When patience pays off

I’ve been looking for a tile table for our backyard for… 5 years. I seem to see them everywhere, but “everywhere” turned out to be mostly other people’s backyards. I gave up looking for one new even before I joined the Compact because it was clear the kind I was thinking of might cost hundreds of dollars. I searched at garage sales and thrift stores, on ebay and Craigslist. I saw a couple of tables that were okay, but nothing that knocked my socks off.

Then last weekend our next door neighbor had a moving sale and I was going out so I asked my husband to check if she had any tile tables. He said he was sure she didn’t because he hadn’t seen anything like that in her yard. When I came home later in the afternoon, I looked myself and sure enough, no table. But then I walked by a few hours later and saw this beauty right out on the sidewalk. She said it was kind of heavy so she hadn’t gotten around to dragging it off her back porch. I immediately fell in love with it. The tile work is exquisite, and it’s such an unusual pattern. Plus, even though I’m not a beekeeper or anything, I consider myself a friend of the bee and love to see them happily buzzing around our lavender and clover.

My neighbor wanted $50 for the table, so this wasn’t the deal of the century or anything, but I consider it a bargain because I love it, I don’t have to look for a table anymore, and I was happy to contribute to her moving fund. A huge win/win for both of us!

I just love the idea that the whole time I’ve been looking for a tile table for our backyard, this lovely was hiding about 50 yards away. I’m so happy to have it to spruce up our simple backyard decor. It’s almost time for ping pong and barbecues!

Have you ever looked for an item for years? Maybe I really am becoming more patient as I get older… Please leave your thoughts in the Comments section.

Comments

    • Angela says

      Jane, It is a bit of a steal when you consider she paid many times that, and that I’ve been looking for so long. And I do love it, even though it’s not at all what I had in mind. Thanks for commenting!

    • Angela says

      Leslie, I’m pretty sure it’s a bee, especially beause of the little legs and the colors, but a dragonfly is cool too!

  1. Carla says

    Yes. Quite some years back I needed a coat. Badly I needed a coat, and looked for several years running without even finding a contender for consideration. My search was compounded by the fact that I am very short at only 5′ tall and quite frankly, petite sizes in anything are typically at a premium. One late winter/early spring we were in Dallas at a mall, a place we rarely go to by choice, and I decided to check out coats. They had a steal. It was a brand new navy trench which had started its rack life at about $200.00 — waaaay beyond my range. It had been marked down to half-price, which made it $100.00. From there, it had been marked to 2/3 of the half-price tag — which put it at $66.00! — Deal! I’ve worn that coat for years now and plan to wear it for years more. It’s a classic style and color and the price was right!

    • Angela says

      Carla- I have the coat story too! I wanted a red coat for several years and saw many but they were either too expensive or not the perfect red or not a design I liked. Then two years ago my friend had on the cutest coat in a style I loved, hers was grey, and I asked her about it and she said she got it in the kids’ dept. at Nordstrom. This was pre-Compact, so I was still buying new, and it cost $49.99! Not only was it an incredible price, it was the cutest red coat I’d seen and fit me perfectly. I know I will wear it out. I also got a fantastic black London Fog raincoat several years back marked down twice, I think it ended up being around $100 and you can keep those for decades. The style doesn’t change much.

      You should keep the kid’s dept in mind, I have another friend who is teeny and shops there regularly. She gets cute clothes and great deals.

      Thanks for commenting!

      • Carla says

        I’m afraid I am not “teeny”, only short, LOL. In that coat I did get a 6P, I believe, but it fits so nicely because it’s made to go over other clothes. The children’s department is not for me! Great for those who can do that! I used to have a friend who wore big boys’ shoes and he got superb bargains in the boys’ department all the time. His wife also had tiny feet and was OK in the girls’ department except for things like heels.

  2. says

    What a lovely table! It looks really well made, you are going to enjoy it for many years.

    I looked for 10 years for a desk/armoire and finally found one on Craig’s List last year. I can be patient and have had it pay off, but I have looked for years for an energy efficient freezer without success. Last week my husband told me to stop looking and bought a new one on sale at Sear’s.

  3. Bridgette says

    You are correct in saying that patience pays off. A few years back I was looking for a dresser for my son’s room. Paying full price for one was out of the question. Some of the pieces I had looked at was over price and made from cheap material. I keep asking around but to no prevail. One day a co-worker announce that she was having a garage sale. I offered to help her set it up. She would have done the same for me. To my surprise she gave me four dressers, one for each room. ALL FREE!!! I wanted to pay her but she wouldn’t hear of it. What a blessing!

  4. Marie-Josée says

    What a wonderful find Angela, and such an original motif! I’m so glad your patience paid off. Hope you are having nice weather in sunny L.A. Spring has been grey and cold here in Montreal. Ugh!

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