I've managed to make a few Goodwill trips, and I've hit up my favorite junk shops a couple of times as well. And let me tell you, this has been a summer of treasure. So much treasure in fact, that this entry will be a two-parter. Today we're going to focus on the things I've found in the last 3 weeks, and how I saved my family over $3,000.
A few weekends ago I was helping one of my BFFs look for treasure for her house. She'd done some painting and rearranging and she needed some fun stuff for her walls. We found some awesome stuff, and I only had to threaten her a couple of times to keep her from passing on anything truly amazing. Even though her house was the focus of the day, I managed to find a couple of things. A charming little set of dollhouse furniture (more on that later!) and a delightful little terra cotta watering can. All told, I paid $12. After a date with a can of spraypaint, and a little pot of ivy, this majestic beast now resides in my bedroom.
On this trip, I discovered a charming pair of andirons shaped like labrador retrievers. I thought they would be perfect on my fireplace, but I was trying not to spend money since we were a week away from our annual beach vacation. At $95 they were just more than I could reasonably spend for a non-essential, so I sadly walked away. But I just couldn't get them out of my mind, and I told my husband and my mom that I wanted somebody to buy me those dogs for my birthday. My mom said she'd be glad to, so despite the fact that my birthday is a full month away, I raced back to the store the day after we returned from the beach, praying the whole way that the store would be open and nobody would have snatched up my treasure.
Success!!! The weird little decrepit store, stuck behind a gas station and filled with a random assortment of stuff and an entire room of old stereo equipment was open, and my dogs were patiently waiting for me. I joyfully snatched them up- well, more carefully than joyfully, these guys are cast iron and they are HEAVY!!! Upon getting them home, I did a little research. They were made in the 1950s by the Liberty Foy Foundry in St. Louis. And I found a few of them listed for sale ranging from $450-$1900!!! SCORE!!!!
I figured nothing could top a find like that, but I was wrong. I've been perusing Facebook marketplace regularly, and I've found some great things. Yesterday I stumbled across a lovely kitchen table priced at only $100. The seller agreed to a final price of $75, and I quickly dispatched my husband and my dad to fetch my newest prize. They returned with a very large, VERY heavy table made by Hooker furniture. (See what I did there?) We looked it up, and sure enough, it's still in production and retails for around $1900.
Now, this particular Hooker would not go for $1900. She's seen better days, been used hard, taken a beating or two (too far?), but she's got a lot of life left in her.
Ignore the dust and sandpaper!
She's got great legs!!
For now, there's a cheap, old Hooker in my garage taking up my husband's parking space, but I'm hoping to move her indoors soon. Once I give her a good sanding, I'll bring her in for a paint job and we'll finally have a table big enough for our family. And, if you've been keeping up with the math, you can see that I saved my family tons of money by spending $170. Because we definitely would have spent $3800 on cast iron dogs, and tables....
Stay tuned to hear about the most amazing Goodwill find OF ALL TIME. Seriously- it's proof that Jesus loves me and there is a Santa Clause.
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