I love to look around my local swap shops and transfer stations for great free items.  I am the kind of person who will go to the dump on a Saturday to see what is good enough for me to take home rather than for me to drop off.  It may seem odd to think that a person would actually like going to the dump, but most of the people I know do the same as I do.  Believe it or not you can get some great stuff, and best of all, it’s FREE.  I have seen people get Bicycles, Tables, Books, Machinery, Computers, Furniture, Kids Toys and so much more.  I could list everything I have gotten from my local dump, but it would be a very long list!

A couple of Summers ago I got a great find at my local swap shop.  Someone had dropped of an antique dresser.  As soon as I set my eyes on it, I grabbed it!  Not only was it in fabulous condition, but it was my style.  I am drawn to antique furniture and items, I just love it.  When I got it home I turned it into a diaper changing station.  All I had to do was give it a nice wipe down, get a few new knobs and put my changing pad on top, and voila, a great looking diaper changing station with lots of storage.

It has been used as a changing table for the past year and a half and it was now time to move it to my daughters room and use it as a dresser, but it needed a little updating.  I had lots of paint from previous projects, so I painted it a nice antique white and then I painted the knobs with purple and pink dots.  It fits perfectly in my daughters room and I think it look great.  Best of all it only cost me a few dollars for some wooden knobs, and I had a great looking dresser.

Below is the before and after photo of the dresser.

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• Swap Shops and “Gift Shops”

For those of us who have fireplaces and or wood stoves starting the fire is the hardest part.  Once the fire is roaring, it is easy to keep it going.  My husband and I have been using our wood stove to heat our home in the winter for the past year.  We love the ambiance of a burning fire as well as the heat that it gives off during a cold winter evening.  One of the things that we have a hard time with is starting the fire each time.  Even after 1 year of using our wood stove almost daily we had not found a great way to start our fire until the other day. 

We were told by my mother in law to use an egg  carton and dry pine cones.  Each year she goes out for a walk and gathers pine cones and keeps them indoors to dry.  Tear your egg carton into two sections, each with 12 holes.  place 1 pine cone in each hole and use as your fire starter.  This method works like a charm every time and it costs nothing.  In the past year we have tried all kinds of methods for starting our fire including using Fatwood, which I have to say does not work at all.  They say that all you need is one little stick of Fatwood for a roaring fire.  We found that even using 10 Fatwood sticks we could not get a roaring fire going.

If you like to have fires every day or even occasionally, try the pine cone and egg carton method.  It really works and it costs nothing.

Another great pine cone fire starter method is to take a dry pine cone, wrap with wick and dip into candle wax.  When dry, use one or two pine cones to start your fire.

You can also dip dried pine cones into colored waxes for a decorative accent.

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• Recycle your egg cartons and fast food drink trays

Like most people that I know I have not changed out my window treatments for more than 2 years.  When we buy curtains they seem to be an item that stays with you for years to come.  Unless you plan on redecorating an entire room your window treatemnts will stay the same.  I think this is because they are something that we just forget about.  They are there and they look good and we figure that if they look good, why change them out.  This is espcially true if you do not have much money.  This was my case.  I had been holding off on buying new curtains for my living room becaus I did not have the extra money to spend on curtains that I liked.  I did not want to just settle for a cheap curtain or shade that I did not like just to get new treatments.

Then, just the other day I was browsing through the great store the Christmas Tree Shops.  This store is full of decorating items and so much more.  I happened upon a curtain that was hanging at the end of an isle and I though, WOW that is a nice looking curtain, then I saw that it cost only $2.99!  I was in shock.  Only $2.99 for a curtain that looks that good.  I had to get them.  I needed 3 of them, so I figured this is a great deal and I can afford this.  Then I realized that I needed to get curtain rods for each window as I did not have any already.  I looked through the various rods at the Christmas Tree Shops and found some really nice ones for only $4.99 each.  Another great deal.  So I put the 3 curtain rods in my cart and headed to the register.  Now, this may sound strange, but I had to actually stop and think on my way to the register and make sure that It was really OK for me to buy these items.  This order is going to cost me a whopping $25 and I am not used to spending that much money at one time.  Well, I bought them and installed them that day.  I am very happy with my purchase and I love that they only cost me $8  for each window!

So, even when you think you cannot buy something, you may still be able to if you find a great deal like I did.  It did take a while to find just what I wanted, but it will happen if you take your time and send your money wisely.  Don’t just buy the first thing you see becuase their may be something even better waiting for you that is even cheaper!

• Save $10 at Christmas Tree Shops
• Frugal Before and After: Antique Dresser