Memorial Day Projects

Memorial Day is a day to remember. My husband has used this day for the last few years to remember his father. In doing so, he likes working in the yard, being alone with nature. This year he chose to do some back yard projects. He built a deck and installed a pond.

“How is that frugal?” you may ask. Read on.

Our deck was made in a somewhat unconventional way. Hubby researched it and found that it was much cheaper to purchase fence boards rather than 2 x 4’s to build with. He went further to find the best possible deal on the wood. Our deck was built for about 2/3 of the ‘normal’ cost.

The pond was on sale from $159 to $103 at our local garden store. They did not have another one available so we asked if they would discount the floor model which had not been used, just set up. The manager gave us an additional 20% off, making the cost $82.40, leaving us with a savings of more than 45%!

We got a few pond plants from our neighbor, some 33 cent goldfish, and now our yard is complete. It is beautiful for a fraction of the price.

And yes, we save up for these projects. They improve the value of our home as well as improve our overall happiness.