Second Hand

There's a first person account over here about somebody furnished thier house for 675 dollars through office discards, yard sales, curb side pick ups, and neighbors getting rid of furniture. There are over four thousand comments (and counting)- not all of which are positive. A number of people think this is tacky, unsanitary, and suitable only for people who want to live in squalor and ugliness.

Here are some of our free or nearly free finds:

The top part of this hutch was sitting out by the trashcan at a neighbor's house.Most of the books are second hand.  The baskets are second hand.  The lamp is second hand. The only things in the picture not second hand are a few of the books and the little china teapots. They were a gift from my husband.

There isn't anything new in this picture. The books and bookcase are secondhand. The pictures are secondhand. The tall wooden chair is from the Rattery. The director's chair is from a yard sale. The hooks on the wall and even the switchplate came from the thrift shop.The yard sale chair was the most expensive item at 8.00.

The blue and green cabinet is from The Rattery, I had to refinish it because there was a huge crusty stain of something on top.

Green bookcase - it used to be black, and I no longer remember whether it was a yard sale or a road-side find. The desk isn't showing up well in this picture, but it is a huge, solid wood teacher's desk circa 1950 or so. 25.00 at an auction.

Aw, you can see the desk better here.  I think the only things purchased new in this pictures are the printers and the coat rack with the rocking horse on it, and they are probably in the worst shape.

You've seen this before if you've been reading here long. The chair was frmo The Rattery, and later Jenny reupholstered it. The couch is from a former co-worker of my mother's. We paid fifty or less (I don't remember any more exactly what).  They were a childless couple who were ready to redocrate.  Lamp, table, 'coffee table', the bowl of accent balls, the accent balls, even the fabric covering the coffee table all came from yard sales, thrift shops, or Rattery finds.

Ahhh, the reupholstered chair, upholstered with cast off fabric as well.

This chair and the pillow came from the thrift shop.  It is incredibly comfortable.  The chair was less than five dollars. 

In my room, the bed is 'new' (13 years old), and there is a broken bookcase that was nce new.  Everything else, the curtains, the nightstand, loveseat, wicker chair, dressers, hutch,quilt rack and more- all were secondhand, whether from a thrift shop, yard sale, curb side, or the Rattery.  Honestly, I'd trust the cleanliness of a roadside pick up item more than something from the Rattery.

While the comments on the original article seem fairly evenly mixed, the ones opposed to furnishing a home from second hand products seem disproportionately venomous and even stoop to mocking the personal appearance of the original writer (who has  photo by her byline, and while nobody merits that level of ugliness over personal appearance, she really doesn't).  What is so distressing to people about the idea that other people do not go into debt to furnish a home?