The man of STIHL and craigslist

Andy has been wanting a chainsaw. Which is fine since we now have 2 wood burning fireplaces and had a huge ash tree come down in our yard in June. So we agreed it would be a wise purchase. I had been meaning to sell some air conditioners on craigslist, and figured we could use the money from that to get him a chainsaw, also off of craigslist (what in the world is craigslist?!?! More on that in a moment). But as most of you know, when Andy wants something he gets slightly obsessed and a tiny bit impatient. He wanted it sooner rather than later. And then sometimes he settles and ends up being unhappy with his purchase. So I convinced him I could get him everything he wanted and maybe even more for less money off of craigslist. He just needed to be patient. And he was, I am proud to say.

Now... some of you might be wondering what in the world is craigslist?!? Let me tell you, if you love to get a good deal, craigslist is for you. Craigslist is an online classified ad for tons of different cities in the US. There is a craigslist that is specific for Minneapolis/St. Paul where you can post stuff you have for sale, people call you or email you to check it out and then you sell it. It is kind of like an online garage sale for your city. There has been a little bit of controversy over it (some have used it inappropriately), but I am in it for the deals. I bought our trampoline on craigslist for $50, and I have also gotten great deals on a Rainbow swingset, a table and chairs, and now a chainsaw. That's right. I am Andy's personal make a wish foundation. I found him a Stihl (pronounced steel) chainsaw with an 18" bar that had only been used for less than 2 hours. New, it was $400, we paid $275. Almost exactly what I made on the air conditioners. I had to share with him the three keys to craigslist in order to accomplish the chainsaw feat, and I will now share my wisdom with you.

1. Have patience
2. Don't settle
3. Timing is everything

Happy craigslisting!! Does anyone have any wood they want to get rid of??? :)