A doctor in China has become the first to perform remote control surgery over a super-fast 5G network.
Palm Beach used to be a nice town for billionaires. Then Trump came along.
The 45th president has brought divisive politics — and traffic jams — to this exclusive destination for the very rich.
Furnishing your new home can be fun and creativeâ¦ but it can also cost a pretty penny. And that extra expenditure is especially intimidating if youâre a young adult or college student just moving out on your own for the first time.
But as amazing as some deals can be, used furniture can also be a bit of a gamble. And the last thing you want to do is waste money on a piece that ends up only lasting a few weeksâ¦ or even worse, a piece that introduces a population of unwanted, six-legged guests into your new home.
We spoke to a few thrift-savvy experts to get the down low on what to look for â and avoid â when shopping for pre-owned household goods.
Hereâs what we found out.
Like everything else in our 2018 world, the search for used furniture has been transformed by the internet. Along with classic options, like consignment shops and curbside steals, youâve also got digital alternatives like Craigslist or Letgo.
Donât get us wrong â you can definitely find some amazing deals buying used furniture directly from the owner(s). But you can also run into some lemonsâ¦ and you wonât have any protections in place to help you as you might with an actual business.
Pieces on sale at a consignment store have usually been vetted before theyâre put on sale, giving you an added layer of insurance against accidentally buying a dud.
âShop at estate sales, flea markets and secondhand shops,â suggests Darcy Segura, a Dallas-based vintage furniture buyer and reseller. âItâs no secret that midcentury modern furniture and decor are hot commodities nowadays, so such sales and shops are often where you can find quality, well-built furniture at reasonable prices,â she says.
Along with bedbugs, upholstered furniture can also house fleas, carpet beetles and dust mites, all of which can be extremely difficult to get rid of. So if youâre at all in doubt about the cleanliness of a potential piece of furniture, leave it â this is one case where itâs way better to be safe than sorry.
For example, wood furniture serves as a prime nesting substrate for powderpost beetles â especially hardwoods commonly used in furniture construction, like walnut, oak, hickory and maple.
So when youâre looking at a potential desk or table, be on the lookout for signs of stowaways. The most telling sign of powderposts are the sets of tiny exit holes, measuring from 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch in diameter.
Whether youâre purchasing your furniture new or used, itâs obvious that some materials are sturdier than others. But while some flimsiness might be serviceable in an Ikea dresser youâve just built yourself, if youâre buying something thatâs already seen some use, quality is key.
âDonât fall for todayâs replicas,â Segura emphasizes â a tack she takes when doing her own thrifting. Those particle board pieces might be pretty, but theyâre not built to last.
Perhaps surprisingly, in many cases, older can be better. After all, particle board wasnât even a thing until the 1950s.
Certain types of materials are naturally more durable than others. Teak, for instance, has long been a staple in Southeast Asian furniture making â not only for its beauty and strength, but also for its resilience. Teak contains natural oils and silica that make it resistant to water, mildew, fungi and stains, according to Fariz Zakka, who works for Indonesian furniture supplier Posteak Furniture.
When it comes to finding a great deal on a used piece of furniture, little details matter â not only to help avoid pest infestations, but also to verify build quality.
For instance, many pieces of well-made vintage wood furniture will feature dovetail joints as opposed to a joint made of nails or other fixtures. Itâs worth taking a close look at those seams, anyway â corners and joints are âmore likely to show signs of rot and other damage,â according to Segura.
Another indicator of high quality in a dresser or desk? A brand name, which youâll find on the interior left side of the uppermost drawer in premier furniture, according to Zell. Look for âa stamped logo from the company that designed, developed and assembled the piece.â On occasion, this information might be inscribed on a brass plate. Not only can the logo help you recognize high-quality furniture faster, it also allows you to check out the company online and learn more about its reputation.
Armed with these tips, your used-furniture shopping trip should be less stressful and more exciting â and it will supply you with some high-quality, cozy pieces on which to kick back, relax and enjoy those sweet savings.
Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a writer whose work has been featured at Fodorâs, Yahoo, SELF, The Motley Fool, Roads & Kingdoms and other outlets.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian says the economy class cabin is generating about 48 percent of its revenue, compared with 65 percent six years ago, while revenue from the front of the plane is surging.
A lawyer for Kate McClure, the New Jersey woman who was allegedly involved in scamming more than $ 400,000 out of some 14,000 GoFundMe donors says she was “conned” and “used” by her boyfriend and the homeless vet.
McClure, 28, is facing conspiracy charges for allegedly helping to launch the GoFundMe scam alongside her 39-year-old boyfriend Mark D’Amico and Johnny Bobbitt, a 35-year-old homeless veteran who had been living on the Philadelphia streets. But her attorney, James Gerrow, says she’s simply a victim in the ordeal.
However, an investigation conducted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office paints a different picture of McClure.
A complaint obtained by PEOPLE states that D’Amico and McClure met Bobbitt during a trip to a local gambling casino about one month before they launched their alleged scheme. As their story went, Bobbitt and McClure first met last October when she became stranded on a Philadelphia highway, prompting Bobbitt to spend his last $ 20 to pay for her gas.
Gerrow did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE. Bobbitt’s lawyer declined to comment and D’Amico’s attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request.
All three have been charged with second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception.
The heartwarming tale convinced thousands of people to donate to the group’s GoFundMe to get Bobbitt off the streets.
Their plan worked. After fees, donations amounted to more than $ 367,000, all of which was deposited into D’Amico’s accounts. The couple gave Bobbitt $ 75,000 of the money, according to Coffina.
“But he wanted his fair share of the take,” the prosecutor added, noting that McClure and D’Amico spent their share on lavish items like handbags and trips and even had plans for a book deal.
So, Bobbitt accused the couple of withholding the money, with his attorneys filing a civil suit in August on his behalf in an attempt to get the remaining funds. But by then the money was long gone. Coffina said on Thursday that D’Amico and McClure had “squandered” the money by mid-March — about four months after setting up the GoFundMe.
“GoFundMe will process all refunds in the coming day,” the statement continued.
The post Girlfriend in $ 400,000 GoFundMe Scam Now Says Her Boyfriend & Homeless Vet ‘Used’ Her appeared first on lovebscott – celebrity news.
Kali Uchis used to live out of her car. Now, she’s one of pop music’s rising stars.
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