Craigslist Scores

There are people who absolutely hate Craigslist. And then there are people who would buy pretty much anything.

I'm in the middle.

I don't mind the occasional plastic toy like the $6 Little Tikes toddler slide that I scored. Or the Rainforest Jumperoo that I negotiated down to super cheap in almost brand new condition! But I won't buy much more than that.

Selling, on the other hand, has been also quite successful for me! A couple years ago I sold an old chandelier that we replaced in our last home for a great price. (I couldn't believe someone even wanted it!) And this past weekend, I sold this black table and stool set that we had for FIVE years and bought from Nebraska Furniture Mart. We only spent $125 on the table and I listed it for $75 on Craigslist and got $75. I should have listed it for more too as I got about 12 emails within the first couple of days after listing it! Can you believe that rate of return though? We were so surprised.

In a search for a good toy box for Drew, I once again turned to Craigslist. I figured if we were going to buy some big Little Tikes or Fisher Price plastic toy box, that it would fine to buy a used one. Then, I pulled up a link to an old wood toy box with this picture and died.

I knew my father was coming into town within a couple weeks and could help clean it up and re-finish it. I immediately contacted the seller and ended up negotiating the price down to a measly $25!! I'm not one for antiques, or old handmade items, but I just really am in love with this box. It's SUPER sturdy, very well made and was enjoyed by another 'Drew' for years.

So I put my dad to work. He cleaned, he sanded and he stained. It would have taken a lot more time and work to strip the old paint and re-paint the entire thing, so our only fast option was a stain. It's now this dark color with a hint of green/blue showing through and looks GREAT!

Derek put on the toy boy hinge so that it doesn't slam down on Drew's fingers and it's done!