A few weeks ago I was making dinner and the kids were in the family room watching a movie when all of a sudden I hear “Mooooom! The TV isn’t working!”. I walked in prepared to change the channel and found my little troublemakers ON TOP of the TV console, pulling cords around and smearing their fingers all over a blank screen. *Cue freak out*. I will save you all the details, but it turned out that our tiny 5 year old TV had seen its last show and it was time to shop for a new one. Shortly after that I got the opportunity to purchase a new TV from Best Buy, talk about great timing! Then with an amazing new TV I just HAD to redo my living room. I mean, what better way to showcase the best electronic device ever? You know I love sharing how to’s so check out the makeover, complete with an amazing new flat screen!
Isn’t it awesome? To give you a better idea of the vast improvement we made, this is what it looked like before:
Omg. I can’t even believe I just showed you that. But anyway, I’m SO in love with my new TV that I want to share my secret weapon for getting the most bang for your buck (and believe me, with this kind of investment you NEED a little help.) I started my research with Best Buy’s Home Theater Buying Guide. I got a rough idea of what I wanted and learned about their Low Price Guarantee which price matches on the spot – no questions asked. With my top choices in mind I headed to the store to check them out in person.
And when I got there I was immediately overwhelmed. There were tons of TV’s everywhere with different features and price points and since I am pretty much electronic impaired I needed a guide. Enter Chris.
I told him my price point was between $700-$1000 and he took me through the entire TV section showing me my options. I wanted a BIG screen, but being the all knowing guru that he was he told me that big wasn’t necessarily better, and that I would rather have a smaller(ish) screen with better features than a big screen just for the sake of size. I originally wanted this 60 inch Samsung:
But it didn’t come with any smart features (a must for those without cable) and there wasn’t room in my budget for mounting and accessories which was a no-go. I ended up purchasing a 50 inch Samsung Smart TV for $750, a complete Geek Squad installation and a wall mount which put my total purchase right at $950. The Geek Squad came the next day to mount it for me and it was SO worth it!
Not only did they mount the TV, they untangled my mess of wires, plugged everything in where it was supposed to go, installed a cord hiding strip and showed me how to work everything. I was really impressed, and they even let Kaia get in on the fun.
They were in and out in 30 minutes and I was left with a beautifully mounted TV that was safe from the reach of tiny fingers!
After that I was ready to start my room redo with the $50 I had left over from my purchase. I shopped clearance aisles everywhere for a week and scored an adorable set of curtains for $14 (marked down from $60) and a great storage ottoman for $30 (marked down from $50). Next I needed something to dress up my TV wall, so I printed out some of my favorite photos of the kids ($2) and made an adorable photo banner with some yarn and scrapbook paper I had lying around.
Totally adorable, right? Here’s how to make it:
Easy Photo Banner
You will need seven 4×6 photos, scrapbook papers/etc, some spray glue, yarn, ruler, scissors, and seven small office clips.
Cut your scrapbook paper into seven 5×7 sized cards. Spray some glue on the back of your photos and apply one to each. Cut a length of yarn to about 60 inches.
Clip each photo onto the yarn in even increments and hang on the wall.
I hung mine right above the TV and it looks great! I am absolutely in love with my new living room – I didn’t have to change much, but the few updates I did make a HUGE difference. And of course, the TV is the absolute shining star! Oh and guess what else – come back next week for a recap of my Sunday football/TV reveal party, complete with adorable decor how-to’s and a few great recipes for game day! #CollectiveBias #OneBuyForAll
[…] and you know I jump at any chance to create things so I thought it would be fitting to debut my brand new big screen with an adorable and easy gal pal football party! I invited a few of my closest (football loving) […]