Hey y'all. It's Friday. I had planned to talk about something else this week, but after I posted about the valance and pillow cover, a reader friend asked how often I seek out house-y bargains. I'm so glad she did, because we haven't talked about bargain hunting at all lately. So, let's talk. There's a lot that goes into shopping for all this stuff, and after wrestling with how best to present it, I thought I'd use our family room as an example of our/my techniques. And when one room proved too meaty for one post, I broke down the different tips for each avenue we took in here. Today: Craigslist.

Furniture, throws, rug = $1268, including delivery and van renting fees.

Let's talk about the family room. That $1,300 figure doesn't seem that cheap to me when laid out like that, but it includes everything you see here, including pillows and blankets, excepting only art and the little decorative things, like boxes and globes. We didn't buy any art or tchotchkes specifically for this room, and some is decades old, so it seemed fair to leave that out. Ack! I forgot about curtains and rods. The gray were $20, total, and the white about $12, total (both Goodwill). Rods $26, total (Marshall's). So we're still close to $1,300. Phew. Oy, and lamps: the tall standing brass is $6 from Goodwill, and the curved brass were probably $10 total, thrifted long ago. Sorry! A lot goes into these rooms! But still: Since couches can cost more than $1,300 - and indeed, ours did, new - that's not too shabby a price tag for the entire space.

One more note, as we start down this bargain hunting road: We have to acknowledge the tension between constantly trolling for bargains - which can yield amazing deals - and staying out of the darn stores/off the web in the first place, which is a tried-and-true method of saving cash. I really try to walk a line between these two. I admit that I find shopping, especially thrifting, clearance-bin excavating, and Craigslisting, really fun, so there are times when Lou and I will head to Goodwill just for kicks, and in browsing with no set agenda, find some great stuff.

My little bargain hunter in training. This is fall 2013, for those curious.

But, even if I was scoring things that individually were, in fact, bargains: Surprise! Shopping for entertainment, or even constantly trolling for awesome stuff, is not cheap. You need to know when to troll, and when to back up.

But luckily for me, when it comes to Craigslist, trolling is the name of the game.

Craigslist for Bargains

Level of trolling required: High

Awesomeness of possible bargains: High

Amount of flexibility required: Medium-High

Step 1: Decide what you want.

I use Craigslist for big, pricey items, because it's mostly not worth it to me to get small stuff from there. Craigslist sellers often require a buyer to pick up, and without a car, that's not so easy. Plus, it's just weird to go to a CList person for like, a lamp. (I'm not saying I haven't done that. Just noting that the awkward interaction isn't really worth it). So, since I reserve Craigslist for big stuff, I start by first figuring out, roughly, what I want, and what my parameters for what I'll accept are (more on that below). Without some guidelines, it's easy to fall down a rabbit hole on CList. So, when we knew we were moving, I checked out my Pinterest page for living rooms I'd found inspiring, and then looked at catalogs and online to see what was out there. Based on market rates and figuring out we really wanted, we set a pretty big budget for our sofa. What we really, really wanted was a genuine, 8- or 9-foot long mid-century couch that we'd have recovered in our own custom fabric. This process, and the thought of it, made me giddy.

Step 2: Troll, troll, troll.

Here's the thing about Craiglist: it's always changing and good, well-priced things go fast. You gotta keep going back and looking for what you want, and immediately notify sellers if you're interested. Once I knew what I was looking for - a mid-century modern sofa without back cushions in good shape - I started obsessively reviewing Craigslist. Like, day and night. This whole process was greatly helped by a moderate case of pregnancy insomnia, but if you have a desk job you too probably have the time required to spend hours scouring ads for the right sofa.

Step 3: Be a bit flexible.

Though I knew what I wanted, I was also open to some other alternatives. Which you pretty much have to be, anytime you enter the thrifted or clearance racks, because you're not, you know, custom-ordering anything there. So I was open to a well-made newer couch with mid-century lines, and even some later-70s models, too, that had slim bones but did have back cushions, and were in great condition - the kind that have been sitting in a grandmother's living room for 40 years with nary a bum to call them home. We were pretty set on a couple, but we didn't "get" them - as in, we were too slow or never heard back from the seller. The couch we ultimately got was a deviation from our original plan. It's Room and Board, and newer, but it's a bit beat up. The previous owners had a dog, who clawed up the upholstery a tad, and it's a little smushed. It was also $180. For $180, we were willing to be flexible. (This similar model starts at $1,500). I jumped on the phone with the seller, and the following Saturday, we rented a van and picked it up.

Step 4: Be quick.

If you find something you like, reach out immediately to see if it's still available. If a seller offers a phone number, call or send a text (at a respectful time of night or day). You'll get a much better response rate than email.

In your email/text/call, let the seller know you're serious, like by offering specific times to pick up, or even, if you're serious and can't pick them up right away, a deposit. I paid a deposit on the dining table because I couldn't pick it up 'til the weekend, and I wanted it (though not as good a deal as the sofa, the dining table was exactly what I wanted, for a great price). I paid on Paypal, and if you pay a small fee (i.e, admit that it's a business transaction, and not just money passing between old friends), you're actually offered some protection if a deal goes awry, so it might well be worth it for you. I have found that offering a deposit really telegraphs my sincerity, and in a world of flaky CList buyers (and sellers!) this goes a long way. If you're unwilling to offer a deposit, offer to get there as soon as you can. Meaning, if you can go after work tonight, say that you're available to pick up after 6 pm this evening, that sort of thing.

Step 5: Be prepared

We almost didn't end up with this silly couch. Though the seller had helpfully told me I'd need to bring "a screw" to dismantle the legs and get the sofa out of their apartment, I thought she probably meant something like screwdriver, or you know, actual TOOL. So I brought my cordless drill and an Alan wrench, figuring I was prepared. I wasn't. They actually needed a regular old wrench. Okay. I'd also asked, repeatedly, if her fiance and I would be able to get the sofa out of the apartment on our own. She said yes. When I got to the four-story walk-up, I had my doubts. I was pregnant, so pretty unwilling to even attempt it, but even as my normal self, who prides herself on arm-wrestling abilities (or DID until I heard about the risk of compound fractures from arm wrestling, OMG), that would have been a darn stretch. Luckily, we were able to get Bret there (long babysitter and driver's license issues stories on why I was the one there in the first place), and he brought a wrench, and he and the other dude carried it down four winding flights of steps. So learn from that. Never trust a seller, and bring your whole toolkit and your strongest friends with you to load furniture. Seriously.

Step 6: Look over your piece carefully.

When I got to the couple with the couch, the woman selling it pointed out the roughed up spots along the back cushion, saying, "This is the only place where there's wear, and we just put a cushion on there." (She's Australian. She meant throw pillow). So, I believed her. Not 'til I got home and we flipped over the bottom cushion did we see the huge hole in the upholstery there. Why I trusted a woman who so clearly flubbed the rest of the exchange is beyond me, and you might be rightly asking what I was expecting for $180. But I consider this truly terrible Craigslist etiquette, which is dear to me, because if people mess up too much, Craigslist won't be a thing anymore, and that would be so, so sad. Still, the blame's on me: I should have checked it out, even if I felt a bit awkward about doing so after she'd pointed out the "one spot" of damage.

If something is not to your expectations, then I think you can make a deal. For example, the rocking chair was listed for $60, which ended up a little high, because the chair did have a couple marks the seller hadn't fully disclosed. When I picked it up, I just didn't feel like haggling with the guy, but if there's a reason for it, haggle away. If the item is as the seller described though, I consider it bad Craigslist form to try to haggle once you get there. Your showing up has pretty much sealed the deal.

Step 7: Bring extra cash.

On the same day we got our couch, to minimize van rental fees, we picked up our dining table and the black and white rug in the family room from another seller. He was emptying out a friend's entire apartment for him, so while we went for a dining table ($300), we left with the rug ($80), curtains, napkins, and linens, all brand-new and high-end ($40 for large bag), and came thisclose to leaving with a real Eames desk chair for $100. WHY DIDN'T I BUY THAT CHAIR??? Anyway, many Craigslist sellers are selling more than one thing, and it pays to show up ready to see what they have to offer, because, as always, cash is king. If someone is selling something on CList, they want to get rid of it. Your smiling face, and more important, moving van, are really, really big incentives to sell things cheaply to you - or even give them away.

Step 8: Expand your reach.

My couch came from Manhattan, which was nice and close. But that rocking chair - I picked that up in West Chester, PA. Because I was going to be visiting my and Bret's parents around the time of our move, my Craigslist searches included all of New York City, plus southern Jersey and the Philly suburbs, all the way out to York, PA. It wasn't a big deal to borrow my dad's van and pick something up - in fact, less of a big deal than getting to Manhattan, in some ways - so it made sense for me to do that. If you're highly mobile, I really recommend expanding your search as widely as you can.

My Top Craigslist Tips in a Nutshell:

Skip posts without photos. You don't have time for that.
Look only at "by-owner" posts for true bargains and used stuff, UNLESS you're looking for something coveted - like an Eames chair or a true vintage piece - in which case, don't filter out dealer posts, as they may have the best stuff.
Respond to posts you are interested in promptly, and respond to seller replies quickly as well.
Check out your purchase thoroughly when you get there, even if it feels a tad awkward. You don't want to stew in rage later.
Expand your search geographically as far as you possibly can.
If you're shopping for more than one thing and transporting things is an issue, do your best to arrange to pick everything up on one day, so you only have to borrow/rent/steal a truck once, and save on costs that way.
Bring extra cash. Bring tools. Bring Brawn.

In conclusion, this is probably a good time to relate a version of my favorite axiom:

Fast/Easy. Cheap. Good. Pick any two.

You can get an incredible deal on something on Craigslist, but you're going to have to work for it a bit, starting with the trolling. If this makes you cringe, never fear - there are more bargains to be had than from Sir Craig and His List. And I've got at least as much to say about all of them as I do here, so check back in the next few Fridays for more. I'm also available as a virtual or actual shopping buddy, so consider that! thanks for reading and have a great weekend.