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Painting on a Budget
10 Tightwad Tips
By Tawra Kellam
6. Use the paint at the bottom of the paint can when nearly empty to paint the trim. I got enough paint out of this "empty" gallon to do the entire room's trim.
7. Don't use painter's tape. Painting is just like coloring inside the lines in school. Use a small, one-inch, angled paintbrush and slowly go around the edges. It takes less time than putting up and taking down tape. Keep a wet rag by your side in case you make small mistakes. Some tape also lets the paint bleed through, so it's not a very clean finish.
8. Store your rollers and brushes in a plastic grocery sack between paintings. You don't have to clean them after each use if you keep them from drying out. Refrigerate overnight or freeze them if you are going to not be painting for several days or weeks.
9. Turn the ceiling fan on in a room to speed up drying time.
10. When you're done with your painting clothes, turn them inside out as you take them off. This way, you don't accidentally get wet paint on anything.
Tawra Kellam and her husband have three children, and devised a system to pay off more than $20,000 in debt over a period of five years – all the while living on an average income of $20,000. She is a frequent contributor to Web ezines and has her own Web site where she shares her newest ideas for everything from decorating for holidays to cleaning the kitchen floor.
