Thrifty storage solutions..if you wait, you can buy it second hand.

The dandelions were in full bloom on my lawn - I thought they looked rather pretty myself.  But I took pity on my neighbours across the street - they like to drink their morning coffee outside which means they get to face my house.  So I cut the lawn while enjoying the warm springy air.

The air is getting warmer and muggier.  The sky was an incredibly clear blue this morning, but now it has gotten muggier with a hint of smoke. There is probably a forest fire burning somewhere here in Northwestern Ontario.

When I moved into my house a few years ago, I downsized from a large kitchen with tons of cupboards and a good-sized pantry to a smaller kitchen with less than half the cupboards and no pantry.  And so my canned goods sat in boxes on the floor.

I had priced cupboards and pantries, the one below is from IKEA and it sells for $229 (plus taxes, shipping, assembly, yadda yadda yadda).  The problem was it was too expensive, it was too small and I wanted white.

And so the boxes of canned goods stayed on my kitchen floor.  But then, lo and behold, what did I find at the Salv Army....!!!!

Witness this modular, entertainment centre.  It's actually half of the 6 piece set that was available for $120.

I snapped this set up as quickly as I could!!!  There were 2 units that were used to hold TV or stereo equipment. I re-purposed them for use in my kitchen.  The microwave went into one unit and the toaster oven went into the other.  

Off to the right is a skinny unit that was probably used to hold books and knickknacks.  Right now they are living in my garage, but when I redo the closets these babies will hold sweaters.

The remaining two units are in my sewing room.  The cupboards are perfect for holding fabric that has been pre-washed and dried.  If you look closely, the unit on the left is showcasing my California Singing Raisins collection.

Normally I don't post the amount of money I save by shopping second hand.  But I figured I saved at least $500 in the kitchen.  The additional units that I use in my sewing room, and (eventually) the closets were a great bonus.  Yes, I did have to live with boxes of cans on my kitchen floor, meh, I've lived through worse.

I also wanted to show you this gorgeous canvas and leather duffle.  

This bag is new...and the protective tabs are still on the zippers!!

Still in the mood for comparison pricing, I found this J Crew version.  It retails for over $400!!!

happy thrifting ;)