Bargain bonanza

I have furnished my house for under $200.
For the record, I wasn’t trying to do that. It just worked out that way.
I recently moved and the only furniture I had was a recliner, a bed, a kitchen table, an end table and a dresser. My daughter had a desk and a bookshelf.
Since my budget was a little tight, I joined Freecycle.org, scanned Craigslist every day and let friends know I was looking for furniture on the cheap.
So, here’s how it went. I bought a washer for $50 from a friend of a friend, and the next day a dryer for $50 off of Craigslist.
The next week I bought an end table for $2 at a yard sale.
That took me up $102.
The next week I got another recliner (looks brand new), a microwave oven, and a bunch of kitchen stuff (serving spoons and such), all for free off of Freecycle.
The next week a friend found a desk next to a trash bin. Another free item.
The next week we found a free, almost-new sleeper sofa off of Craigslist.
The next week a co-worker gave me a bedroom set for my daughter’s room.
Still at $102.
The next week I bought a set of three matching solid-wood living room tables at an estate sale for $50. Up to $152.
Over the weekend I bought four wooden kitchen chairs with upholstered seats for $25 at a  yard sale. Then I bought a 20-inch TV for $7 at another yard sale.
I’m up to $184 and have about run out of room for any more furniture.
The interesting thing is, this isn’t cast-off, junky-looking stuff. Most of it is nearly new and in perfect condition. It’s all of higher quality than the stuff I already had.
I’ve got too much kitchen stuff now. Guess I need to box some of it up and offer it up on Freecycle or tote it down to Goodwill.
I finally got so much furniture, that I actually had to rearrange it. In my short life, I’ve never done that before. It was kind of fun, but not something I’d like to make a steady habit of.
I’m almost sorry that the house is furnished now. It was a lot of fun. I’ll miss surfing Craigslist and my e-mails from Freecycle. Maybe I need to get a bigger house.