Treasure Hunt 2011: January Check-In

Nautical Theme for Everett's Room: Antique Mall

Welcome to the January check-in for Treasure Hunt 2011!

First off, a disclaimer. I have never done this before so please forgive any mistakes.

Before I ask you all to share, I will tell you about how I did.

Red Cabinet: Craigslist

It was harder than I thought. As I reviewed my monthly purchases today to prepare for this post, I realized January was a great teacher. Lessons learned (in no particular order):

1. Just because I can treasure hunt, doesn't mean I have to. I think I ended up buying more than I should have just because I was so excited about the idea. Ultimately, less is more, even with cool stuff.

2. I need to give myself a waiting period. Because Craigslist has some neat finds with quick turnover, I feel pressured to jump on purchases without thinking them through only to regret it later. If I am meant to have a piece, I will.

3. Buy less at the beginning of the month. Make notes of potential wants/needs and at the end of the month, review the budget and purchase accordingly.

4. Get more creative. I think this goes along with giving myself time. If I have time to think about it, I will often come up with a plan that doesn't involve buying anything, new or used. (More on this later in the week).

With all that and a plan to do better next month in mind, here's what I bought in January:

Lantern for Tucker's room: Antique Mall

New items (does not include food purchases):
Argan oil skin care and makeup set
2 candles
Eddie Bauer shirt
"Four Seasons Harvest"
New Wallet (Note to self: When you attend home parties, you will buy something.)
Birthday gift
Sketchbook/Garden Journal

Blue Cabinet: Craigslist

Used Items:
Nautical themed items for Everett's room
Lanterns for boys' rooms
Cabinets from Craigslist
Clothing from resale shops (pjs, sweater, pants, dress, jacket,)

Got Creative/Went Without:
Chalkboard/new dry erase board
New toys for boys

Toy storage for said "new" toys...more to come on these later.

Dress and jacket: Resale shop

All of that said, I did better with my budget this month than I have in years (coming under budget in a few areas), but I have a lot to learn and fix for next month. My primary goal for February is to limit new purchases even further and have my used items and got creative list far outnumber new items bought.

How did you do? Please link up and share with us how you did this month. You can share any or all of the following...What were your best finds? How did you go without or get creative? How much did you save by buying second hand? How did you limit new purchases? What are your goals for next month?

Lantern for Tucker's room: Antique mall

Please...
Link right to your Treasure Hunt Post rather than your homepage
Place a link back to the Treasure Hunt within your post so others can join the party
Don't be afraid to share! Remember, every month's post earns you an entry to win a fabulous prize!