We can now have dinner at a table!

Since I moved in May 3 I've eaten dinner on the floor because I didn't have a table and chairs. I'm on a tight budget right now as I'm still working on getting all the essentials so I knew this table was going to have to be inexpensive. I didn't even go into a furniture store because I knew I'd be upset when I saw how much everything cost. So I've been looking on overstock, amazon and other sites for a while trying to find a good deal.

Found this table on Target for $169:

But the price was a bit high to me considering I'd still have to get the chairs to go with it and everything. So I searched on, not having much more luck anywhere else. I looked at some chairs on Target, including these -- 2 for $149:

That's when I started getting more distraught. Spending $169 for the table plus $149 per 2 chairs? Yikes! Not what I had in mind.

Finally I got on Craigslist and kept faithfully checking. Last Friday I was on there and found the holy grail -- a table and 4 chairs for $150! I'm OK with that! So I sent the poster an email telling them I'd like to come look at it and hoping they hadn't already sold it. Got a response back. They had not sold it and I could come look any time I wanted. So I said I'd be there the next morning at 9:30. Now, I do not own a vehicle large enough to transport furniture so I asked a good friend if I could use his father's truck. Sure enough, he said yes! So we headed out to see the treasure.

We got there and as soon as I saw the table and chairs, I was in love. We loaded them up and handed over the money. Once in place in the dining room, I realized I needed to move the light fixture over... but I also realized that the table and chairs I got were perfect!

Now, there were definitely nicks on the table from the previous owners. I'd heard of stain pens that can fill in scratches and cover nicks, but I hadn't ever used one. I went to Lowe's and sure enough, they had them in a few different finishes.

This is the brand I got and the finish is dark walnut. I just shook up the pen and ran it across the back of the packaging to get the stain flowing and then just applied it to the nicks and scratches on the table and then wiped off the excess with a white paint rag I had on hand. It really made the table look so much better. I'm loving it and I'm really happy with how affordable it was. =]

Yeah, my vase is devoid of flowers, but look how cute it is anyway! It could be the next new style....