Don’t forget to take advantage of you local Ikea Labor day sale. Free breakfast everyday until 10:30, $59 POANG chairs and $7 LACK tables. Man you just can’t go wrong.

I have always admired Bodum for their simple yet effective kitchen goods. We have a nice little tea press made by them. For some reason when I think about Bodum, I only think of simple glass goods for the kitchen. Well today I discovered that they do appliances as well. This simple and affordable Bodum coffee grinder is nothing special, it won’t mow your lawn or organize your favorite strudel recipes, but it will help you get your grind on. This attractive little guy will grind up to 1.6 oz of coffee at a time, helping you start you day off fresh and in style.

Available from feelmorehuman for $19.

I have been seeing more and more solar panel as I walk around neighborhoods lately, and often times I wonder if it would be practical to put one on my house. The other day I stumbled across RoofRay, a great resource for calculating your solar potential. It uses the familiar google map interface and lets you draw the size of solar panel you want on your roof. It calculates your solar potential based on panel size, slope, and the direction it is pointing. Unfortunately for us it confirmed some of my suspicions. For us to do a large (really large) panel on our roof it would cost $50,000 and take 30 years to save us enough money to pay for it. It makes me wonder if there are any similar resources for wind turbines?
Check your solar potential at RoofRay.

Here at Grassrootsmodern we are big fans of mid-century modern design and also big fans of Curbly. So you can imagine when the two come together we are all over it. Chris Job made a great how to video on making a mid-century modern style birdhouse. The video is great (watch it after the jump) and along with the article over at Curbly it’s got great instructions on how to make your own. He does use some slightly more advanced woodworking techniques (dado’s) but points out that they are not really necessary. This would be a great weekend project.
Check out the article over at Curbly.
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I guess it may be a little early to start looking for a 2009 calendar, but the way time flies, it’s really just around the corner. I came across some Egg Press Calendars over at Design Sponge today, and while the offset calendar is nice, I’m more partial to the simplicity of this letterpress 2009 one. It has only four pages, one for each season, and is printed on thick cotton pages. What it lacks for functionality (good luck marking all your lunch meetings on this one) it makes up in looks.

Available from Egg Press for $24.

Whether you are a jetset junkie, or you just like going on picnics every chance you get, an insulated bag is a great way to keep your food cold (or hot). I’ve bought simple plastic ones from Rockhill Creamery at our farmers market to keep things cool, and they worked great. If you are looking for something a little more stylish however, definitely check out the canvas cooler bags by Sagaform. Unica home has them in stock in black or khaki, with the small size starting at only $29.

Available from Unica Home $29 - $ 69.

I’m a gadget junkie, which means that when we go traveling we have a small arsenal of electronics to take with us. The Load Ding device organizer by XXD is just the thing to add a little organization while charging on the go. This simple piece of white pastic is flocked with black, red, or pink on the inside and folds up to form a little tray to hold your electronics as they charge. When not in use it packs flat and takes up hardly any space at all. Just perfect for an adventure on the road.
Available from A + R for $15.

The Muji Wall mounted CD Player may not be the most practical CD Player out there, nor is it the most affordable. I considered not even sharing it because of the hefty $178 price tag, but in the end I was just too excited to keep my mouth shut. It has been unavailable stateside until just recently and is now available at the MoMA Store. This simple little CD Player has built in speakers and the players power cord doubles as an on/off switch. You just give it a tug to turn it on or off. Compact, clean, and unfortunately expensive.
Available from the MoMA Store for $178.

I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t the cheapest water pitcher on the market. While the $85 price tag may be hard to swallow, there is no doubt in my mind that it looks $50 better than my old Brita water pitcher. The clear glass pitcher uses Iouseki stones come from the mountains in Kanazawa, the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast. In addition to the stones the pitcher uses Binchotan charcoal to filter your water. The combination of the two leave it pure and mineral fortified. The charcole and stone filtration system can last up to six months, and save all those plastic filters from going to the landfill. Oh, and did I mention it’s absolutely beautiful?

Available from DWR for $85.

Well I have been avoiding it for long enough. I finally took the plunge and set up a facebook account. I’m hoping that besides being a fun way to stay in contact with some of my old friends, that it can also be a good way for me to get in touch with some of the awesome people that follow my blog. So if you feel so inclined, add me as a friend. I also set up a Grassrootsmodern group on facebook. I thought it might be a good place for some further discussion on living modern affordably.

My facebook account.