Why I love Craigs List

I have friends that are super awesome yard salers.  They get up at the butt crack of dawn on Saturday morning and drive all over the county finding great deals.   They truly impress me and sometimes I think I want to be them, b/c I too like getting good deals.

But, I don’t like getting up at the butt crack of dawn any day of the week, much less Saturday.  And I especially don’t like dragging 4 kids around with me all over the county at the butt crack of dawn, worse yet having the kids see stuff that other people are clearing out of their house and begging me if they can then bring it in mine and then me coming home without the outdoor patio table and chairs I’d been wanting but with a bag full of happy meal toys that are now going to clutter up our family room floor.

B/C I know that is exactly what would happen to me.  I wouldn’t come home with the cute rug for my master bedroom, I’d come home with 4 grumpy kids and nothing to show for my early bird gets the worm rising.

Enter Craigs List.

I LOVE CRAIGS LIST!! 

In fact, if you walk around my home, chances are 9 times out of 10 your going to come across a craigs list purchase.  With craigs list, I search FROM MY HOME, for the exact item I want, e-mail or call, and then send my wonderful hubby to go and retrieve said item. 

I’ve gotten some amazing deals, A-MAZING, on exactly what I was looking for, at a steal of a deal.  (it seems some people when moving basically give away their stuff b/c they don’t want to take it with them)

The last 2 years, I got our girls Christmas gifts off of craigs list… one year it was American Girl dolls… the year before that it was a gymnastic mat, cheese mat, and beam….

This summer, I got our outdoor patio table and chairs, my homeschool cabinet, my daughters book bag, a receiver for our stereo, a china cabinet, and a surprise for my kids which I am not putting on here lest someone tell them.    

I’ve learned a few things shopping on craigs list. 

1.  It really pays to check often.  It helps you get a feel for what things sell for generally.  Your not always going to get the item you see, often when I would call or e-mail, the item I wanted was already gone.  Be patient.  Another WILL come along.  I check a few times a day… it really doesn’t take much time to do a quick search. 

I had to wait 4 months for my patio set.  But, in that 4 months, I saw what most were going for.  I saw what they were going for new at the store, and I knew when we needed to leap for it. 

Same with the china cabinet.  I looked all summer.  I missed out on a few, saw one that just wasn’t as good in real life as it was in pictures… I knew when people were asking a lot for a piece, and I knew when we needed to drop everything and go for the hutch.  And now I can’t stop smiling at the beautiful hutch I have been waiting 9 years for the right dining room, plus the right hutch, at the right time for. 

2. Which leads me to the other thing about Craig's list shopping.  It isn’t convenient.  People want rid of the stuff they list ASAP so chances are if you see something you want, you gotta rearrange your schedule to go that day if possible and pick it up.    Here is where I give kudos to Scott b/c most of the items I purchase lately are big items which require him to do it and he has very lovingly driven all over kingdom come on days that are not convenient to pick up the deals I’ve found.   If he wasn’t willing to do this, it wouldn’t work.  Just like I’m not willing to get up at 6 am on Sat to go yard saleing.  If you don’t want to pay full price for something, chances are you gotta sacrifice somewhere, and you need to decide where your willing to make the sacrifice. 

Sometimes people have been willing to hold items for us.  Sometimes they have not.  Just be prepared. 

3.  Don’t be afraid to walk away.  Sometimes you find that thing and your sooo excited only to get there and find it has a big stain on it or something.  You gotta know when to walk away and wait.  Don’t settle. 

Truthfully for me, patience has been the biggest pay off in Craig's listing.  Waiting till you see just what you want at the price you want can take time… but man it is so worth it when you bring home that piece you’ve been wanting and you know you got it for a great price. 

I can’t believe how much money I would have saved had I known about Craig's List sooner.  I kick myself for the things we bought full price for never even thinking to check on Craig's List.  It’s been a real blessing to be able to furnish our home and provide for our children in this way.