Stay tuned- yard sale find

I'm so excited about a yard sale find. I will post pics when we get this thing installed. But before I get into what it is, I think I am going to start a series on my yard sale finds. I'm often asked how I am able to stay home with my kids. Let me just say that one of the big contributors to making this a possibility is my ability to buy a lot of what we need/want at yard sales.

I have always been a yard saler though even before my kids. I'm such a tightwad with money that I never really understood paying more money for something that I can get at a yard sale for 1/4 of the price. All of our lawn equipment has come from yard sales, MUCH of my home decor, and nearly all my kids clothes are from yard sales. And here's the thing, my kids wear Gap, gymboree, old navy, children's place. Most I only pay $1 or less for. I just recently scored a whole bunch of gymboree outfits for Maggie for .50 each. Hello- those outfits probably cost $35 a piece.

The secret, one of them, to finding a good deal, is to go every. single. weekend. Every Saturday I'm up and out at 7am. I have a mental list, and sometimes a physical list of what I'm looking for. I don't feel like I have to come home with something either. If I don't see what I'm looking for, I keep on moving. Here's an example of a list. One day I dropped the pitcher to my Mr IceTea maker. Can I just tell you that I don't know how to make tea any other way? I went to Walmart to find a replacement and my Mr Ice Tea maker was old so they didn't even have replacement parts. I would have had to buy a new one for $18. Nonsense. I got up that Saturday and told Rick that I would come home with a Mr Ice Tea maker pitcher. That's pretty specific don't you think? I'll be darn if I didn't find not one, but 2 that day. A lady had 2 pitchers and her maker broke so she was selling the pitchers. SCORE! I think I paid $1 for both.

So, back to what I'm excited about. Since I'm a stay at home mom we're broke most of the time. But you know what, one day I'll be working full time and we'll have more money to do whatever, but right now, I get to be with my kids while they are home and NO amount of money is worth it. But that doesn't change the fact that I hate the fluorescent light in my kitchen. I hate florescent light period. End of story. First of all, it shows dirt in my already white kitchen like crazy. Light fixtures are like at least $100. Yard sales are a great place to find them. If its not the finish you prefer, get a can of spray paint and voila. I'm a big fan of Oil Rubbed Bronze. Rustoleum makes a really good spray paint. I have done a lot of the brass fixtures in our house with the ORB. I found a light fixture this weekend for $5 and its really nice. Don't know how it will look in the kitchen but if it doesn't look good there I will put it above the fireplace. We're putting it up tonight so I'll post before and after pictures tomorrow.