BELLY UP TO THE BAR

They say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

There may be some truth to that as on waste disposal day, there seems to be a truck driving around, picking up trash as though to convert it to a treasure. He’s a friendly guy, waving to those walking the neighborhood for reasons other than treasure hunting.

Old Mother Frugal does confess to eyeing these treasures left along the side of the road for trash day as well. A very talented family member has an eye for these types of treasures too. With a little TLC and DIY elbow grease, trash can successfully convert to a treasure.

When the Mother’s Little Helpers were young, I would frequent garage/tag/yard sales for Christmas items for under the tree. Sports equipment, a board game here and there in excellent condition, was an economical treasure find.

Then two Goodwill Stores opened nearby and this added to my places of treasure hunting. They became the “go to” place for wood furniture.

Most recently, our household acquired four bar stools that were reclaimed from a Goodwill store. They were in good shape but had potential for greatness!

Having loaded up the cart, the next stop was the bed linen section of the store in search for a sheet or tablecloth to recover the swivel cushions. Not one, but three choices!

The choices were narrowed down to an ivory sheet, a grey sheet and a black tablecloth. The tablecloth had the greatest potential to revive the appearance of the seat cushions.

Originally, these four swivel- stools would have cost well over $200 as the price tags were still glued underneath the cushions. Old Mother Frugal’s total out of pocket for the four chairs plus cloth covering for seat cushions…$45.

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: A can of spray paint or a bottle of Old English Furniture polish is a great, economical way to bring new life to old furniture!