Comments on: The Room that Craiglist and Yard Sales Built

By: Polo

Polo — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:48:42 +0000

Yeah that dog seem enjoy the sofa…, love the room thought…

By: Pam2cats

Pam2cats — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:18:20 +0000

To anyone who thinks pets are tough on furniture – just wait until you have kids!

By: Ely

Ely — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:21:51 +0000

I agree, pups are the best value! We have 2 and they are worth every penny and then some.

Nearly everything in our house came from Craigslist, thrift stores, yard sales, or discount outlets. Everything else was probably bought on sale. I get 90% of my clothes from clothing exchange parties. You don’t need to spend a lot to have decent, functional stuff and you rarely have to buy new.

By: Lazy Man

Lazy Man — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:06:00 +0000

It wasn’t a jab at our photographer, it was praise for him. It was a jab at the photographers that tried to get us to $5000 for a product that not significantly better than the one we able to put together ourselves for a lot less. I’ve seen some of the $1000 wedding books that come with the $5000 photographers and they are indeed great, but the picture quality in the book is exactly the same to my and my wife’s eyes. The paper quality is better, but it burns in a fire like any other paper. I’d really hate to have a spill or stain on a $1000 book, but our Snapfish one is a lot easier to replace. It’s also easier to get copies for the parents which is signficant when you’ve got three sets of them (one set of divorced parents).

As I found with many things in the wedding industry, the “reason” why things are expensive is that the vendor can pull on the heartstrings with the line, “You only get married once! You might as well do it right!” We saw costs for nearly every vendor skyrocket whenever we mentioned the word “wedding.”

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:43:03 +0000

Not loving the jab at your wedding photographer. A professionally designed and printed wedding album is expensive for a reason.

By: Pam2cats

Pam2cats — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:37:15 +0000

Lovely room. Would just like to add that pets are more important than furniture. If you don’t believe that – don’t have any pets. As for wedding photos (it was a long time ago) we had a couple of friends take snapshots (point-and-shoot I guess they are called now) and we paid for film and developing:)Putting hundreds of dollars in photos is not an investment.Just a debt. Marriage is more important than wedding. And only “new” things I buy are electronics (tv,pc,etc)

By: E_Gregious

E_Gregious — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:30:25 +0000

I’ve bought lots of furniture on CL. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Copy and paste the whole listing into an email, because if the seller takes it down it is gone. I do this for things I’m just considering so I can find it again.

Be very careful about furniture being sold new for low prices, especially mattresses or upholstered furniture. You don’t want to spend a couple hundred on something with a frame made of cardboard, or a fumigated mattress.

Make a laugh list for the used furniture that people are asking WAAAY too much money for. There are some crazy deluded people out there!

When buying baby furniture, be sure you know the safety regs and make sure the used furniture is safe and up to date.

Chat with the seller as they are often selling other stuff or may be in the future. I have bought things from sellers that way, and was given a cool folk art table once.

Don’t overlook freecycle, either. For one, it is a good place to get rid of your excess worn out sofa that no one would buy, and also to find some random crazy deals.

By: Mrs. Frugal

Mrs. Frugal — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:30:20 +0000

Great job, the room looks great! We’re using the same methods to build our nursery right now. We got a crib and mattress for $60 off Craigslist. Buying new would have cost closer to $400.

And about your puppy…we have three and there’s no keeping them off the sofa and chairs. Our big dog waits until we leave the house before he lounges on the furniture but knows to get down before we get home. But he’s not great at covering up the evidence. Gotta love ‘em though!

By: RJ Weiss

RJ Weiss — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:09:36 +0000

Enjoyed the post.

I recently just moved in to a house. After not having any furniture besides the trusted college futon, I have been able buy quality items very Craigslist or at outlet stores. It’s amazing what’s out there. They key is to remain patient.

By: Mrs. Money

Mrs. Money — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:54:59 +0000

Wow, looks great!

Bad puppy! lol

By: Bucksome

Bucksome — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:00:57 +0000

I found your living room tour interesting and the room is very charming (especially puppy).

The wine rack is great and what a bargain!

We just bought our first big purchases from Craigslist last month (a gently used dryer) and like you recommend it as a shopping venue.

By: Frugal Babe

Frugal Babe — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:31:50 +0000

Most of our stuff is second-hand too. Craigslist is my favorite website :) We shop at thrift stores and yard sales… it all allows us to have much nicer stuff than we would have if we had to buy everything new. Plus, second-hand is the ultimate green choice. Your living room looks great!

By: Kmom

Kmom — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:46:05 +0000

I love the room… and the dog on the furniture (making it even more cozy and inviting). To me a dog on the furniture says they feel welcome. Even with my two other dogs, I really missed when my Great Dane got too arthritic to sit on the couch next to me and miss her even more now that’s she’s gone. I know people who don’t believe dogs should be in the house. I know people who don’t let their dogs on the furniture… that is their choice, as is the choice to let my dogs on the furniture. To each his own!

By: Money Beagle

Money Beagle — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:03:16 +0000

Nice work! We’re going to be finishing off our basement in the next couple of years and I’m hoping to furnish and outfit it in similar fashion rather than running out and buying everything brand new.

By: The Digerati Life

The Digerati Life — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:29:12 +0000

I love Lazy Man’s house. His dog is crazy friendly. And they make good food over there. :) Nice pix of your stuff man! When I first saw that wine rack, I could NOT believe he got it off Craigslist. Then again, you would not believe I got my dining set from there either.

By: Lazy Man

Lazy Man — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:06:52 +0000

My wife has a decent size SUV from before we met. The wine rack fit by about 3 inches. The chairs required a couple of trips, but the yard sale was close. Everything else wasn’t that big.

By: Kosmo @ The Casual Observer

Kosmo @ The Casual Observer — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:03:57 +0000

Damn. People pay 5 grand for wedding photos? I’m thinking ours were $500-$1000. We didn’t get the digital pics, but got to keep all the proofs and got quite a few photos for that price.

Photographer was a friend of mother-in-law. Sort of a hobbyist, but quite good. Well worth the price.

Again, this is Iowa, where prices to tend to be lower :)

By: Mr. ToughMoneyLove

Mr. ToughMoneyLove — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 03:16:19 +0000

I’m about ten dogs ahead of you. Reasons to keep dogs off furniture: smell, loose fur, claws (don’t ever get leather furniture if you don’t have a trained “no furniture” dog), and the number one reason: boundaries. You have to be the alpha in all respects. There has to be territory that is exclusively yours. I have a good friend that has to keep old sheets and blankets on every sofa, chair, and bed in their house, because their older dog never had proper boundaries set. I enjoy having our labs next to me also: curled up at my feet on the floor.

By: Hazzard

Hazzard — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:40:28 +0000

LOL.
Spoken by a true dog lover. Rooms look good. I’m always amazed at the amount of money some people will spend to decorate their homes. As you point out, a little creativity and a little time can get the job done WAY cheaper and look just as good! Now go get your buddy a dog treat! :)
Hazzard

By: Andy Hough

Andy Hough — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:39:31 +0000

Looks Nice! This shows you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a nice living area.