Doing Things Differently: Make Do With What You Have

Start By Using What You Have
Bubbly Dynamics' approach to purchasing is to always start by using what we have. (Then borrow, or barter, or thrift, ... but we'll address those ideas some other day.)

Back to our design problem at the South Side Cellars: we needed to partition the shared space from Whiner's brewhouse, but how best to build attractive gates for this giant doorway that would still allow the brewery's access to and through the space with their forklift? The options we tracked down in our preliminary search not only didn't meet the constraints of the space, but they were expensive and, by and large, uggggly.

Then we noticed that ACMF, the metal fabrication business at Bubbly, had some Corten steel panels with gorgeous decorative cut-outs that hadn't been shipped out to their client. Turns out that the work didn't quite meet spec, and the panels would have been otherwise been destined for scrap, but they turned out to be perfect for our doorway!

What Can You Do?
Instead of rushing to purchase something new, consider what you have that might be tucked away that can be used or repurposed for the need in question. Sometimes simply waiting to hit "buy now" can create enough time to think about it and consider whether the item you're chasing is truly needed. Or, as mentioned above: try borrowing, swapping, or buying second-hand as alternatives to purchasing something new.