi y Barby, Papá S. y Mamá S. por las nuevas cortinas. Nos encantan.

New curtains in the bedroom

Oh, and by the way, these were the ones that we chose for the bedroom. They were even cheaper a couple of weeks ago when I ordered them.

Por cierto, estas son las que escogimos para el dormitorio. Costaban menos hace unas semanas cuando las compré.

New curtains in the bedroom
Source

Happy Homemaking!

¡Espero que todos tus sueños caseros se cumplan!

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About

I am a teacher, traveler, artist, writer, homemaker and a whole lot more. In January 2009, I bought the Cape of Dreams. It was the second house that I had ever owned, but it was the first that I bought by myself. I now live in the house with my husband Douglas, our dog Kahlua, and Crème de Menthe, the cat. Because, what life is complete without a little Kahlua and Cream? I love arts and crafts of all kinds, and I refinish furniture as well. We are slowly redoing our entire house. You can read about my projects on my blog www.CapeofDreams.com

11 Comments on “More Drapes- Más cortinas

  1. I’m glad you were able to find curtains that make you happy and warm. Food for the soul can be just as important as food for the body.

  2. Those curtains are perfect! I expected you to say that Ponche climbed them (sorry, Ponche!). You have the right attitude–we, too, live (fairly) modestly, pay cash, and are debt-free except for our retirement property. It feels good. And you DO deserve to have a comfy nest! 🙂 We, sadly, can’t have nice things because the cats will ruin them.

    • Ponche is a gentle boy, and he never destroys anything. The only problem is that he cannot control his claws so sometimes he gets stuck in things. Creme has clawed up some of our furniture, but since most of it is velvet, we don’t have a problem. Luckily, she has ignored the curtains so far.

  3. As everyone said, you found the perfect curtains. Frugality is a good system. My favorite financial website is The Simple Dollar. We, too, are totally out of debt but are much older than you two. And everyone, including people who have a financial goal, has an eccentricity on which he/she splurges — the splurge can be time, money, or effort. JO @ Let’s Face the Music

    • I will have to check out The Simple Dollar. I know that splurges are not necessarily a bad thing, but every once in a while I rush into a purchase that I later regret. I don’t think that these curtains will be one of those disappointments, however.

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