Sunday, March 31, 2013

Penny-Pinching Paint

Let’s talk paint. 

One of the first things I knew I needed to do when I bought this house was paint just about every room (and touch up paint in the one room that had a decent color).  So I’ve been dreaming with color swatches for the last few months.  Deciding on a color scheme was not that difficult.  I love corals, pinks, ocean blues, and beiges (think more golden beige, not the drab “greige” that has become so popular all of a sudden).

My mother already had a color swatch booklet from Sherwin Williams that I started flipping through.  While they had great whites for trim and the perfect gold-tinged beige, I could not find the vibrant yet soft shades of coral and ocean blue that I was looking for.  And this was such a pity because Sherwin Williams was running a sale for 30 percent off total purchase. 

 
One day I decided to go into Benjamin Moore and check out their swatches.  I described the colors I needed and they immediately directed me to the perfect shades.

 
“Are you having any specials?” I asked hopefully.

“Nope,” the salesman quickly responded. 

Shoot.

Then my mother (who has become my partner in crime in many of my home improvement/shopping escapades) whispered, “Take the swatches and see if Sherwin Williams can match the color.”

Genius.

And you know what?  They had the exact same colors in their data base, saving me over $50. 

So what can we learn here?  Paint is expensive, especially when you’re needing  several gallons, so check out the major brands to see who is having a sale (you can find this information by looking on their website).  Once you find a sale, gather up your dream swatches, regardless of brand, and have them match the paint.

 
And feel no shame.  When you’re a new homeowner and you’re broke, you have to be resourceful.

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