Craig's List Enthusiast!

I don't know if any of you have the same problem I have...I love Craig's List! I have found the best stuff on there. My husband knows when I call him at work and the first thing I say is I LOVE YOU, that he is swinging by to pick something up that I got for free on CL. My finds have been, a wooden swing set/play thingy (we call it The Monstrosity, cuz it's HuGe), a nice cabinet for my sewing room, sewing machines, lots of things for the children the list could go on and on.

My most recent find was fabulous if I do say so myself. I had a baby in August, child #4, and decided that to save a few buckaroos I should try cloth diapering. I have lots of friends that cloth diaper so I was able to use them as support and reference. Buying ready made cloth diapers can be a daunting and expensive endeavor, so I set out to make my own. Bought all the supplies, made the CA-UTEST diapers ever and when my baby came out he was already too big for them...AAAUUGGGHHH! So I used disposable for a few weeks, in the mean time my friend, bless her heart, sold me some used Fuzzi Bunz to get me started. I used those and made a few more of my own (bigger this time) and now he's outgrown all of those. So I decided that I was gonna have to fork out the bucks for the one size cloth diapers, or commit to make several more sizes (I was not willing to do that).

Long story short, being the thrifty girl that I am I've been procrastinating spending the $300 it was gonna take to buy those plush, already made diapers, and my procrastination paid off!!! Searching Craig's List I found a woman in my area giving away a bag full of cloth diapers. They were all the sizes I needed (I won't need any bigger) and it was a huge bag, we are talking a large leaf garbage bag, full of random diapers. AIO, pocket, covers, snapped, Velcroed, you name it.

Here's a pic of about 1/4 of the diapers that I got (the other 3/4 are dirty and you don't want to see that!). I am so pleased with my find, and to add a cherry to the top of that sundae when I got there she (the woman from CL) had a bag of women's clothes she was giving away that just happened to be in my size! They were all cute and gently used SCORE!

So here are a few things I've learned about getting great stuff from CL:

1. You have to check it often, I'm a little embarrassed to say that I check CL about 10ish times a day. If something good comes up it goes FAST!

2. If they leave a phone # just call, don't wait for an e-mail to be answered.

3. When responding to them via email be sure you use the exact wording of the ad title in your subject line, some people use this as a means of weeding out spam. They may delete you if it's not exact.

4. NEVER go get anything alone!!! This is basic safety ladies, take a friend or spouse, NO the 4 year old does not count! This also goes for selling items on CL. I never have someone come and get something from my house unless my hubby is home. If you live alone or are concerned, agree to meet in a public place. I've picked up lots of things in the parking lots of our local grocery stores.

5. Be considerate. If you agree to meet someone or pick something up DO IT! Don't leave them hangin' it's just bad form.

So those are a few tricks of the CL trade. Now go find something fab for free!