Daisy's "New" Bed

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #35:

Thrifty

I haven't done a lot of thrift shopping lately because I don't need any "stuff" right now. It helps that we recently got new carpet, and having to move everything out of the rooms gave me a renewed aversion to excessive possessions. I wish we could have gotten rid of half of the stuff we had to move, but most of it was stuff we should keep - ya know, like beds. But, oh! How I wanted to throw it all out on the front lawn with a "free" sign!

Anyway, I wasn't sure if I could manage a "thrifty" post this month, but by golly, I've got one!

Daisy turned 11 on Monday, and as I considered what to get her for her birthday, I thought it might be nice to give her a new bed. For several years, she has been sleeping on a metal frame with a huge dent in it. We stuck a board over the dent because her 40-year-old mattress (a hand-me-down from my aunt) was starting to bow in the middle. In order to make it look somewhat like a real bed, I zip-tied my childhood headboard and footboard to it. We are fancy around here.

I talked to Scotty about building Daisy a new bed. Time ran out, of course, and two days before Daisy's birthday, we had no bed and no time. I decided to check the classifieds just to see if we could scrounge up something quickly. Lo and behold, the perfect bed had just been listed 6 minutes prior, and it was only $25. The downside was that it was in Provo, and Scotty had just gotten home from Provo an hour earlier, but we called the seller, hopped in the truck, and had the bed 45 minutes later. 

The bed was such a great deal! It's super solid, and it has built-in shelving and drawers! Perfect for my hoarder child! But seriously, I love old, wood beds! Nicky, Zoe, and Eva all sleep on old, wood beds that my aunt (of 40-year-old mattress fame) gave us, and they are so well-built and sturdy. I was thrilled to get Daisy a good, solid, wood bed!

We decided to give it to Daisy as-is and let her decide what color she wanted it painted. A few weeks ago, we inherited a hand-me-down dresser for Daisy that's black, so she decided she wanted her bed painted black to match it. I also got her some new bedding.

Here is what the bed looked like prior to painting (it's wet because I took the photos right after I washed it):

And here is what it looks like in her room:

$25 bed + $9 in paint

I had to remove all of her gigantic pillows and stuffed animals to make the bed visible for a photo (hoarder child!) 

Daisy is a happy girl! And hoarding aside, I am a happy mom!