re-decor & nesting

As soon as the New Year hit last month, something felt different.  I felt the need to clean up and rearrange things in the house and donate any unused and not needed 'junk' that has accumulated throughout the year.  Anyone who knows me, knows that this happens once in a blue moon.  I will be the first to admit that I'm no housewife nor do I strive to be one.  Heck, if we had the extra money, I would have my own personal housekeeper!

Little did I know, I was actually officially nesting.

My goal is to get everything done before baby comes in 4 months.  I think that's enough time.  In between, I have two birthday parties to plan and a baby to prepare for but that's just motherhood.

As I looked around the house {pictures to come} I made a mental note of the things we needed the most.  A wardrobe for our room, one for Lil J's, a desk, chair and pretty much all new furniture for Miss S, paint on the walls, a storage solution for Lil J's massive toy factory and the list goes on and on.  How would we be able to afford all of this in such a short amount of time?  Oh, I was determined to make it happen!

And then I found the re-decorators Bible known as....................Craigslist!!!

Seriously, I had never really considered getting things second-hand.  I always found the best deals at the stores - and I'm not talking just stuff on sale......I'm talking really steep sales.  But I decided to give Craigslist a try - especially for stuff for the kid's rooms.  My first purchase?  The exact desk Miss S fell in love with on a recent visit to Ikea.  I had promised her that she would get it but my husband thought the price tag was too high.

Micke Desk @ Ikea.  Regular $99

The desk was listed for $50.  I ended up getting it for $35.  There was the tiniest knick on the front edge of the desk that was easily covered up by a black Sharpie.  The best thing about Craigslist?  The prices are negotiable - most of the times.  Definitely up my alley.

Of course with any desk you need a chair!  We had one set up for Miss S already but it was old and a plastic piece on the bottom was missing.  I asked Miss S if she wanted a white or black chair and she said she wanted white.  But I just couldn't resist the price of my next purchase:

SNILLE Swivel Chair - Black.  Regular $29.99

Dare I say the price?  $5!!!  It was a bit dusty - looked like it had been stored in a garage or storage area.  A few wipes and it was good as new - save for a few surface scratches that you really couldn't see unless you were looking super close.

These purchases jump-started my Craigslist obsession.  I am on my phone every morning, afternoon and just before bed.  You never know when these great deals are going to be posted.  For example, yesterday at 7:00am I found myself on my phone surfing....you got it......Craigslist and a few entries down was an Ikea PAX wardrobe selling for $90!  If you know Ikea prices, you would know that that is a phenomenal price.  The frame itself is already $150.  Plus you have to add on everything you could possible imagine you would want in a wardrobe - the doors, the door handles, drawers, pant hangers...and the list goes on.  Below is a picture of a similar wardrobe except ours has two drawers:

PAX Wardrobe with 2 doors+4 drawers.  Regular $484 {not including add-ons}

You really have to see this beauty to believe it.  I was {and still am} in absolute awe with this purchase.  I'm sure my husband had as much fun disassembling it {and re-assembling it very soon} as I did just looking at it.

My other Craigslist purchases for Lil J's room include:

LOVA Bed Canopy.  Regular $24.99

STUVA Storage Combination in birch.  Regular $150 {not including add-ons}

TROFAST Storage Combination.  Regular $129

The previous owner of the LOVA leaf canopy insisted that it had never been used.  It did look like it was stored in the garage and I noticed one minor hole after I purchased it.  But for $10, I can't really complain.  The STUVA wardrobe would probably be over $200 in the store and I got it for $90.  Wish it was a little bit cheaper but still better than paying regular price.  The TROFAST storage combination is amazing!  The best purchase for Lil J - ever!  He takes things out of the bins and actually puts them back - in the bin and back to the storage frame...right where it belongs.  I got this baby for $50 including 3 huge storage bins, 1 small one and a huge bin full of Mega Blocks.  I did end up purchasing extra bins at Ikea for around $10.  No biggie.

I think I'm pretty much done for now.  You may have noticed that all of my purchases were from Ikea.  Not intentional at first but I had been meaning to get these items for some time now.  Plus everything was assembled already - a major plus!!  If you ask my husband, I can't put Ikea items together with....well you get the point!

I will be posting before and after pictures of the redecorated rooms - as soon as they are done.

Have you started your spring cleaning yet?