New Old Stuff

One of the goals of this whole house project is to find "new" things as frugally as possible. This includes re-purposing existing items found in the house, finding family left-overs that we can re-make our own, doing numerous (alright most) fix-up projects ourselves, or doing something new the most cost-efficient way possible. Pretty much, we are newlyweds on a very tight budget, but I still like things to be nice gosh darn it, so I will do everything possible to make them that way!

That's why, in the past week, I've had two gem finds. They don't happen often because if we've learned anything with this old house, it's that boards settle, wiring goes out, and nothing is EVER as simple as you expect it to be. First, I found a NEW chair at none other than Marshall's, and even talked $10 off the price for little scratch on the front. I have to give my sister credit for finding the chair, but a new find is a new find, and considering this same style chair is selling at Rooms To Go for $300, I consider it a STEAL at $110.


The second gem find was through my aunt. I actually picked this up over three years ago when my aunt cleaned out an old storage unit filled with antiques that I plundered through and snatched items from because I liked the style or lines. Of course, being a wee college Senior at the time with no storage room, my parents held onto these items until I could find a suitable place for them. However, with the house approaching near-complete rooms, I recently decided to look over my "finds" and see what could be used. Several of the items are the subject of future posts, but my favorite was this:


My other blog-savvy aunt, who squealed with excitement over rediscovering it with me, described it as an old sugar chest. Through some research and mainly my blog-savvy aunt, I've discovered that a sugar chest was used in families to lock and store their sugar supply because it was such a prized commodity. In fact, the sugar chest is really a unique Southern form of furniture due to the old plantation culture in the South, and the status symbol with keeping sugar. Well sign me up for that! Naturally, this one isn't a really high-class sugar chest, but it's one nonetheless. With a little cleaning, it is ready to go in the living room, and I paid $0. I might even call this a diamond find.