Showing posts with label yard sale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yard sale. Show all posts

Friday, July 15, 2011

Patience, Young Jedhi....

Have I ever mentioned my love of craigslist? It's like a huge, online yardsale...what's not to love? I have some friends who steer clear of craigslist, for fear that they will be murdered. I'm not too concerned, mostly because I send Steve to do all the pick-ups. He's a black belt in karate. He can handle it.

So, I have been searching craigslist for the past year for a set of four counter height barstools with rush seats and high backs. I wanted the Pottery Barn look, but I can't afford the Pottery Barn price ($269 per stool...hello, crazy!). No offense to those of you who have purchased those lovely stools, because they're pretty and droolworthy, just not in my budget. Unfortunately, throughout the year, my search yielded nothing. Do you know how hard it is to find four stools that are exactly the same? I had not given up hope, but was starting to think I needed to increase my budget (or beg Santa to please stuff some stools down my faux fireplace).

That is, until last Saturday morning. Steve and I loaded up the girls to do a little yardsaling. My man likes to yardsale. That's hot, don't you think? We were running late (9:30 a.m.) and I was whining about all the good deals being gone. As we were speeding down the main street of our town, on the way to a rather wealthy neighborhood yard sale, I spotted them out my window.

"Barstools," I yelled, as Steve slammed on the brakes and said, "Where?" Good man, I tell you. We made a quick u-turn, and I wondered out loud about the size and the condition and whether there were three stools or four. As I was mentally going through how much I planned to pay for said stools, Steve screeched to the curb and said, "Go!" Right there in front of me were four, perfectly matching, sort-of-pottery-barn-like, barstools. Four. I tell you, I was about to pee my pants right there on Main Street (as I cooly turned around, smiled a huge smile and held up four fingers to Steve).

Then I calmly made my way to the owners and asked, "How much do you want for those barstools?"

The lady said, "Well, I'd like to get $25 for them."

I thought for a moment. $25 a piece...$100 total. I only had $80 with me.

And then I said, "So...$25 each or $25 total?" She looked at me like I was a little crazy and she said, "Oh, just $25 for all four of them, honey."

To which I yelled "SOLD" and started jumping up and down, right there on Main Street. It took ten minutes to figure out how to stuff them in the back of the car, but I was super excited!

And, now that you've made it through this long story, I present to you...
My Barstools...

I'm planning a little kitchen/family room redo (yes, it will be our fourth paint color in the family room)! When I do that, I'm going to repaint the stools (white or maybe turquoise or orange or red???). But for now, I'm just thrilled with my frugal find!

Monday, April 19, 2010

I've got the Joy...

Last year, I bought this hideous mirror with a plastic, gold frame at a yard sale. Steve thought I had lost my mind when I drug it into the house, but I was thrilled. I love yard sales, and I love to imagine what the "junk" could become. The problem is that I'm not that crafty. My college roommates still tease me about my basket weaving skills (or lack thereof). But I love the idea of craftiness and I'm envious of girls with a knack for creative decorating. When I grow up, I want to be them. For now, I buy yards of fabric with plans to make curtains and pillows, even though I can hardly thread a needle, and I drag home tacky gold mirrors that spend their days in my dark basement. Until a few weeks ago, when I had an idea, bought some spray paint and went to work on the hideous mirror (sorry...I don't have any before photos, but trust me...it was bad).
Today, it looks like this:

The night we hung it in our hallway, I knew immediately that I wanted to write "Joy" on it. I don't know why...maybe I was just full of joy at my new-found craftiness! So I wrote on the board and went to bed. Briefly. A few hours later, Kate woke up crying and whining and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. She told me (around 1 a.m.) that she was really hungry for pancakes, and I decided that pancakes at 1 a.m. sounded pretty good to me, too. So we headed down to the kitchen for a late-night snack...where she proceeded to throw up all over everything, just a few feet from my "Joy" sign. Nice. She threw up five more times that night. I made many trips past that "Joy" sign and at one point I started laughing. Maybe I was exhausted and delirious, but I do believe that God had a plan when He put the word "Joy" in my mind (and on my new chalkboard). He definitely has a sense of humor and it was not lost on me that long, puke-filled night...full of Joy.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

"Hunting" for a good deal...

Today was one of my favorite annual events...something that I like to call the female version of 'hunting.' It goes something like this:

4:45 a.m. - Wake up, throw on blue jeans, T-shirt, sweatshirt, brush hair (or throw on hat), brush teeth and get ready to go.

5:15 a.m. - Check to make sure you have money, flashlight (or head lamp) and double-stroller, necessary for transporting the spoils of the "hunt."

5:45 a.m. - Meet your friend in nearby parking lot, laugh at each other's early morning appearance (see photo below), decide which car to take (always the biggest one), double check that you have money, flashlights, and stroller; hit the road.

Sara, sporting a head lamp


6 a.m. - Arrive at "hunting" grounds, laugh at your inability to park your husband's ginormous truck (needed to carry home spoils of the hunt), get stroller ready, turn on flash light (or head lamp) and start walking to hunting grounds.

6:05 a.m. -8:30 a.m. Hunt, Hunt, Hunt for the perfect dress, toy, game, book, jackets, shoes. Mingle with friends from church, high school, the YMCA. Lose your friend and start to wonder if you'll ever find her among the masses of "hunters" on the parking lot.

8:30 a.m. - Finally find your friend, share the good deals, discuss things you should have gotten, compare bargains and decide where to go to breakfast.

10 a.m. - Arrive home with spoils of hunt, proudly display them for husband and children (unless, of course, they are Christmas gifts and then hide them immediately), take pictures and blog about it.

It was a good morning. I love the thrill of the hunt. I love the bargains. I love kid's yard sale day. Check out these good deals.

I got all this (and more) for less than $80!


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