When Donny and I moved to Longview, we ended up renting a house that was almost twice the size of our home we had for sale in Baton Rouge. This was fine, except for now we had two living areas and only had furniture for one. One of my biggest pet peeves is having rooms that you don’t use. I hate wasted space. I had just thrown some chairs I had on hand in there. I wanted to go shopping to find the right furnishings, but the fact that we were still paying bills and the mortgage for the house we had for sale plus rent and bills for our rental here in Longview, it just wasn’t in the budget. Not to mention that we had a giant tree fall at the house in Baton Rouge and had to shell out almost a $1000 to get it cut up and hauled away. I just had to be patient, which is hard for me.
On a trip to Dallas we stopped by Ikea and found a couch that we both really liked. The only problem was that we would have to rent a uhaul to get it home. Not an easy task, but it was doable. Still I didn’t want to pull the trigger yet. It was almost $1200 and although I love ikea, I still thought that was pretty steep and wanted to look around some more.
We also needed a new fridge. We left ours in the Baton Rouge house because it was an incentive to a potential buyer to not have to purchase one and because we really didn’t want to move it. Those things are HEAVY! I got a used one when we moved. We knew as soon as the Baton Rouge house sold it would free up our budget to get the one we wanted.
The house sold about a week before school started. We began to seriously start looking for furniture and a refrigerator. The Home Depot had the one we wanted. Side by side, water and ice. Basic, but still a little over $1100. I just couldn’t do it. I wanted to wait to see if they would go on sale or maybe we could find a scratch and dent one. Y’all, I just couldn’t spend that kind of money for a fridge. Just couldn’t.
Two weeks ago this happened. By total accident. I was just taking a short cut through my neighborhood.
I had seen the signs earlier in the week, so I was positive that nothing good would be left. It was Friday and the last day of the sale. I still wanted to check it out.
When I pulled up and parked, I saw this lady struggling to get a computer desk to her car. I got out and helped her carry it. We tried, unsuccessfully, to get it into her small car. I told her that if she’d let me look around a few minutes, I’d put it in my SUV and take it to her house for her. She said she wanted to look some more too, so that would work.
I walked into the kitchen and BAM!!!!! guess what was for sale?????? A side by side fridge with ice and water. I grabbed the tag off of it. It was $230!!!! I was SO excited! I got even more excited when I walked into the living room and saw the perfect sofa. I sat on it and it was perfect. I swear, it had never been sat on. 
(Picture is from my living room. I didn’t bring my camera because I didn’t know I was even going to stop at the sale)
It wasn’t the type I was looking for, but I loved it. I immediately called Donny at work and told him that I found a sofa AND a fridge. The sofa was priced at $250. He told me to get them both. It was such a great deal. Wait, it gets better. Since it was the last day EVERYTHING was half off! What the what? So, my fridge would be $115 and the sofa $125.
You may be wondering why in the world were they still there? Because when you buy them, YOU have to figure out how in the world you’re going to get them home. Donny was super busy at work and couldn’t rent a truck and help. I was stuck. The ladies at the sale were trying to come up with a solution. I threw caution to the wind, and paid for everything. I knew I’d find a way, I just didn’t know how. It was 11:00. They were closing at 6, so I had 7 hours to come up with a plan.
Remember the lady I helped out when I first got there? Well, she had found some more furniture she wanted to get so she found me and told me not to worry about helping her get her desk home. She had called a friend, with a truck, to help her move the stuff. There is was, the answer to my prayers.
When he showed up I asked him if there was anyway he would be willing to move the fridge and the heaviest couch I’d ever seen to my house around the corner? He said he’d be happy to! Holy wow, it pays to be nice because if I wouldn’t have helped the lady earlier, I would never have met Byron, my moving angel.
So, with my new friends, we moved a fridge, a sofa, a chair and ottoman and a coffee table to my house. Hey, I was there for over 4 hours because of a torrential downpour and it was all HALF PRICE!
So, here is my family room with the new (to me) furniture.
The leather chair and ottoman’s final price was $40. It’s a great cream color and is in excellent condition and most importantly, comfortable. Donny calls it a real chair, unlike my dark brown bucket chairs that he is not overly fond of.
The coffee table was $30. It was more expensive than I would have liked, but I just really loved it. I’m not really into the farmhouse look, but it goes really well in this room.
I had told Donny that the sofa was pleather. Not my favorite fabric, but it was so pretty, I was okay with it. When he got home and finally saw it, he wanted to look at the tag because he didn’t think it was pleather.
Well, guess what? He was right. I got a leather and wood, barely used sofa for $125. Even the back was pretty, which was a very good thing because it faces our fireplace.
I can’t forget to show the fridge. It’s beige, not the color I would have chosen, but it matches our cabinets perfectly, and just kind of blends in.
The freezer side was a bit smaller than the one we had seen at The Home Depot, but we have a stand up freezer in the garage, so it’s not a problem.
We still need a few things for the house like a rug to layer over the jute rug in the family room. We also need a chair, I have one in mind, for the family room so I can move the brown bucket chair into the living room with the other one. I’m still looking for a small table for our breakfast nook. The one I have in there right now works, so it’s not a pressing issue.
My advice is if you are needing furnishings for your home, be patient and have an open mind. Don’t overlook a good deal just because it’s not exactly what you are looking for. The things I purchased at this estate sale might not have been exactly what I was looking for, but they work perfectly for what I needed them to do and for $310 plus the $100 I paid Byron to deliver everything, I saved a ton of money, which makes me very happy.
Stay frugal,
Stacy
Y’all, I had to share these with Donny because that was A LOT of food.
That was the side salad. The server even brought us extra house Italian dressing to dip our bread in. I have decided that calories don’t count when you’re on vacation, even a mini one. Donny gave us more ambiance by plugging in the lights behind him.
The Jefferson Hotel. The restaurant is on the bottom left. The guests staying here have a great little balcony to hang out on. It’s also, supposedly, one of the most haunted places in Texas. A jilted bride hung herself from the bed post and is said to haunt the hotel. The bed is actually still there. There are also reports from guests of ghost children.
It was finally time for the tour. Jodi Breckenridge gives the tour. It’s close to 2 hours long and the tickets are $15.00 online or $16.00 if you buy them directly from Jodi. I highly recommend this tour. Jodi is a true historian of Jefferson. Yes, it’s cool to hear all of the ghost stories, but the history that you learn about is almost better. The places you visit on the tour varies, depending on the availability of the of the residences that let you go inside. One that is normally on the tour had a private party going on. Yes, you will walk a lot. Yes, it’s dark and spooky, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun.
Learning about the Sterne fountain. There were probably about 15 of us on the tour.
The guy in the white shirt is Brent. He was slightly drunk and SO funny. The guy to his right is my friend Sherri’s son, Karl. Sherri is in the red shirt. If the tour hadn’t had been as awesome as it was, it would still have been fun just hanging out with them.
We got to go into the Old Mill Antique Store. Very spooky. Very dark. There is one ghost that people see consistently here. Jodi showed us pictures, taken on many different tours of the ghost. It’s the same face in every picture. I love how she tells the stories as we are walking through. Adds that perfect touch of scary.
Because it was SO dark, I didn’t get many pictures in here. We were all using our cellphone flashlights to try not to knock items over.
Brent photobombing my picture. 
Her home was beautiful. They have a female ghost that likes to open windows and doors and move things around. I took a lot more pictures, but for some reason they are not on my camera. This was my favorite stop, so I was really bummed because her home was gorgeous!!!
This is Jodi, our tour guide. There is so much I didn’t write about. I was limited in the pictures I was able to take due to the rain. We got to go into the General Store and hear the history and ghost stories. We learned about the different murders that have taken place over the years. We learned about the history of Jefferson. If you are interested about hearing some of the stories, please google Jefferson, TX. It’s really worth the read. Diamond Bessie, William Perry and Jay Gould are a just a few google ideas.
The second oldest hotel in Texas, built in 1858. In case you were wondering, the Menger, in San Antonio is the oldest.
The infamous rocker in the Jay Gould room.
Sherri and me. I love that I got to meet a friend, that I met in a facebook group, that just happened to be here the same time we were. What an awesome room also!
Excelsior House courtyard from the second floor balcony. They had breakfast there that morning.
The dining area
The parlor
There are interesting things all around the town
Daytime view of Thomas Jefferson Park.
The living/dining room. The door on the right leads out the the balcony.
The fully equipped kitchen. The fridge doors would open and the microwave would start by itself. The amazon echo also flew off the table in the living room, hitting the fridge. The door is open and you can see down the second floor hallway.
The bedroom. The bathroom is connected, I just didn’t get a picture of it. This suite is available for less than $200/night. What a deal!
This was the room next door to us. Denise was straightening it up and I asked it I could see it. It’s slightly bigger than ours and has a mini kitchen. Remember, if you want to see something just ask. The worst they can say is no. I wouldn’t have seen the apartment if I hadn’t asked to see it.
Our room. It was small, but perfect. After googling all the rooms at the different hotels we chose the Kahn because it was recently renovated (2 years ago) and although the building is from the 1800’s, the rooms were brand new.
One last picture of our hotel as we are getting ready to head out of downtown. When you first get to Jefferson, it feels as though you are being enveloped in a magical, historical, spooky bubble. A step back in time where things were more simple and slower paced. I’m so glad that we chose to come here. I can’t imagine a more perfect weekend getaway.
The coffee shop is through the doors to the right. There are tables set up inside and a bar where you can sit and people watch outside. I love the little bookshelf where you can “take a book, leave a book”. We had an out of this world blueberry muffins. Denise makes everything and she can bake!
How cute is this street??? I think if the weather would have been more cooperating there would have been more cars, but the ones there were really cool.
This is what greets you when you walk in. Talk about a trip down memory lane. They carry every kind of candy from my childhood. I wanted one of everything.
More candy!!!! They also had shelf upon shelf of jams, jellies and sauces. I cannot even count all of the samples I tried.
The General Store carries a little bit of everything.
This place is HUGE! I love that they have child sized tables where the kiddos can play with the toys. So stinking cute!
Feeling thirsty? This is only one set of shelves. They have drinks I’ve never even heard of. I really would have thought they had almost every single flavor ever made, except I wanted a Cheerwine and Cindy, there was no Cheerwine! No problem, if you can’t find what you are looking for here, there is always here….
An honest to God old timey soda fountain. They serve their milkshakes in mason jars!!! Ya just know sipping out of a mason jar has got to make them taste even better. What a fun store! We spent over an hour just looking at everything and knowing we didn’t see it all.
While we were in the General Store the skies opened up. You can tell everything is wet. It was over quickly. We wanted to check out some of the antique stores. There are so many within walking distance.
The antique places are so big that you could get lost. See that coffee cup in Donny’s hand. It’s mine from that morning. I asked him to hold it. He said there’s more cup than coffee so I told him to throw it away. He never heard me and had been carrying an empty cup around for over an hour. He’s a keeper.
We came across this cool little cabin. We didn’t see anyone, but there was music playing and a sign that said Cypress Scents. I googled it later and they sell candles, lotions, etc. It was just out in the middle of nowhere.
Yep, this looked like the place to get your feed on. Just like everything else in this town, it is so cute! If you are reading this, don’t take a shot every time you read the word cute. You’ll get alcohol poisoning for sure.
I’m not a mushy person, but this guy makes life so much more fun!
I’m always behind the camera, so Donny snapped this while we were waiting for our food. I look like an escaped prisoner, those stripes. LOL
The food!!! Donny had the Texan. It’s chili, cheese, onion on jalapeno cornbread. I had the chicken and dumplings. Oh my Lord, it was good. The cornbread was divine! The prices are SO reasonable. I found that all throughout Jefferson nothing was overpriced. Oh, and you have to have sweet tea with it. All of the desserts sounded so good, but we were stuffed!
When we were bringing our bags in I saw a man sitting out front in a really large golf cart. I asked him if he was a taxi. He said, no, but I can take you anywhere you need to go. Turns out, he is the owner of the hotel where we were staying. His name is Eric and it took him 2 years to convert the once dilapidated building into what it is today. We got a little history. In it’s past lives it has been a saloon, complete with a brothel, and a funeral home. He actually found blood stains on the floors upstairs when they pulled them up. Apparently, when the flu epidemic broke out in the late 1800’s there were so many dead that the bodies had to be stored in coffins upstairs. UGH!
This is the second floor hallway to our room. Our room was the next to last. The floors are the original floors from the 1800’s.
Our room had a king sized four poster bed.
The waitress forgot to turn our order in so we were there for quite a while. No worries because their were adult beverages and some pretty good karaoke. We don’t sing on the stage, but we do a mean table karaoke. Especially after a few of these.
Mine was the Ocean Water which is coconut rum, Blue Curacao and sprite. Donny had the Manhattan. I don’t know what the heck is in, but I took a sip and almost died. The food was really good. Donny had the junkyard burger and I had a quesadilla. No pic because we stuffed it down like we’d never had a meal before.
little courtyard.
We decided to explore some more since everything is so close.
This is the Sterne Fountain. It is at the intersection of Lafayette and Market Street. It’s beautiful and incredibly spooky at the same time. It was designed to be a drinking fountain with three different levels for humans, dogs and horses. It is made of solid bronze.
On top of the Sterne Fountain is Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth.
There are hitching posts all down Austin St.
Beautiful Catholic church next to a gazebo and park. It’s hard to tell in this picture, but the streets are paved with bricks.
And back to our hotel for the night. By this time it was after midnight and we were tired, but I had fallen in love with this little town. I couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow would bring.
Isn’t it pretty? It’s a pale turquoise color.The carved wooden plant stand it’s on is also from Dirt Cheap. I probably should take the price tag off, but it was $2 and it can work for plants AND lamps.
You’ll have to take my word on it, because this picture sure doesn’t do it justice.
It was such a fun day. The family that owns the little store are so nice. The granddaughter brought out one of their ferrets named Slinky. I didn’t get a pic because I was having too much fun holding it.
The Funky Frugalista 