Craigslist: my BFF

Craigslist has been a huge part of my life for the past few years. That sounds so weird, doesn't it? We have found two apartments there, I got my job in White Plains and my job here from posts on it, sold my car on it, and I have bought and sold countless pieces of furniture. It's my jam.

Next thing you know, I'll be looking for friends on Craigslist.

Just kidding.

My most amazing find EVER was this gorgeous gold bamboo coffee table. The first term I always search for in the furniture section is always "bamboo" and after weeks and weeks of having no luck, I saw this beauty in a for sale post. You really have to have a vision for what you are looking for, because this gorgeous thing was pictured in the most God awful place. The pictures looked disgusting but I was determined to make that table mine. I dragged poor, sweet Joe to a town about 30 minutes away from us at the time, and met an older woman who said the table once belonged to her mother. I handed her $50 and drove away a happy girl.  It is so stinking heavy, and Joe thinks it is the ugliest thing in the world - but I am so in love. 

These are really old pictures, but are the best ones I have of the table.

I was randomly looking around on 1stdibs.com - one of my favorite places to dream and window shop - when I stumbled upon this listing for MY SAME COFFEE TABLE! FOR $1200! 

Anyway, that just goes to show that there really are some gems on Craigslist if you have the time and patience to keep looking! You have to be open minded and not quick to judge the horribly ugly pictures and bad spelling that people post on there. I've read some really, really helpful blog posts on searching for things on Craigslist, but the most helpful things were these lists of keywords to search for: 

{from the amazing Jenny at MFAMB -  please read her post, it's so hilarious and explains more about these search terms}

{this is another great search term list from LiveLoveDIY, and another awesome post with tips}

You can go to those two posts for more details, but here are my personal tips that have really helped me find the good stuff:

• If you are looking for something in particular, do a quick search maybe once a day or a few times a week. Even when I'm not actually looking for a certain item, I will usually search some of the terms above a couple of times a week. People post this stuff all during the week, so you have to search often if you want to snag the good stuff!

• Once you find your special item, be smart about how you contact the seller and where you agree to meet them. I have an email address that I use that does not include my name that I basically only use to communicate with these people, and will only call or text if I absolutely have to. If I'm meeting a man to buy furniture, I always make Joe come along with me so they can't try anything fishy! Just use your brain and be careful!

• You may find a beat up dresser that is in the style you were hoping to find - keep an open mind and remember that you can always paint the piece and add new hardware. If you find something with great bones, go for it! 

• Always negotiate! Sellers are usually very willing to go down on their price, so I always lowball and have them meet me in the middle. I love, love, love finding a good deal! 

Happy Craigslisting!!