#ThriftyThursdaysWithFallon

This past week I had the privilege of being interviewed for Zibra Paint’s new podcast called, the Before and After Furniture Refinishing Podcast. I highly recommend you listen to it so you can hear the interview and get more in-depth details on my top 5 favorite places to find furniture to paint and restore. You can click HERE (Season 1 Episode 1) to listen to it on Zibra’s blog!

Now. let’s be honest. If I had to pick my absolute number one favorite place to find pieces of furniture to paint, it would definitely be the gorgeous, solid-wood piece that someone put in a trash pile on the side of the road, buuuuut…that doesn’t happen often! Haha. So, here are my realistic top 5 favorite places: .

Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is my number one option year round. It is nice because it is literally at my fingertips. I can set the alert button on the item’s I am interested in and it will notify me as soon as something has been posted. However, I still like to browse through the Marketplace even if I’m not on the lookout for something specific. Sometimes that’s when I find the best pieces. Another great thing with Facebook Marketplace is that you can see who you are dealing with and if you are the first to respond to a listing or not. If you are, it’s exciting because you know you may have a chance at getting the piece.
Auctions
I love going to auctions during the late spring, summer and early fall months. This is just my personal experience, but when I go during the winter months, the crowds are larger, resulting in more people biding and the prices being more expensive. I guess since it’s cold out, they come inside looking for a deal.
If I am on the lookout for more than one piece, auctions are my go to place. I can normally pick up 3 or 4 pieces at a decent price. While I haven’t actually done this, most auction houses have a day where you can walk through and inspect the pieces. I have two small kids on top of everything else I do, so I don’t have time to do this. However, I do look at my options online before I go. I also try and get there about 30 minutes before the furniture starts being auctioned off, so I can inspect the pieces I have my eye on. I like to have a maximum bid on each piece too. It SO easy to get caught up in the moment and start bidding higher than you want, which means less money in your profit, so you have to give yourself a cut-off point so this doesn’t happen.
Yard Sales
Yard sales are my jam!! You can find so many great deals on not only furniture and staging décor but also on many other things such as baby toys, kid’s clothes, etc. The more you yard-sale the better you get. I have been doing it pretty hard core for about 10 years now, so I feel like I know most of the tricks to finding the best items. As we get closed to spring, I will do a more in-depth blog post on yard sales so stayed tuned for that!
Second Hand Stores
Second Hand Stores (Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity Restores, etc.) I like to shop at these places during the cooler months, compared to the warmer months because during the warmer months I’m hitting up yard sales so my inventory stays pretty solid. However, because it is Yard Sale season, people are donating more item’s, so it’s a gamble. If I had to offer one piece of advice about finding nice pieces of furniture at second-hand stores, it would be to visit them frequently so it increases your chances of finding something nice.
Family, Friends and Followers
Over the years this has become a big option! Thankfully, once people know and understand what you do, they want to help you out! Family, Friends and Followers contact me quite often to see if I would be interested in purchasing a piece(s) of furniture they are trying to sell. It’s a great trade off because they are helping you get a good deal and you are helping them get rid of it. Plus, it is nice knowing the history behind the piece; where it came from, who used it, how old it is, etc.

Notice I didn’t mention Craigslist? I personally think it’s fading out, probably because of all the ads, spam and weirdos. I feel like Facebook Marketplace has taken it’s place. One of the gambles with Craigslist is that you cannot see who you are dealing with and on Facebook you (typically) can. You also don’t have to email the person and wait for their response, which can sometimes take a while. On Facebook you can immediately send the person a direct message and they will respond pretty quickly.

Make sure you check out my blog post on the 10 Pieces of Furniture I Do Not Buy when thrfiting for furniture. This will help you when you’re looking for pieces to buy, paint and restore.

Thank you so much for reading this blog post today for #ThriftyThursdaysWithFallon. I truly appreciate you stopping by and I hope this information helps! If you do find something, let me know! I want to see your treasures and celebrate with you! Happy furniture shopping!! See you tomorrow for #FridaysWithFallon!