“You might not want to sit in that chair.” I said to our guest last week as we all went to the kitchen table to eat dinner. “It’s kind of getting wobbly and I would hate for it to break when you sit down.”
He moved to a different chair and we had a good laugh over it. We then proceeded to tell our friends how we bought the kitchen table and six chairs used on Craigslist for about the price you’d pay for two new kitchen chairs.
Since then, it’s become much more worn, scratched, and covered with numerous dents and crayon markings. The chairs are mismatched and missing some of their spindles, and yes, a few are rather wobbly and in need of repair.
But it’s our table.
It’s lived through so many memories with us. It’s been the anchor for so many wonderful meals and conversations. We’ve gathered around it to meet new friends, share deep heart-to-heart talks, and read countless books together. It’s been the surface where we’ve kneaded bread dough, colored pictures, worked math problems, and pored over the atlas dreaming of trips to far away places.
Jesse asked me not too long ago if I’d like to replace our kitchen table with something nicer and newer. I immediately responded that if we ever need to replace it, I want to buy another well-used table.
Why? Because I don’t have to worry about the scratches and dents and pen marks when we buy it already good and used. They just blend right in! I’ve not had to worry whether someone added additional nicks and dings to our well-used table, so I’ve freely let the kids play with play dough, color, draw, cut, glue, pound, and everything else they do when crafting and creating.
Sure, our table wouldn’t win any award for being the most beautiful piece of furniture, but it’s been the catalyst for so many memories and so much creativity that it’s much more beautiful than any high-dollar dining room set would ever be to me. It’s our Craigslist table and we love it!
Jill says
Crystal, I love this post! My kitchen table belonged to my grandparents, I inherited it after they both passed away, and it is my most treasured piece of furniture. I have pictures of my dad and my uncle eating at it when they were little, and I remember sitting around it with my whole family as I was growing up. Now it sits in my kitchen and it is where we eat together, do homework, play games, write the bills! It is worn with a rich patina from all of the people who have sat around it for the past 75 years, but I would never give it up. My niece said it best when she told me during dinner one evening that when she sat at our table, she felt loved. Keep loving your used table, the memories are priceless!!!
ClareC. says
Love this post, Crystal! I am extremely sentimentally attatched to my table also. Not only have my 4 kids grown up with it but it came with the house that my great-grandmother bought when she was a young mom so it’s stood the test of time. It has an amazing mechanism to “crank” open the table to insert any or all of the 4 leaves to expand it and 6 very sturdy chairs. 🙂 I loved sitting around my table when it was part of my grandmother’s house and was thrilled to inherit it. Definitely my favorite piece of furniture in the house!
Michelle Hall says
Looks a lot like our CL table. I had to check to see if the design of the chair was the same as mine. It isn’t but close and has all the crayon marks and such too!
Susan in St. Louis says
Amen! Our kitchen table and chairs are also from Craigslist…as are both our vehicles, two recliners, the bunkbeds, the kids’ dresser. Our leather la-z-boy reclining sofas were half off because they’d been returned to the store “used”. Yay for great items so much cheaper!
Though, I must say, we have friends with six kids who bought gorgeous Nichols & Stone kitchen and dining room tables (those things are HUGE!) and chairs, and that furniture has held up beautifully! We’ve sort of had our heart set on following suit, but I heard that the company was sold not long ago and quality has dipped as a result. 🙁
Laurie says
My mom and I were talking about this exact thing this week. She has a table in her basement that the kids have colored all over and she said she is never getting rid of it b/c it reminds her of when her grandchldren were smaller. My kitchen table was bought new almost 13 yrs ago and it has so many different colored markers and dings from my girls that I also love it. I was just thinking of sanding the top down and putting a few new coats of polyurehtane on it. It is functional and we live simply.
Allison says
I so AGREE. We bought a very nice table and chairs at a GREAT PRICE at Dillard’s a few years ago; however, now that we are out of high chairs we needed a larger table to fit everyone. I sold our once new one on Craigslist for $30 and then went to the Habitat for Humanity Store and purchased a new to us one for $70. It works great and I don’t have to worry about the kids scratching or denting it! YEAH!!
Allison says
Oops! I meant I agreed with Crystal and not the above post. Nice quality furniture can get messed up in accidents just as much as lesser quality items. It all comes down to priorities in our lives and what works for you! 🙂
Phoebe T. says
I think that’s just beautiful!
Nancy says
I can relate to this post. My table was used when I bought it 30 years ago with 6 chairs for $25. The chairs are long gone and been replaced several times with other used chairs. I refinished the table a few years back and It was beautiful again. But you could still see years of boo boos shining through the new finish. I love this table and will keep it for as long as I can. Thank you for renewing my love for my old table, I had not thought of in a while. 🙂
Pam@behealthybehappywellness says
We bought our kitchen table at a furniture outlet sale and I’ve always been glad – it has holes (from crushing chocolate with the wrong side of a meat cleaver), marks and dings, but it is also used daily by the whole family – and I never feel bad about using it!
bekah says
We bought a table and chairs at a yard sale use it for 5 years and then sold it for about the same amount. We got a new table and chairs from a neighbor. They are in good condition, but I am not afraid to play on them with the kids.
Belinda says
We purchased our set 9 years ago from a family who’d had it for 18 years. It even came with crayon drawings on the underside of the table 🙂 We have certainly added our own memories to it, the chairs may even get to be re-finished this year!
Julia says
We also have an old table that lived through three generations of my family. What stood out to me most in this post is how sweet your husband is to want to bless you – mine does the same!
AJ says
I,m sitting here at my very high end kitchen table that I bought at a garage sale a few years ago. My advice is buy old American furniture iris built to last. If we do buy new we buy American made (North Carolina or Maine) and have been quite pleased. (Sorry for errors – learning to type on a tablet)
Victoria says
That table has been such a “staple” on you blog for years, I would miss it if you changed it out for a new one! Agree 100% . We have a set of couches in our family room that is getting very worn, my hubby wondered if I wanted to start saving for a new set soon, and for a while I wanted to, but then I began to think, this set is so worn in I don’t care if the dog sleeps on it, or my daughter practices gymnastics on it, or if they use the pillows in fort building, or if they spill popcorn all over it during family movie night, or if my sons jump on it when they get excited about the wii game they are playing. So I told him, when it rips wide open then yes we will replace it but until then it keeps the family room family friendly.
Crystal says
Too funny! As I was going through pictures to include with this post, I realized just how often the table has shown up on my blog!
Sissy says
This is the same kind of table my childen grew up with. Dented, dinged, scrathed, spilled, pounded on, you name it. Each liittle scar, reminds me of all the wonderful times my family has had at that table. I wish it could talk. I found the table and 4 chairs on clearance for $40 twenty years ago. It has served our family of 4 well.
Andi says
Okay, now I officially feel bad for chewing my kids out for writing on their dressers and my computer stand. Of course we paid too much for them through the stores “payroll deduction” program… I will forever now look at the drawings and name scribbles as momentos of their childhood. Thank you again Crystal, I don’t know how you do it but your posts always hits the spot.
Layna says
My mother in law would always joke “we just can’t have nice things” when talikng about rasing her 6 children. Now 7 years after first hearing this, over and over, and 2 kids of my own, I am so grateful it was reinforced to me! Instead of worrying about things(as much as it would be nice if they stayed nice) I can instead spend my energy focusing on the people.
Tabitha says
I absolutely love my dining room table. It’s over 40 years old and was my grandparents.
I remember Christmas’ as a kid, doing my homework there and now to share meals
with my own family there is priceless. There are so many scratches and you can see my hand writing in it from when I was kid if you look close enough. I could agree more how the details of the table don’t matter but relationships and meals shared there are just precious!
Alison says
Enjoyed this post Crystal! We’re on the lookout for one of those ourselves. Something pre-loved but sturdy. For the past 6 months we’ve been relying on a card table and folding chairs (but you know what, they get the job done :)) I’d rather wait for the right table to come along than shell out twice as much at a furniture store for something so-so
Becky says
Love it! We bought our table from the Salvation Army when my husband & I were newlyweds. I’d say it’s been about 27 yrs. It is solid wood. I love it! We’ve had to replace the chairs once.
And it’s so funny, we also have a chair that we caution our guest not to use because the bottom spindle pops off & is wobbly. We leave that chair for our youngest to use since she is the lightest. Our regular guests already know to look at the chairs to make sure they don’t get it. Lol!
Crystal says
Too funny! 🙂
Betsy says
I still feel sentimental about the kitchen table my parents had when I was growing up! Well used and well loved. 🙂
Lori says
Excellent attitude!
Deb says
We have a really old table that my husband’s family used while he was growing up, they had four kids, but always had foster kids and their house was the “neighborhood house” that everyone came to, so it had all twelve leaves in it on many occasions and sometimes that was just for the adults, the kids ate around a sheet in the living room.
In my newly married, immature stage and even a few years after that, I didn’t like this table and wanted something newer, shinier, less dinged up and scratched, etc. but I have grown to love it and what it represents. Our chairs don’t match it or each other, but we always seem to scrounge up enough to have large groups over for a meal or a game night.
The table gets so much use and abuse, a fancy table with a beautiful centerpiece would never last for long, it would always be moved and wrinkled so why bother?
I am thankful that my perspective has changed and I have matured in at least one area. I am forever grateful to my inlaws for the childhood memories they gave my husband around this table, they are THE best and have influenced so many lives, I only hope that our home can bless so many people and that I can be like them when I grow up. I am one blessed wife and mom!
Laura @ Frugal Newlyweds says
Our dining table has so many memories. My parents bought it used back in the 80’s and I grew up with it. Then it traveled with me to college and then to the house we rented and now to the house we own. It may be well worn, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
Jen says
Yes! Craigslist is awesome for furniture. I wanted a desk and found a lovely solid wood piece with tons of storage and drawers for less than half of what would have bought a very low quality desk from Walmart or something.
Uma Selvam says
We own a similar dining table that we bought through Craigslist when we got married 5 years ago. It’s been a part of the family and I spend more hours studying/working on the dining chair and table thank sitting in any other furniture.
After we bought our nice, new-to-us living room set, we don’t use our table much for our coffee discussions. however, it’s something we want to keep for a long time.
MomofTwoPreciousGirls says
Love it! We bought ours at a tag sale. The seats were wobbly but my hubby was able to fix it. It has one burn ark on the top and we had to recover the chairs. Otherwise it’s in excellent condition. We paid $125 for it. We had to take it apart to get it home, while putting it back together we saw the maker and year was Thomasville 1925! We looked online and they sell for $900!!!!
My hubby is very protective of it and we like that it goes from being round to oval. I think it was our best purchase for our house.
Kris says
Love this post!!
Eva says
Hi there! I’ve been looking at a few of your recipes and used one on my blog today. Hope you don’t mind. I referenced you.
Nice site you have here!
Eva
heather says
That looks exactly like the one we sold on Craigslist, but we live in OKLA 🙂
Barbie says
We did the same thing!! We had to get a new table since we outgrew ours and I had my heart set on a beautiful (used) farmhouse table. Absolutely beautiful with a hefty price tag of $600. Well with 3 boys ages 3 and under, I realized that it would get ruined…quickly!! And I did not want to stress out about a table. So we ended up getting a cheap ($150) but sturdy one! One that will last through my boys growing up and I won’t be yelling at them for being kids. And sure enough my boys quickly got to work at breaking in the “new” table. The first night we ate at the table after purchasing, my 3 yr old took his fork and dragged it across the table…Unacceptable behavior but my reaction would have been far worse if I purchased my dream table!!
nikki says
We also bought a used table. After a few years of using it some more, we decided to decorate it. And now we’re still using it that way! You can see it here: http://www.aroundthetable.flemings.in/2013/01/coloring-on-your-table.html
Stacey says
Nice table !
Jen says
We bought new chairs to go with our Craiglist table because we needed 10 chairs. They are quite disappointing. They have to be tightened frequently and already look worn. In retrospect I wish I had found 5 pairs of chairs and had an eclectic table. When your ready for another table remember, new is not better and they don’t make them like they used to. Craiglist is the way to go!
Amber says
I very much agree with you! Thanks for sharing.
This summer I gathered up 12 mis-matched wooden chairs and gave them all a coat of white paint and then ‘dipped’ their legs. I invested about $30 dollars total in the whole endeavor and have been very happy with my eclectic grouping ever since.
pictures here: http://sugarsugarhouse.com/2012/08/09/dipped-kitchen-chairs/
Kathy in Illinois says
It was a joy to read this post. You are the kind of mother every child should have.
God bless, Kathy in Illinios
Melanie says
It is so nice to see that there are other families who don’t worry so much about the little nicks, dents, & marks that come from having little ones. We recently bought a table on
Craigslist to accommodate our large family (8 children so far). I also got a chuckle from
the photo of your son sitting on the table. I also have 2 boys who love sitting on the table
as appose to sitting on a chair!
Joy says
We bought our dining room table from a coworker of my husband. It’s a nice large table with extra leaves that already had a few scratches. We do everything on this table- homework, eat, crafts, make cookies, playdough, etc. At holiday time we just throw a tablecloth on it. Our kitchen is too small for us to all eat in. So we just have a small glass round kitchenette table that I traded with my sister for our old farm table. The mismatched chairs for that farm table were half broken. But underneath one of them is a handwritten note in perm marker that my 14 y.o. son wrote when he was 5. My sis did preserve that treasured note. I miss that old farm table with all it’s history but happy my sister’s family loves it as much as we did even if she did repaint it. We also inherited dh’s late grandmother’s antique dining room cherry wood table. But sadly we won’t be using that until our three boys are grown.
Elise says
This reminds me of my parent’s table that they bought 30 some years ago early in their marriage. It’s scratched and has lots of dings in it, at one point, mom put a new coat of varnish on the table top, and some of the chairs have given up the ghost, but it’s served our family very well. 🙂
Renee says
Our kitchen table came from a garage sale. It was in great condition, but just knowing how little we paid for it let me relax about how the kids treat it. My son put huge scratches in the finish 4 days after we bought it, and I was able to just shrug it off. I have to admit, I’m sure I would have hit the roof if we’d paid for a new one and he did the same thing. For a very good price we bought a kitchen table, 4 chairs, and mommy’s peace of mind!
Jessica says
I’ve never commented before but this post spoke to me. I feel the same way and I love my scratched but memory ladened table. Others don’t get why I would prefer to keep it instead of getting something nicer. Our table was also from Craigslist and it was what I could afford when I first moved into my home. Now it has become ours and I too would not trade dying easter eggs and making peanut butter play doh for something fancier.
Heather says
This post reminded me to check craigslist – I’ve been looking for weeks for a certain kids’ bed from IKEA to go on craigslist – and sure enough there was one! I’m picking it up tomorrow, and it will be half what I would have to pay from the store.
Margaret says
I love the hearts of all the people who responded to this post…I have an old table its solid oak and amish built and it has so many scratches and dents and each one of them special..we have to many memories of our family dinners and our childrens children coloring and playing I will never get rid of it and hope someday one of my children will take it and keep the dents and scratches coming…
Meredith says
Being from NC, my dad and all of my family have worked in the furniture industry. My grandfather built furniture. With that being said, everything furniture in my house is a dinosaur (and as an added luxury, I’ve never bought large pieces of furniture). I have so many memories built into them that the piece would literally have to burn to the ground before it would be replaced. Great post!
Julie C says
We found an Ethan Allen pine trestle table and Windsor chairs at the resale shop years ago. The lady suggested we put a glass top on it; I just smiled and thanked her. A glass top would not work with this large home educating family!
I joke that we should go into the professional furniture distressing business. 😉
Susan says
Why would a glass top table not work? We have a glass top table, and I love it. It is SO durable. Wood scratches a lot more easily than glass, and the glass is so easy to clean. Everything comes off easily with a little glass cleaner.
I’ve had my dining room furniture for 22 years. We use it for everything: meals, homework, crafts, sewing, games, everything. The base is wood and the chairs are wood frames with upholstered seats and back. The base has a few scratches and the upholstery has a few stains, but the glass top is still in as pristine condition as when I bought it.
Oh, and it is not formal looking. Our home is pretty casual, and the table fits right in.
Courtney says
Hey that looks just like our table! Too bad DH bought it years ago brand new before I met him and introduced him to the frugal way of things! I am leery about buying stuff used anymore though because bedbugs have made a huge comeback in our city. If it is all wood with no cushions then I can usually inspect it well enough to feel comfortable, but anything else no way.
Jessica says
My husband and I have wood furniture we finished ourselves. The cats and kids have beaten it up over the past ten years. We figure, when the kids are long gone, we’ll strip it and re-finish it again. Meanwhile, the crayon marks and claw marks are there but like you said, the memories are there too.
Jessie Lowe says
For years we had a pine table that had belonged to my parents when I was a child. When we received it, it already had seen a lot of wear, and my Dad had put metal plates underneath to hold the top together where it had started to crack. It didn’t come with chairs, so we went and bought some on clearance for $10.00 each at a place called “Hill’s” (think pre-Wal Mart). We had to put the chairs together ourselves. We bought ten of them and I think we lost a couple (they fell apart) over the years. When we were given a used dinette set with matching chairs and a hutch, we sent the old table and chairs to our local mission, and honestly, I have had many days when I wish we had kept them. They don’t make them like they used to.
Romana says
From the pictures, I think we have had that same table and absolutely loved it! A friend of my sister gave it to her, she gave it to my mother, and my mother gave it to me. Then in a move half way across the country, we gave it to a friend before we moved. They still have it. My husband long before we got married also had the same EXACT table that someone gave him and then he passed along to another set of friends as well. Seven years later and I would love to have that old table back. It was the best! I sometimes see the same table in second hand stores and so have wanted to buy it! Enjoy it!
Stacey says
Your post got my attention immediately as we JUST drove 3 hours to get our ‘new’ Craigslist table two days ago. We paid $300 for a drexel hardwood table and 2 20″ leaves and 6 chairs! We searched for awhile and finally found a deal…a sturdy table that will suite our growing family of 7! We have already gone threw two tables that were given to us and we saved a little to get a table that would at least go with our decor 🙂 I have learned now that I NEVER want anything new…(why store up earthly treasures here anyways:) I find that I tend to over react when something MIGHT happen to my new ‘idol’. I LOVE not having to worry about something happening …for I KNOW something/everything IS going to happen to that table and I DON’T want to worry about it. The funny thing is I actually asked my husband if we could make this table more “OURS” by having our family and everyone who comes to visit write their name in perminant marker (or engrave it)on our table…that didn’t go over to good with him yet, but I might try again later:) Thank you for your post, this is definately a refreshing point of view!!!
Kris says
Wow! That is a great deal for drexel!
Catherine says
Great post, Crystal! We also have a very used kitchen table we bought at the Salvation Army thrift store. I actually found it on 50% off day, and they offered an additional 10% discount for seniors, so my sweet Dad actually went and bought it for us for the low low price of $36! That was for a good sized rectangular table and four chairs! One of the chairs recently broke, but I didn’t cry at all over it, because we definitely had gotten our money’s worth out of it. I love that I can let the kids draw, color, paint, glue, use playdough, etc on it and I honestly don’t care what happens to it. The memories we are creating around that old $36 table truly are priceless. And for special occasions, I just toss a nice table cloth over it and it looks amazing!
Mandy W. says
Great post! I feel this way about our couches, too. I try to teach the kids to take good care of our things so that they stay looking nice, but when something happens, and I can’t get all of the mess out (like the time my son, then 2, made me a “book” using paper and Elmer’s glue with the couch as his table), I don’t stress out about it (too much 🙂 )
Tammy L says
Looks gorgeous to me! 🙂
We recently got a new table on Craigslist ourselves. 🙂 It seats 8-10! Now, our old table looks tiny to us. 🙂 No wonder it was feeling so cramped!
angi@schneiderpeeps says
Whenever I see pictures of your kitchen I think, “What a great table.” It always looks cared for (even when the kids are making all kinds of discoveries on it).
I think your view of wanting useful items and yet, caring for them so they don’t need to be replaced is something that our culture is loosing. Something that we need to regain. And this goes way beyond whether we have a new table or not.
Kathy says
I agree! Make do, take care of what you have. Why does everyone think new is where it’s at? It’s just STUFF. I will say it wasn’t until I hit my 40s that I felt that way though 🙂
Heather says
Love this post! We bought a wooden table and 6 chairs at a local garage sale in our neighborhood when we moved into our home 3+ years ago for $200! We saw a similar table set for $1400 locally! We waited until the last hour of our community garage sale to see if they would drop their price from $375 to something. The gal said that she was selling her set because her daughter needs her car fixed and that she only really wanted $200, we said you have a deal! 🙂 It took us 3 trips in our minivan to our home, but we love it! Every scratch, every nick, everything…it has character!
PS. Our older minivan has a few dings in it too. The one that is my favorite is a small one on the right door that we got at the hospital parking lot from someone while we were at our appt to find out that we were expecting a baby girl! I told my hubby to never fix it because I love that ding!
Amy R says
I am soooo with you on this one. Our table was new to us…18 years ago. My parents bought it for us as a wedding gift from value city furniture. It was the only “new” piece we had. Everything else was used. Now 18 years and 3 kids later it is well-worn, and my hubby has offered to replace it many times. I just can’t part with it! When my kids (or myself) wants to do a craft project, it’s no worry. When company comes, a nice (usually thrift store) table cloth goes a long way. I do plan this spring on refinishing it. At that point, I have multiple vinyl table cloths that can be thrown down quick for project time. I’ve been watching craigslist for chairs.
HilaryT says
We also have a Craigslist table and we love it! My oldest son used to bang his fork on the table, so the are many little dents at his place, but we never worried about that, because it wasn’t a brand new expensive table and it adds to the character and family history of our table! Right now we are between homes and staying with family and I miss our table!
Teresa Solano says
I agree with you. It’s like a brand new car. I’d literally get an ulcer worrying about scratches, dings, carpet mishaps. So my 2003 Dodge Caravan fits me just fine! Enjoy your table! 🙂
Jo says
My table was handmade by my dad out of hickory. It has about 10 coats of polyurethane on the top (he was anticipating messy grandchildren!), and I have been able to wipe sharpie marks, etc. off it. It cost about $200 in wood, and extends to hold 15 or 20 (however many we can squeeze in). The chairs came from Restore and don’t match at all (dad doesn’t do chairs). But oh, the meals and the messes we’ve made and shared. A table is the heart of the family, in some ways.
angi@schneiderpeeps says
What an amazing gift.
Jessica says
I love this post! With little ones in the house, the approach you describe has saved me much stress the past few years (in particular, the time a Sharpie found its way into the hands of a toddler, resulting in some decorations on one table leg). We are replacing our current dining table this week after much use and abuse. I’m glad I didn’t rush into getting a new table for the exact reasons you’ve described.
Molly says
Just wanted to add, in case you haven’t tried it, rubbing alcohol works great at removing sharpie marks. 🙂
mary says
I agree. Just bought our first item off of Craig’s list, a kitchen table. When my husband went to pick it up, the couple showed him the few scratches in it. He told them we have three kids and most likely will get more in it over time. We paid a lot less than a new cheaper quality from a well known store (this was a solid cherry table). Definitly will be an option when needing to purchase something in the future !
Mandy says
What a refreshing post! I love our Craigslist table too, although it only seats 4 and we now have 5 in our family. When/if we ever have a bigger dining room we will find another Craigslist table as well!
The Prudent Homemaker says
Two words: Extra urethane!
We bought a new table because we needed chairs for more people than most tables seat. We bought a beautiful table but it wasn’t high-end, and the top was not long-lasting at all. My husband bought extra urethane and gave it 3 extra coats to make it waterproof (it wasn’t before!)
elizabeth says
oh please tell me what kind he used. i need to do that to my table and am overwhelmed when i read online. no clear products or direction given. love my table just need to make it more waterproof and durable:)
Jacki KianMehr says
I feel the same way about our garage sale table. It has paint, chips, glue and glitter all stuck on the top. I thought about replacing it but I would have to prohibit the kids from ever doing what they do on it. I said it has too many memories to get rid of it so it’s ours until???
Laura at TenThingsFarm says
Same here – We have had two of our chairs for about 20 years, the other two about 10, and the table about 5 (our second used table, because the first one had some sort of ‘fail’ and the finish got icky sticky, no matter what I did). Incredibly enough, they are all the same wood, same shade, and look like they’ve been together forever.
If you get some of those rachet tie down straps from the automotive department, you can turn a chair upside down and get it as loose as possible at all the joints. Squirt glue (truth, I used elmer’s) in the joints, then push them back together snug. Use the rachet action tie down strap thingy to ‘clamp’ the four legs tight until the glue dries (overnight). It works really well.
Laura at TenThingsFarm says
P. S. this is also why I chose carpet that is just about exactly the same color as the dirt here….and why I like earth tone furniture. I’m here to raise my daughter and love my husband, not worry over the house. I do keep it fairly clean and nice, and that is important to me, but we live on a hobby farm, and I just don’t want to dedicate my life to things! Instead, it’s dedicated to God and the people I love and care for.
Crystal says
I love it: “carpet the color of dirt.”
I think we need some of that here. 🙂
Jill says
And we have the same beautiful table with TONS of scratches, too from Craig’s List of course!
Crystal says
Yay for matching Craigslist tables! 🙂
heather bell says
i made an ode to my table awhile back, http://bellesbazaar-heather.blogspot.com/2011/10/thinking-thursday-life-of-table.html
Shawna says
Us too! But we didn’t catch our company before he sat on a wobbly chair and fell! Yikes! haha
Crystal says
Whoops! I hope no one was hurt and you just got a good laugh over it.
Shawna says
Yes thankfully no one was hurt 🙂
Rachel @ couponingbiotwins says
Agreed! If you buy furniture brand new and you have toddlers running around, your not going to want them to even breathe on anything. lol If the pieces are used and have a little personality to them, then you won’t care so much about dents, scratches, etc. There is so much more to life then worrying about a little spilled milk 🙂 Lovely post!
Melody says
This is exactly how I feel about cars! I never worry about door dings, spilled snacks or taking it camping. It’s meant to be used, so we use it!
Crystal says
Haha! You might like this post:
https://moneysavingmom.com/2010/12/a-shiny-new-car-is-not-always-all-its-cracked-up-to-be.html
Gulp.
Sue Ann says
I was going to say the same thing, Melody. We appreciate used cars for the same reasons.
Lori says
A few years ago we spent waaaaayyyy too much money buying a kitchen table. It was good quality but not really designed for hard family use. Now it’s about as beat up as yours and we regret to this day spending all that hard-earned money on a kitchen table. Eventually I can probably refinish it but who has time for that? I agree 100 percent … don’t put a lot of money into a kitchen table when you have a young family.
Trish says
We have one of those too! Unfortunately our table is even kind of wobbly but it’s not going to crash anytime soon. Ours is in the kitchen so the side that serves as extra counter space looks like an old butcher block table. But I really love how it looks. It reminds me of something you find in someones great grandma’s house.
We did make the mistake of buying new living room furniture. We’ve already had to get it replaced once, and now that it’s out of warranty it’s falling apart. And of course it’s getting scratched up too. It’s to be expected, but it’s harder to see those scratches when you bought something new. I think I’ll stick with craigslist from now on for furniture and save my money for appliances and a good comfy mattress. 🙂
Lacey says
Granite, the way to go. Looks good and enjoyable.
Marie says
I think that’s awesome! You’re table serves a purpose and is functional. It doesn’t need to make a statement! I think this has a lot to do with our attitudes on contentment. And you and you’re family definitely live to serve God and others and not get caught up in materialism.
Maybe instead of a new table it sounds like maybe you need some new chairs.
Crystal says
Yes, a new chair or two might be in order! 🙂 Or figuring out how to fix it… which is on the to-do list and hopefully going to happen soon!
Lorie says
I am redoing my house (when I say redoing, I mean that I am moving things around, repurposing furniture and decluttering, not necessarily going out and buying new things) and my 13 year old just asked me less than 30 minutes ago if we could get a new kitchen table. She was telling me about the table that her friend’s family has and how its so nice and pretty. I asked her how many times the children, aged toddler-teen were fussed at for doing things at that table while she was there. Her answer was “a lot”. I would rather have my dinged up, written on, scratched up table any day than have something that we were even scared to eat on! We also have mismatched chairs – my husband and I sit in chairs that came from a yard sale for $1 each. They are wobbly and we have to have old pillows in them to even sit there comfortably to eat. (We are looking for 2 “new to us” chairs since I’m pretty sure we are going to sit down one day and fall into the floor). Same way with our couch – its broken and looks pretty terrible although it is clean, but I don’t want something that we can’t LIVE on and around! Great post!!
Holly Hall says
Loved the post Crystal. That is exactly our kitchen table, we bought it used from my husband’s grandpa’s estate and it only had 3 chairs that went with it. I painted the old pine table and it has been loved and cherished, with permanent marker, glitter, glue, dough, flour, spilled milk and all. We will always cherish our table to and when we look at getting a new one, I would love to re purpose that old table into something that we can still use.
Dana says
I am so with you on this! We have one new item that’s been added to our home in a long time and it’s hardly ever touched. The well loved and used items seem to get the most enjoyment and I never have to worry about the kids drawing, spilling or a dog slobbering on anything! My husband and I much prefer items with a history as opposed to something that’s new (plus it’s only new for a little while and that newness wears off very quickly!)
Lyndsay says
I am now going to search craigslist for a table. We’ve been borrowing my mom’s for over a year now, and it’s with only folding chairs. I can’t wait to one day have our own table, new or used. Beautiful post, thanks for sharing!
Rebecca says
That’s why I’m all about buying used furniture. If something gets spilled on the couch and it stains or the table gets scratched, it’s no huge loss, just keep on using it. New is overrated, and when it gets scratched or stained, you feel awful about it because you paid so much. Used is the way to go for things that will inevitably get damaged.