The Craigslist Queens

As I write this I am sitting in my most awesomely decorated new apartment. Coming from a place that was already furnished with essentially nothing of my own to contribute, this past month has pretty much been consumed with worrying (and when I was actually done wasting energy worrying) acquiring furniture. So whether you are a post grad, a young adult, a more mature adult, or still in school but needing to upgrade from an old fold-up card table and air mattress to something more substantial, then listen up because have I got some life advice for you!

Here are some tried and true methods for furnishing a new place (or adding to your repertoire):

1. Buy off your landlord/lady/liege. We were lucky in that the reason our landlady was renting out her place was because she was getting married, so we had the great opportunity to buy things like a table, chairs, dressers, bookcases, a coffee table, and a t.v. off of her for a steal. Bonus: we didn't even have to move them.

2. Look to Facebook, where if you are in any sort of class group page, many people will be selling/giving away things for dirt cheap. I unfortunately couldn't carpe any of these deals as I really had no place to put them and was out of town during the peak post-grad furniture dump bonanza.

3. Thrift stores. People are all about upcycling these days, and if you are creative enough you can repaint some of those really ugly pieces of furniture into something bright and awesome. I unfortunately have neither the patience nor the supplies (because unfortunately by the time you gather all the paint and primer you can sometimes end up spending way more than it's worth) for this sort of endeavor. But one day I really hope to transform something.

4. Use what resources you have. This may be furniture that you already have, or the generosity of your parents. I am fortunate enough to have a mom who is super pumped about me decorating my first adult place that she bought me 2 super classy chairs from Target. Thanks Mom!!

5. Freecycle.com. This is an awesome jem of a website; you join the yahoo group that corresponds to the area that you live in. Daily, people post things that they are looking for or giving away and everything is totally free! That's how I ended up getting the awesome brand-new birdcage that will house the new member of my family (more on that later). I figure I saved myself at least $50, and it's a great site/concept for those who are especially concerned about the amount of waste/junk that we humans can accrue. Just always bring a friend with you to pick up your new trash-to-treasure and always be sure to send a thank you post!

and finally #6. Craigslist. I must admit, I was once one of those people who turned her nose up at the idea of getting something like a piece of furniture used. Granted, I would never buy something like a bed/mattress off of Craigslist; however, my roommate and I really lucked out in finding/buying a really nice (and cheap) ikea couch off of Craigslist. I do emphasize the lucking out part because with anything that's fabric and that people have been laying/sleeping on you really have to be careful. Bedbugs are no joke people! But this thing is great. And there really are some jems on the site, along with some god-awful stuff that's incredibly overpriced. We also ended up getting 2 side tables for $5 each, and I also got my desk and chair for a total of $50. You just have to look and be really careful. Never go alone, and if you find yourself given directions to a shady part of town that has a large group of men outside of the house were you are supposed to be looking at a couch, then turn the f-around (yes this did happen to us and yes, we got the hell out of dodge). While there are such things as Craigslist Queens (i.e. savvy female shoppers such as myself) there was also such thing as the Craigslist Killer, of which there is a Lifetime movie about.

There are some things that I think you should be careful about buying used (like mattresses); when it comes to cleanliness and a good nights sleep you sometimes have to suck it up. But you can really cut costs if you are willing to see the potential in things. Your table may not match your chairs, but hey, that boho mismatched look is totally in anyway.

Classy chairs and free bird cage

Do yourself a favor and frame your posters

Our craigslist couch. 

Homey...homie?

I actually like Atlanta a lot more than I thought I would. It's not the concrete jungle that I pictured before coming here; there are actual trees and pockets of cute neighborhoods where the shops are all dog friendly and leave bowls of water outside. But being here makes me really miss Virginia. What's that cheesy Counting Crow song say? "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till it's gone?" Sounds about right.

At times I can see myself living here. And other times... not so much. I hate driving here. Not only is the traffic a bitch but the drivers are terrible. They don't follow speed limits or the general rules of the road; the few times I've gone on the highway have really stressed me out.

Not an actual picture but pretty accurate of how I feel. via the Chive

I've continued to volunteer at the therapeutic riding barn, but it becomes more and more painful to help give lessons and not be able to ride myself. I think it's generally a bad sign when I start to really envy the kids that I'm volunteering with... but finding cheap lessons anywhere near me is looking like a major impossibility. The overall barn we work at charges $60 per lesson; the results of an internet search show that to be the average going rate. And really going anywhere outside the city, with a car ride of 45 minutes or more, seems to defeat the purpose when you consider gas prices/my hatred of driving down here.

In addition, it's really sad to see that the horses don't have grass here. This is an extremely ritzy barn, probably costs an upward of $1000 a month to board a horse here, and there are no pastures. When you turn a horse out, it's to this small dirt paddock a little bigger than the size of my room. Even if you don't like horses you have to admit that's pitiful. This doesn't bode well for someone who jokingly/semi-seriously has asked for a horse every year for Christmas.

Basically it all comes down to this: how do I make Atlanta feel more like home? As a friend pointed out, I think it will do a lot for my psyche if I don't treat this as a temporary pitstop on the road of life (even though it may be, I have no way of knowing where I'm going to end up). I'm a creature of habit; I like to feel comfortable and settled in my surroundings. I've really started to like Emory and the public health program that I'm in. So how do I make this (temporary) home more homey, like an old homie?

So I Made a Move...

A big one in fact. I'm now in Atlanta, Ga (Jaw-juh) hence my lack of blogging for the past week. I did have a draft of a post that I was working on earlier this week, but one can only talk about how they are so scared to move so much before it gets old. The point is that I was a busy wreak in the days leading up to my move (partly because I left off packing until the day before?).

My dad and I drove down, my car literally stuffed to the gills with everything I was bringing.

That would be the view of the backseat of my little Nissan. I've never heard of the concept "pack lightly."

Overall it was about a 10 hour drive, probably shortened because my dad is a bit of a speed demon. His lead foot got him in trouble in Brunswick, Va (home of the original Brunswick stew) where he got a speeding ticket for going 13 over. Oopsies.

I've spent the last 2 days settling in. My room is rather small, meaning that piles of boxes and stuff lying around just won't fly. I like it though; it's cozy. The bathroom is nice and the closet is huge; in general a major upgrade from what I was used to in undergrad. The apartment complex even has a pool and fitness center (which I realize for some isn't a big deal but unless you were living in Grand Marc, Charlottesville didn't offer any of this).

Last night we had basically what amounted to a Rollins mixer at a local bar. It was nice to get to know some people (75% girls) and really begin to feel like I was settling in. A far cry from earlier yesterday afternoon when I burst into tears in the car; my poor dad probably felt so awkward. I can't help it, I'm in a glass case of emotion.

Now that I've said goodbye to my dad and dropped him off at the airport, I think I'll start to feel less anxious. It's kinda weird how that works out but I feel like it's almost easier once I'm away from my parents, helps cauterize the homesick wound or whatever. In the meantime I'm excited to start to explore the city and continue to meet new people. I'm in the 'burbs of Hotlanta, in the part that's called the forest in the city (yes there are tons of trees!) which makes me feel a little more at home. Speaking of homes, check these out:

Literally called the mini White House, complete with an Oval Office. 

This I have dubbed the Chopped Off Castle. 

What are the odds that I can find and become friends with the Real Housewives of Atlanta?