Why I love Craigslist

I hate paying full price. Whether it's home stuff, clothes or whatever else I spend my hard earned money on, I'm looking to get what seems like a deal to me.

So when I first bought my condo, and was spending all my money on bringing it out of the '80s, I was looking to stretch every penny I had to go from just about zero furniture to a full 600 or so square foot's worth.

Enter Craigslist, the place where secondhand furniture goes to be reborn. As I scanned through those listings for the first time, it was like I had found my mecca. I plunged straight into the world of the second hand deal and have never once looked back.

Like many of the newly converted, I felt the need to spread the Craigslist gospel. It's sad though. I espouse my love of Craigslist to all and sundry, and I'm met with skepticism and derision.

Isn't Craigslist just full of Grandma's crap? (Yes, that plus more!) Don't people ask ridiculous prices for their "beautiful, like new, 15 year old couch"? ( Yes, yes they do!) Am I going to bring BED BUGS into my home from second hand furniture? (Well, possibly, but hopefully not if you're careful! And scary fact - some retail stores have had bed bugs too. Shhh.)

Anyway, I've seen the Craigslist light and feel driven to share it with others. So in my next post, I am going to tell you how to find what you never knew you needed and unearth the furniture jewels from all the coal. As I have also experienced the joy of selling on Craigslist, I will also at some point soon give my tips for a safe and easy transaction.

Bur before I go ahead and give away all my secrets, and to show that I practice what I preach, I give you my living room:

Please excuse my amateur blurring of the view out my windows.

And now a source list:

See there? What's the number one source of furniture in my living room, in fact accounting for 50% of the major items showing? Why, it's the list of Craig. And just to explain why I love that guy so much, well let's just say I paid more for my Ikea items than I did for any item I bought second hand, including my sofa.

Coming soon: my personal tips and tricks for finding what you're looking for on that giant wall of text!