| In this situation, their trash can definitely be your | | | | alternative is the flea or antique markets. There |
| treasure. When you're shopping, remember to | | | | are outdoor markets that are usually only held on |
| keep in mind what you're looking for don't go | | | | the weekends, and sometimes only during the |
| crazy and buy that funky looking chicken tea set | | | | summer. Indoor markets are sometimes only held |
| just because it's going for cheap. Summer, late | | | | on the weekend as well, but they tend to be held |
| spring and early fall are the prime times for | | | | year round. If you have one near you, go and |
| garage sales. If you live in a dense urban | | | | check it out! |
| neighborhood, just strolling around on a weekend | | | | 3. Recycling or reuse programs. Do some |
| might turn up a few opportunities. | | | | research to find out if your city or county has |
| If you don't, or just want to find more garage | | | | any reuse or recycling programs where you can |
| sales to visit, there are a few places you can look | | | | find decorating supplies. Where I live, the county |
| for ads. | | | | has a paint recycling program where people can |
| 1. On telephone poles, but this is again a method | | | | bring in their partially used paint cans. If the paint |
| for dense urban areas. You can also check the | | | | is in usable condition, they offer it to the public for |
| local PennySaver, or check out ebay. | | | | free! I've also heard about programs that are for |
| 2. Thrift store, thrift store, thrift store. While this | | | | electronics or furniture. |
| can be hit or miss depending on the store, thrift | | | | 4. Online opportunities. There are also many |
| stores are definitely worth a try. I've found that | | | | chances to get your decorating gear on the web. |
| charity stores tend to have better finds, but chain | | | | I've already mentioned ebay for finding good |
| or commercial thrift stores are worth a look as | | | | deals, but it is also a great place to find furniture |
| well. If you find a store that has a good stock of | | | | and other items for good prices. There are also |
| what you're looking for one day, it's likely they will | | | | sites like Freecycle and that let people advertise |
| have a good stock in the future as well. Find your | | | | for items they just want to give away. Do a |
| favorite haunts and keep checking them from | | | | search to see what other sites you can find! |
| time to time for prime decorating finds. A related | | | | |