A tidied-up media cabinet is a lot cheaper than a brand-new $1,500 unit. (Jennifer Bardsley)

A tidied-up media cabinet is a lot cheaper than a brand-new $1,500 unit. (Jennifer Bardsley)

Does my home need improvement, or am I just sick of it?

When I’ve decided to upgrade our furniture, my husband looks at the price tag … and gets to work.

“What are you doing?” I asked my husband. It was Sunday afternoon, and instead of relaxing, he had the tape measure in hand.

“Moving our daughter’s furniture,” he said. “Again.”

Over the course of the pandemic, our sixth grader has redecorated her room five times. She convinced her grandma to buy her a bed-in-a bag for her birthday. She scoured Pinterest for ideas. She saved up money and ordered fake ivy leaves, LED strips and tapestries. Basically, she’s become an 11-year-old version of Martha Stewart, without the prison record.

We all have our ways of dealing with stress, I guess. I’m not interested in rearranging furniture so much as I am in replacing it. But that’s wishful thinking, since furniture is expensive and shopping means popping our COVID bubble. Instead, I’ve ordered free fabric samples from furniture stores. I’m unlikely to spend $500 on a custom dining chair, but it’s fun to subject the dry-clean-only fabric samples to fork and spaghetti-sauce trauma. Yup, new chairs would definitely be a waste of money.

My biggest cost-saving decorating non-purchase was when I showed my husband a $1,500 media cabinet that would be great in our family room. “Look,” I said. “It has space for the sound bar and all of the miscellaneous junk cluttering our current cabinet.”

He stared at the picture. “Fifteen hundred dollars for that?” Twenty minutes later he had cleaned away the random wires, cables, DVD cases and old gaming consoles by our TV. He even brought out the dusting mitt. When he was done, our media console looked brand new.

Aren’t I clever?

My daughter’s clever, too, which is why my husband was upstairs, moving furniture instead of relaxing on a Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, I sat on the couch watching a new TV show on Netflix called “Get Organized With the Home Edit.” The concept was simple, bring in a team of women who squeal loudly whenever they meet a celebrity. Watch them transform rooms using thousands of dollars worth of plastic boxes from China. Oh yeah, and delight in their use of label makers.

Witnessing the makeovers was fun, so long as I had the sound-bar remote control when the squealing got too loud. I did agree that the rooms looked better after the team worked their magic. But were expensive plastic boxes the answer to home improvement? They seemed bad for bank accounts as well as the environment.

“Well,” said my husband, coming through the family room to put tools away in the garage. “Her room is redecorated once more.”

“I can’t wait to see it,” I said. “By the way, I have an idea for how we can improve the garage.”

“We” meaning, my husband, of course. I showed him how much the plastic boxes from China cost, and waited for the magic to happen.

Jennifer Bardsley publishes books under her own name and the pseudonym Louise Cypress. Find her online on Instagram @jenniferbardsleyauthor, on Twitter @jennbardsley or on Facebook as Jennifer Bardsley Author. Email her at teachingmybabytoread@gmail.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

What’s Up columnist Andrea Brown with a selection of black and white glossy promotional photos on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Free celeb photos! Dig into The Herald’s Hollywood time capsule

John Wayne, Travolta, Golden Girls and hundreds more B&W glossies are up for grabs at August pop-up.

Rodney Ho / Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Tribune News Service
The Barenaked Ladies play Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville on Friday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Edmonds announces summer concert lineup

The Edmonds Arts Commission is hosting 20 shows from July 8 to Aug. 24, featuring a range of music styles from across the Puget Sound region.

Big Bend Photo Provided By Ford Media
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend Increases Off-Road Capability

Mountain Loop Highway Was No Match For Bronco

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Mustang Convertible Photo Provided By Ford Media Center
Ford’s 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible Revives The Past

Iconic Sports Car Re-Introduced To Wow Masses

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

The 2025 Nissan Murano midsize SUV has two rows of seats and a five-passenger capacity. (Photo provided by Nissan)
2025 Nissan Murano is a whole new machine

A total redesign introduces the fourth generation of this elegant midsize SUV.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.