Craigslist Psycho

Earlier this year we bought a new high definition TV. I get free cable and free HDTV and my husband couldn't stand not having a high definition TV to watch it on. So after months and month of begging and saving we invested in his new favorite toy.

But standing it it's way was our old TV... Flat screen, HUGE tube in the back. Weighing over 200 pounds for sure. My husband was so eager to get rid of it, he asked me to put it up on Craigslist in the "free" section. I did. Bad idea.

All of three minutes later I got a swarm of calls from people, one after another asking if I "still had the TV" ...Well yea, I just listed it. I'd get 3 new voicemails while I was one the phone with one person asking for directions to our house. Text messages as well. Quickly I realized this wasn't the way to do it. I should have asked for at least $25 or something to weed people out.

One old man I talked to I could hardly understand because his country accent was so thick. He proceeded to tell me how he rem embed his first TV, and the experiences he's had with his recent TVs. I pulled the phone away from my ear for a moment so my husband could hear part of his life story, and we muffled our laughs about the hilarity of this experience.

I took the listing off and made it a race between two people to come and get it. One guy lived down the street and got there long before the other left his house, so I called to let him know not to worry about it. He was upset... Apparently he wanted this TV for his mom who's TV broke or something.

I've had my fair share of Craigslist experiences. It's a great tool, when used correctly, but you can get burned too.

Once I was so excited to buy a set of leather couches only to see another couple walking away with them just as I arrived at this guys house... Who I drove an hour to meet and buy the couches from.

Other times I've scored big on an item I would have paid 5 times the price for at a retail store.

But never had I had an experience quite like one of my most recent ones... In my search for the perfect nursery dresser.

I was nearly nine months pregnant and eager to put all of Lil' J's clothes in them before she arrived. I just knew she was going to be early (joke was on me).

See, we don't have much room in the nursery, so we didn't want a changing table. Instead, I'd been looking for a nice-sized-dresser that has a wide top so it can also double as a changing table once I throw a cushion on top. Delta, the company that made the crib I own has a great one!

I started searching and found the perfect dresser. Delta Canton Espresso Dresser. Matched the crib perfectly, was new in box (so I could transport it in my car) and they were only asking $100.

I wrote to the lister and asked about the dresser. He still had it! But he said it was more "cheery" than "espresso" colored.

"That's ok!!" I wrote back.

He was out of town until Sunday... That's ok! I'm off Monday, great, we'll buy it then.

Sunday I write.

No response.

I call. Leave a message.

No response.

I probably should give up at this point because he's probaby some crazy Craigslist person anyway who was just disappointed after I said I would bring my husband along to pick up the dresser, who knows. But I didn't stop.

I wrote again, and again. To my credit, I would have stopped but he still had the listing up, and every time I searched for another dresser that one would come up and I'd get SO excited for a split second... Then remember it was the jerk who keeps ignoring me.

Finally I gave it one last shot and wrote him this honest email.

"Hi Tim,

Me again! I noticed you still have the listing up for the dresser and every time I search craigslist it haunts me. I wanted to see if you want to get rid of it and be $100 richer while also making a preggo very very happy to finally have a dresser for her nursery. Please just let me know if it's gone or whatever one way or another so I can stop torturing myself! Thanks! Jennifer"

No response. But a few days later the listing was deleted.

It was a sad ending... At that point, but I ended up just putting up a "Wanted" listing for what I was looking for and got a GREAT deal on exactly what I wanted!
I got this pretty white dresser that goes perfect in the nursery. But I turned it from that to this.

In all of ten minutes, by switching out the drawer knobs with fancy snazzy ones from Kids Decor Inc.

So the moral of the story... I'm a little crazy when it comes to getting what I want. I can kinda be a psycho. But sometimes when that means finding killer deals for my daughter, it's worth it (a week ago I got a $155 swing for $50 and she LOVES it!).

Like what I did with a dresser it took me months to find? Jazzy up your kid's room with adorable decor from Kids Decor Inc. Get 15% off your total order at the store using code: "BMM15".

Everyone who comments on this post before October 1st at 11:59pm will be entered to win a $40 gift certificate to Kids Decor Inc. If you follow them on Facebook or Twitter, you'll get an extra entry! Good luck!