Cheap Stuff: Damascus House

One of the better area second hand shops is the Damascus House Search and Save on Smith Street in the City of Monroe.

This past weekend, my wife and I stopped in and found a turkey roaster for $3 and a tie for 50 cents. During past visits, I have found a good quality Barcalounger for $10 and a really great stone-topped cabinet for $5. The cabinet matches the kitchen in our new house perfectly and holds my grilling equipment.

The Damascus House has a wide assortment of items. They have books, clothes, household items and electronics. I think that the best part of this place is the furniture. They always seem to have something worth considering and the prices seem lower on the larger items than at other second hand stores in the region. I guess the items are priced to sell given the limited space in the store.

One of the quirky aspects of this store is the fact that the local prison has a work release program at the store. It is almost guaranteed that you'll see someone in a striped uniform moving furniture around. Personally, I think that this is a great thing. And the Damascus House does work to help the poor in the Monroe area. So it is a good place, even if the religious theme of the store might be off-putting to some.

Hours are 10AM to 4PM, Wednesday through Saturday.

Give it a look. Contact Information:

Damascus House Search and Save

212 Smith St.

Monroe, MI 48161

(734) 242-8136

Cheap Stuff: UM Property Disposition

Let's face it, we live in a throwaway society.

Want proof? Just drive down any street on garbage night and you are likely to see hundreds of items and materials that could be reused.

That's why I love second hand shopping. It helps the environment. It often helps a charity fund its operations. And the goods for sale are often sold for a great discount from retail.

The University of Michigan Property Disposition is one of these great second hand spots. This is the place where all of the old furniture, office detritus and computers go when the university community deems it surplus. This place is great for filing cabinets, office chairs and old computers.

Our home office, for instance, sports a $30 five-drawer Steelcase filing cabinet that would probably have cost a couple of hundred bucks if purchased new.

This place is also good for strange objects. My wife and I have seen x-ray machines, oscilliscopes and fake human cadavers during previous visits.

Check out the link below for more information:

http://propertydisposition.umich.edu/