Trouble Justifying

Now about 3 weeks into the furniture hunt - dining room table/chairs and two twin beds - and I'm getting so dissappointed. Maybe it's because I've never really had to purchase "nice" furniture before. I've been the recipient of many very nice antiques (given to me free of charge), all of which are solid wood, no particle board to be found, and constructed with dovetailing and hidden hardware (no visible bolts and screws and glue). So now I'm going to all these furniture stores and seeing particle board, veneers (not like antique veneers, more like cheap wallpaper to look like wood), visible bolts, gaps and sags, and very little real wood. But then I find a real solid wood piece and it's suddenly way out of budget. I just can't justify the cost - I'm too frugal. It's ironic to me that I'm trying to match this very old piece (a circa 1890 - 1900's sideboard*) to something new. And even though the sideboard is considerably "distressed" I'm trying to buy something new that looks like something old. But then the price goes up for extra antiquing and distressing. Ha! Perhaps my kids could take care of that process.

I did find one very awesome table at Bliss Home (they don't have a photo on their site otherwise I'd give you a link). The table was made of reclaimed wood and the legs were made of reclaimed wood windows. It was a piece of art, but the price tag reflected it. Yesterday I made rounds to about half-a-dozen thrift stores hoping to score big. Nada! I just don't have time to hit the thrift stores often enough. Thrifting is an artform that requires time (and probably not 3 1/2 kids in tow). There's one more used furniture store I want to visit. It's usually packed full of junk and hidden treasures. By the time I got there yesterday the rain was really coming down hard and the parking is on the street near the homeless shelter. The homeless men and women were converging upon all the buildings with coverings and awnings in order to seek shelter. That was heartbreaking to see as I stayed dry in BJ's luxury sedan...which leads me to another reason why I'm having trouble justifying the cost of new furniture...I was reminded so vividly yesterday that so many people have absolutely nothing but the clothes on their backs.

So the hunt continues. Next week I'll be spending some time on Craigslist and seeing if I happen upon something newishly old, affordable, well-loved, and durable.

* The sideboard has been in my mom's family for a long time. Just from the looks of it, and after asking a furniture builder, it appears to be made of several different types of hard woods, but not sure which ones other than oak.