Find of the Week, July 16-22

My $10 Dresser!

I have been looking for a dresser since I moved to Austin in September 2005. Until I found this dresser, all of my underwear, socks, bathing suits, and lingerie were smooshed into a wooden crate (another yardsale find).

On Saturday, I finally found my dresser. I got it for $10 from a yard sale in my neigborhood.

My neigbors hosting the yard sale are actually Kerrverts too, so I made a new connection! Too bad they're moving up north soon.

Now, you can see from the picture that the dresser needs a little work. Three of the drawers are missing treads so their a little off. It also needs new handles and a new paint job. This is no big deal for a DIY-er like myself. I love painting furniture.

Honestly, I'm just so happy to get all of my undies and socks off of the floor!

Also in this picture, you can see a few of my other finds this week: A straw Stetson hat (50cents) and two books on energy-saving home contstruction ($1 for both).

The mirror in the picture is a yard sale find too, I just can't remember where I got it.

Why I Yard Sale

My Roommate's $1 find
1. Family Tradition: Some of my fondest family memories involve going to yard sales, auctions, or thrift stores with my mother and the original thrifty bitch, my grandmother. My mother and I still call eachother with finds. It's like a game we play.

2. Saving Money: I am in debt. Crazy-ass, paralyzing debt. I simply cannot afford things, even though I make a nice middle-class income. Yard saling allows me to get the essentials (okay, plus some stuff I didn't know I needed) at a price I can afford, without going further into debt.

3. We do not need more stuff in the world: Okay, there are somethings I will not buy used, like shoes, underwear, and pants (my size isn't so easy to find even in retail stores), but for the most part, you can get what you need for really cheap. My apartment is almost fully furnished and decorated with auction/yard sale/dumpster/hand-me-down finds.

4. Used stuff is more interesting: You never know what you're going to find. This can be good and bad, but a little work and digging usually results in positive finds. I have the most interesting jars, trinkets, and artwork that I've found at yard sales.

5. Yard saling is sustainable: aside from using gas to drive around town and haul stuff, by yard saling, I am reducing waste by using stuff that might otherwise be thrown away. Not only are we reducing waste, but we are lessening our dependence on the mall, retail stores, and gargantuan Wal-Mart-type stores.

6. I'm getting to know my community: I'm relatively new to Austin, TX and I'm quickly learning its streets and neigborhoods as I seek out yard sales. I'm meeting people and starting to feel really connected. You never know who you're going to meet, especially in this freaky city!

One $10 tent, one cup of coffee, and a blog is born

It was beautiful. Red and green with a large screen door and back window. Its size was the most impressive part. I'd been camping at the Kerrville Folk Festival, which is 17 days long, in my high-end, light-weight, and small-ass backpacking tent. This 8'x10' tent holds the promise of luxury, and it was only $10.

Before this year's festival, I had fully intended to go to Academy Sports or a place like it and spend $65 on a cheap but big tent. At this particular yard sale, I stood over the tent looking at the $15 price tag, laughing at myself. I said to the seller, "can you beleive that I'd probably have no problem buying this new in a store and paying $65 but here I am trying to talk myself out of spending $15." She told me I could have it for $10. Sold.

My roommate offered to watch as I set up the tent in off of our back patio. Like I said, it was beautiful. Drinking coffee on a Sunday morning, this tent inspired me. I had scored. I wanted to share my joy with everyone. A blog was born.



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