What $150 will buy you: Craigslist edition

I've been in the market for a new kitchen table and chairs for more than half a year, and this week my patience finally paid off! I wanted to buy used (since I have little kids who are hard on furniture) and I didn't want to pay more than $300 for a table with a leaf and six chairs, so I knew it would take some searching.

My old dining set was just sad. It was a (FREE!) hand-me-down from some friends, who took it all over the world in their military travels. We've had it for more than eight years, and I have no idea when it was originally purchased. All I know is that it was quite literally falling apart. Maren stained every single one of the fabric chair cushions, and the caning on the backs of the seats is breaking. It's gotten so bad that I've just let Maren paint and color on the table without covering it, and I've used my Xacto knife on it without bothering to find a cutting mat. It's TOAST. So bad, in fact, that I don't think we'll even be able to donate the thing to charity. I think we're going to have to take it apart and put it out with the trash each week, piece by piece.

My search on Craigslist has been fairly casual. I've been looking off and on but have mostly found tables and chairs that were just as ugly and dated as mine, only the owners wanted $300 for them. Crazy! I did find a listing for a gorgeous Ethan Allen French Country style dining set for $275. It was lovely and a screaming deal, and by the time I called the seller it was long gone.

Monday night I decided to check the listings just for fun, and found one that interested me: a table and 6 chairs for $150. The shape of the chairs was cute, the blue was iffy but looked paintable, so I called to ask if I could go have a look. When I walked into the seller's home on Tuesday morning, I knew it was promising because she had her home decorated with cool antiques & vintage decor. I fell in love with the table immediately and handed her my money before she wised up and realized she could have easily asked for (and likely gotten) double.

I borrowed a truck and we were able to bring the table home Tuesday night. I LOVE it! It turned out that there were actually seven chairs--the seller had an extra that she threw in for no charge. The pieces are all in fabulous condition, they're the perfect size for my kitchen, and the blue looks absolutely perfect with all my vintage kitchen decor and the navy blue walls in the adjoining family room.

See how nicely it matches the blue in my vintage tablecloth? It also matches my $5 garage sale curtain valances from last summer.

Even The Mister likes the table. When I told him I found a table for $150, he was worried I'd be bringing home some rickety old mess (who, me? I've never done that before ;) But when he saw the table his fears were allayed and he likes it too. Best $150 I've spent in a long, long time!