When we moved from Hawai`i to California, the only furniture that moved with us were two small wooden bookshelves that my husband had made while we lived in Hawai`i.  So, upon our arrival in California, the house we rented needed to be fully furnished.  I have no interest in using or consuming more resources than is necessary in my life, and so much furniture has already been made!  Material goods are so prevalent in the United States.  So, I took to Craiglist in search of furniture postings and estate/yard sale notifications, while keeping a sharp eye on Freecycle for things we needed.  And, one of my first actions when moving to a new place is to immediately discern the location of every thrift store in the vicinity of my new home and office.  We also had friends who were doing some remodeling.  “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  I am so thankful all these sources (re-sources!) exist for facilitating keeping items out of the trash and swapping goods from one owner to another.  (Total shout-out to Freecycle moderators!)  Cause WALL·E is the only guy who doesn’t mind living in a world of trash – and, turns out, even he preferred plants and clean air!

Here’s a shot of our living room – every piece of furniture in this photo is second-hand (including the rug and lamp).  And, we’re loving all of it!