Craig's List

Recently, I discovered the gold mine that is Craig's List (I know - I'm WAY behind the curve). We knew it was time to start piano lessons with our oldest but did NOT want to spend a lot of money on the instrument given that 3 rough kids will be banging on it over the next few years and that all 3 may decide that they loathe it. After searching around town for used pianos and coming up short, I tried Craig's List. The first time I looked, bam - a used upright piano being sold for $400. I went and saw it that day and it was in our house the next. My son had his first lesson 2 weeks later. VERY gratifying!

After the piano luck, I started browsing for dining room furniture since we wanted some eventually but were expecting it to be a while. After scrolling through the newer posts, I found an old one advertising a Thomasville dining room table & 6 chairs for $675 or best offer. Thankfully, the owner had been out of town for a few weeks and had gotten no bites until our call a few weeks after she posted it. Needless to say, I hastened to see it and snapped it up for less than the asking price. I absolutely love it and love that since it wasn't too $$$ I don't mind my kids being messy kids around it. It will be used!

Now, with Craig's List, there are a few things I have learned.

1. Only look for what you need - if you regularly browse you will inevitably start buying things you don't need just because they are such a DEAL! 2. Shop local - that's my conservative opinion b/c we have several friends who were scammed when buying from other locations. 3. Go see each item in person - pictures only tell you so much. 4. Be conservative in your product/$$ exchange. We were really old fashioned and handed the sellers cash after the item was safely in our home or on it's way to our home.

You better believe the next time we are looking for anything, I'll probably check Craig's List first. Happy Hunting!