Thursday, March 12, 2009

Hooked on Craig's List furniture finds

I thought I would join in the fun at Julia's Hooked on Fridays blog carnival.

Since Mike and I got married almost three years ago, we've managed to fill up the rooms in our house with furniture on an itsy-bitsy budget-- some of it we got super cheap or free just so we'd have a few things to fill up our first apartment and then house, but a lot of it is really nice stuff.

Most of the things worth keeping we've been fortunate enough to inherit from relatives. We've also inherited some furniture from past landlords/tenants/friends along the way. But some of my favorite pieces were found on Craig's List for mere dollars.

Here are a few of the steals we snagged:

Tiger oak storage bench-- $30. There was a little white paint on it that could be scraped off with a fingernail. Big deal. Jack likes to hide in it.


Kitchen hutch-- $30. (It was a ball of grease the day I loaded it into the back of our van, but it turned out nicely with the grease gone, a new coat of paint and new handles-- plus it's a great storage space in my kitchen.


Antique oak dresser with mirror in Jack's room-- $60. I bargained to get this 75% off the asking price. The Pottery Barn rug in Jack's room was another cheap CL find.


Antique Oak buffet- $150. The lady was originally asking $250, but even that was a steal. It's currently holding our tv (and a bunch of movies) in the living room.


We also got a nice cherry sleigh crib for $25, a wicker chair and ottoman for free, some coffee/end tables for free, a nice real wood computer desk and chair for $5 and a lot of other great deals.

18 comments:

Terry said...

Good grief! I'm stunned. I presume it took some scouting to find these pieces. These are home runs - grand slams.

Linda at Lime in the Coconut! said...

Wow! I'm hooked on your finding abilities!
That, girl, takes some talent!

Suzy said...

I am a die hard CL fan, scanning the ads every day, especially free stuff. I love all of your finds, I have a few of the like-pieces too! I also go street searching a dump day!
Thanks for Sharing...

Holly said...

Holy cow, awesome stuff! I have a dresser very similar to yours that was my great-grandmother's (and it's tiger oak). But I've also purchased several items from CL, including a hutch for $35.

Arleen said...

Wow, you found some beautiful pieces on Craig's List! Thank you for sharing these photographs with us. ~Arleen

The Tiny Homestead said...

those are great CL finds. I really like your hutch. I found one somewhat like that recently, but I was too late to get it. Got to get back in the hunt. Your low prices are inspirational :)

The Tiny Homestead said...

eeek! I just checked your profile and you are my local cl competition! hehe

amariaf2000 said...

Oh my goodness - what amazing finds you got!! I am going on Craig's List now and see what I can find!!
~angela @ peonypatch

Carolina Mama said...

These are beautiful! you did a great job. Thanks for sharing.

serina said...

i agree with the other comments; you've got some great finds here!

i, too, love craigslist. i miss having the listings of a big city. our local craigslist isn't too bad, but there is less to choose from.

totally jealous of your bench and kitchen hutch! gorgeous!

i just scored an interested wood armoire (for $50) that i will use to house art supplies, homeschool stuff, and other misc things. i need you to come and help me paint it.

serina said...

er, that was "interesting" not "interested." the armoire has never communicated with me, as far as i know.

Things That Inspire said...

You make it look so easy...but you really must have been watching the listings! It takes patience and negotiating skill to make finds like these!

Have you heard of freecycle? It reminds me of Craigslist, but everything is free. I have used it to get rid of things that I know would have another life with someone else. It was created to prevent useful things from going into the landfill.

heather said...

I'm a little jealous. I adore the bottom piece; it reminds me an awful lot of my dresser. If I had more room at my place, I'd be haunting CL for some oak goodies, too.

bungalowbliss said...

Holy smokes, are those some great finds! I especially love the storage bench--and for THIRTY DOLLARS! Good for you!

amylouwho said...

I love it! Those are some great finds!

I just bought a dresser on there and gave it a makeover.

Why S? said...

You've been very fortunate. I find CL is a lot of work, constant looking and mostly I find a lot of tired stuff from the '70s. That could be a function of my location. I've recently been lucky with thrift stores. This weekend I'll be re-painting a desk I bought for $30.

Laura Ingalls Gunn said...

I am visiting via H.O.H. Great post! Love C.L.!

I hope you'll stop by for a visit, I am hosting a giveaway.

Julia @ Hooked on Houses said...

Oh, wow, I'm impressed. These are all GREAT pieces!