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It must be true that addictive personalities cannot run or hide from addictions. My caffeine and chocolate addictions are well documented. Unfortunately, the addition of several hundred square feet to our home has brought to light a new addiction I must add to my growing list.

It started when the walls were framed up and Hubby and I decided to climb into the new space and start dreaming of the day it will be ready for us to inhabit. Standing in my soon-to-be new office, I noticed that my L-shaped desk was not shaped to fit in the new office space. The long part of the L was on the wrong end of the desk.

A new desk was imminent. The signs were all there. Not only was the old desk NOT going to fit into my new office, but my middle son, who will finally get his own room upon completion of construction, pointed out that the old desk will fit in his new room. He generously offered to take my old desk.

Searching for a new desk led to a change in taste. A sleek, L-shaped, iron-legged computer desk would not do. I needed something with a Queen Ann look; something with lots of character; something that was originally designed for writers like me.

My research unearthed pieces in the $800-$1400 range. Unfortunately, my budget of $100 was not quite going to stretch. I was sorely disappointed. I did not want to throw in the towel and purchase a cheap, modern desk. Then I remembered my sister-in-law.

My sister-in-law is the angel who inspired me to save hundreds of dollars by coloring and highlighting my own hair. While expecting my gorgeous new nephew, she and my brother cleaned out their house. But instead of hosting a yard sale -- who wants to get up at 5 a.m. to sit around all day only to haul everything to the recycling center at the end of the day -- she decided to sell their gently used treasures online.

Within a week, she sold more stuff and made a lot more money than she ever did during her yard sale days. I congratulated her, and then mentioned that I don't have that kind of patience. I am not a huge fan of online auctions and would never sell anything the first week.

But it wasn't an online auction. She used craigslist.org, a nonprofit online community through which you can sell and buy items, join chat rooms, look for employment, find services and post personal ads, just to name some of the options available.

Maybe this craigslist.org Web site would be a good place to search for a new desk. Sitting in my parent's living room, I started searching again. This time, however, I searched for sale items near my home, online at craigslist.org.

The perfect desk WAS posted by someone who lived about 100 miles from my home. It was a cherry writing desk with Queen Ann legs. But the posted price was $65 over my budget. Mom saw my crushed expression and offered some sage advice.

"Why don't you just offer $100? People always post prices that are higher than what they will accept. And the worst that can happen is they will say no."

Why not? With nothing to lose, I e-mailed the owner and offered $100. Within an hour I had my reply. Mom immediately knew by my glowing face that I'd soon be picking up the perfect desk for my new office.

After my excellent buy, which currently sits cluttering my living room until the addition is complete, I began checking the postings on craigslist.org regularly. Within a week, I stumbled across a beautiful steamer trunk, not unlike the one my grandmother has used for a coffee table for the past 65 years.

Hubby saw the online photo and thought it would be a great place to store his books. We really didn't need to spend more money, but we decided that if the owner accepted $50, we were meant to own it. We picked it up three hours later. The trunk now sits in the middle of the living room awaiting the completion of the addition.

After we brought home the trunk, we promised that we would not buy anything else for a while, as we can barely move about the house and have a water bill due soon. Unfortunately, I accidentally found a coffee table and matching end table that is absolutely perfect for our living room. I just e-mailed an offer. If she responds positively, it was meant to be.

In the meantime, Hubby has graciously yet sternly requested that I do not surf craigslist.org for at least a month. Luckily, some friends of ours are looking for a ping pong table for their rec room. Sipping my cup of coffee and snacking on a chocolate bar, I sent them three links to possibilities that are posted in our area.

Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@inspiredscribe.com.