One [Wo]Man's Trash...

A few months ago I was having dinner at my friend Sarah's house and everyone was really impressed with this awesome dresser she refinished and was using in her dinning room. Turns out she bought it at a junk yard in Denver. One thing led to the next and because we are all constantly looking to save a few dollars, before we knew it, me, Sarah, Kaci, and Mandy were standing over the calendar and planning a trip to Denver.

Yesterday was the day we picked and at 9am we met up, along with a few other friends, to make the 40 minute drive north in hopes of finding a few new pieces for our homes. I had no idea what to expect from the whole experience and as I set my alarm clock the night before, I had a million questions running through my mind.

• What does a junk yard even look like?
• Am I going to look like one of those kids in National Geographic rummaging through piles of garbage?
• My last tetanus shot was after that one time I gouged my eye with mascara. I think that was in the fall of 2009. Is it still effective?
• What do you wear to a junk yard?
• How much should you pay for something at a junk yard?
• What if I run into Tim Tebow?

After all, the only visuals I have for a junk yard are those few scenes from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's timeless classic, It Takes Two.

So for those of you, like me, who would have no idea what to expect from a junk yard visit, everything was pretty dirty, but semi organized into piles. We quickly found when it came to pricing, it was a lot like this one time I went to Mexico in that nothing is marked with prices and everything is negotiable.

As much as I love Hobby Lobby, I was excited to find some unique pieces for my house that don't make my living room look exactly like every other living room in the neighborhood. Usually great conversation pieces are acquired through world travels and life altering adventures. Since I have very few of either of those, I resort to HGTV for inspiration and junk yards for uniqueness.

originally $15 each and we got them for $10 each...master negotiators.

Unfortunately the plan of having unique pieces kind of bombs when you go to these junk yards with your closest friends. At least my pieces will be unique with my work friends. Kaci, Kim and I all got matching windows for $10 each. Kaci and Kim are going to use theirs as displays at their craft shows. I'm going to refinish mine and use it as a headboard for my guest room/office.

Sarah and her treasure, a sign she is going to refinish and display in her living room

Next up on the tour of Denver junk yards was this place. It was more of an antique warehouse than a junk yard, but it was much cleaner and the items were easy to find and sort through. Plus, you didn't have to watch your step or wonder about prices.

Unfortunately though, this meant the prices were just a tiny bit steep (insert sarcastic tone). However, it did make me feel good to find that a cleaner version of my $10 window was $35 at this store. Up until that point we really had no idea if we found a bargain or were getting totally ripped off.

We did manage (and by "we" I mean "me") to find one reasonably priced item. These cabinet doors were only $5. Once they are refinished they will look awesome hanging on the wall with a verse or something on them. Again, mine would have been so unique, but I'm pretty sure every single one of us bought at least one and I think everyone except for me already knows exactly what crafty masterpiece they will make of it.

Mandy and her $5 bargain

Can anyone tell me what these are? They were at both places and I still have no idea why I would want these or what they are used for. My best educated guess is something with boats.

After a long morning in the heat, it was time to head to Park Meadows Mall for some lunch. To say I hate the mall is the understatement of the year. Most of my friends talked about how they would love to have more time to shop or money to spend on clothes. I have plenty of time and a pretty generous clothes allocation in my budget, but I still can't seem to find this joy they speak of. I'm glad there won't be money in heaven, mostly because that means there most likely won't be malls.

After lunch and a few mall purchases, we loaded up our treasures and headed back to Colorado Springs. I don't know if any of us were ecstatic with our finds, but I would count it a memorable experience and a morning well spent with great friends.