Spending More to Retain My Guests

Before I head out for a long vacation I always clean my house from top to bottom. I dread the idea of coming home to a messy house. The last thing I want to do after a restful vacation is come home and clean, so before I leave I empty all of the trashcans, clean the bathrooms, sweep the floors, clean the sheets, wash the clothes, overhaul the cat litter, wash the dishes, dust the furniture and clean out the fridge.

With the house in order and the newly cleaned laundry put away I went out to buy a few odds and ends for our beach house. Our vacation home gets an extraordinary amount of wear and tear in a limited amount of time. There are a couple of household items that are almost always in need of replacement. Linens fade and rip from constant washing, dishes are cracked and broken, and pots and pans are often scratched and scuffed.

The stores near our vacation home are quite costly and I know I’m bound to save money if I buy household items before I travel down south. Today I went in search of new comforters. I tried to find sufficient bedding at Burlington Coat Factory, (where I had a gift card), but none of the fabrics felt quite right.

I hated leaving the store without a blanket or two in hand. It seemed like such a waste to spend money at another store, when I could have gotten the items for free with my gift card. On one hand I wanted to save money, but on the other hand I couldn’t bear to give my renters cheap and scratchy blankets. In the end I decided I’d rather spend the money on extra soft bedding than take the cheap route.

After visiting three stores I finally found soft comforters at an affordable price at Ross. I purchased two queen blankets at $34.99 each and one king for $49.99. Last year more than half of our renters came back for a second, third, or fourth season. I like to think that it’s the little niceties, like soft bedding, that keeps luring them back.

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