Carrie Willard

putting the HER back in motherhood

  • About/Contact
    • Legal
  • Home
    • Mothering
    • Homemaking
  • Health & Well-being
    • Books
    • Food
  • Money
    • Earning & Investing
    • Blogging & Writing
    • Frugality
  • Time
    • Habits & Goals
  • Recommended
  • Free Skin Care Quiz

June 2, 2022 by Carrie

Frugal Wins, trash picking edition

When a neighbor discarded some household belongings on the curb, my daughter-in-love and I decided to take a peek. Trash picking is the ultimate frugal practice. Not only is all the stuff free, but it helps keep good stuff out of landfills.

We snagged a brand new dog crate, which is now Willie’s bed.

We also nabbed a like-new electric lawn mower (I had no idea this was a thing). This will definitely come in handy when I’m a single lady in charge of lawn care. It’s super lightweight and easy to use. Did I mention it retails for $125? The underside was pristine, as if it had not been used.

A wheelbarrow with the price tag still on it. I haven’t used it yet, but Ruby has enjoyed pushing Josiah around the yard in it!

We got a like-new potato masher (a kitchen tool I previously lacked), a large piece of IKEA wall art and a shoe rack.

I haven’t hung the picture yet, but it will look perfect in my laundry room.

We dragged everything home and sanitized it all. (My go-to cleaning recipe I owe to the marvelous GoCleanCo. I’m completely obsessed with them. Any other Dirty Bastards reading? For general cleaning, it’s a teaspoon of powdered Tide mixed in a gallon of hot water. For disinfecting, I add a splash of bleach. So simple, so cheap. I don’t bother with making my own cleaning products.)

Trash Picking: Nasty or Nice?

Some people would turn up their nose at activities like trash picking. This is what Amy Dacyzyzn, the author of the Tightwad Gazette, would call “selective squeamishness”. And I agree with her!

A few days later, a neighbor posted on NextDoor that she had just put out a bunch of household goodies and to come get it before the trash pickup. So I gladly obliged!

This is another plus of trash picking: you’re actually providing a service to your neighbors. It’s expensive to have trash hauled away, so you’re saving your neighbor cash.

We snagged a corner shelf, a full-length mirror with tags still on it, several books, a stainless steel trash can, and the piece de resistance: a Shark navigator vacuum.

I took the vacuum apart and cleaned the filters well, emptied and washed the dust cup, and took it for a spin. This vacuum is awesome. It’s somewhat self-propelled, and it swivels, making it easy to use under and around furniture. Big score!

Speaking of vacuums, this is the third one I’ve gotten free in recent weeks. One I gave to my son and daughter-in-love, the other resides in the downstairs apartment my husband lives in. And now I have two vacuums upstairs. I could sell one, or just keep it in case one stops working and I can’t repair it.

I wonder why people throw away perfectly good vacuums. It’s so easy to take them apart, remove a clog or get the beater brush moving again, or just to clean them well. Videos abound online that demonstrate how to do it.

The stainless steel trash can has a couple of scratches, but is otherwise in excellent condition. My old trash can is now in the garage. It’s perfect for tossing the detritus that ends up collecting in the car, before it comes in the house.

The corner shelf has a tiny bit of rust, but nothing a little Barkeeper’s Friend didn’t take care of.

The shoe rack makes a nice addition to the coat closet. Two is better than one here.

What about you? Any good trash picking lately or other frugal wins?

Share
Pin
Tweet
0 Shares

Filed Under: Frugality, Homemaking

About Carrie

Carrie writes about raising a large family frugally and simply, surviving a cult and healing from cPTSD. More about her here.

❮❮ Previous Post
Next Post ❯ ❯

Comments

  1. Linda says

    June 2, 2022 at 3:23 pm

    I’m glad that you are blogging again. Always a good read.

  2. Carrie says

    June 2, 2022 at 4:19 pm

    Thanks for reading Linda!

  3. Beverly says

    June 2, 2022 at 5:05 pm

    Nice to see you in my inbox! And congratulations on some great hauls!

  4. Carrie says

    June 2, 2022 at 5:10 pm

    Thanks! It’s so fun 🙂

  5. Rebecca says

    June 4, 2022 at 8:50 am

    So well done on your finds! I love this as a form of recycling.

  6. Linda says

    June 6, 2022 at 6:06 am

    Husband & I were at a local flea market yesterday & folks were making an announcement that there was a section of free stuff. We looked through many boxes, but I only found a couple of tops (one was a GAP). Nothing as good as what you found. Made me think of you! 🙂

  7. Carrie says

    June 6, 2022 at 9:09 am

    Ooh that reminds me of the Really Free Markets that are popping up, have you heard about them? There’s one here in Georgia I’ve been meaning to visit

  8. Barbara says

    June 6, 2022 at 12:33 pm

    Just popped over to your blog from The Frugal Girl’s website. So jealous of your recent trash picking hauls. I am a Georgia girl too and am curious about the Really Free Market. Looking forward to scouring your blog for more frugal wisdom. I enjoy saving money and buying only what we need/use to keep our carbon footprint low. I plan to mix up a bottle of your cleaning solution ASAP as I would love to eliminate most of what is in my cleaning cabinet.

  9. Linda says

    June 6, 2022 at 1:54 pm

    I haven’t heard of the Really Free Markets. Is it something like a Buy Nothing Group, just all in one place?

  10. Carrie says

    June 6, 2022 at 2:00 pm

    It’s a free market where you can bring items and pick up items. There are a few of them popping up around the country. Worth a Google !

  11. Carrie says

    June 6, 2022 at 2:01 pm

    The really free market is in Athens! They stopped for Covid but recently picked it back up. Definitely Google it!

  12. Linda says

    June 6, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    I’ll check it out. Thanks!

  13. Linda says

    June 6, 2022 at 7:10 pm

    I found one at a nearby city in Oct. I’m making a note of it, so I remember to check it out.

  14. Carrie says

    June 6, 2022 at 7:52 pm

    Awesome! I just love the idea of it so much

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome! I'm Carrie, and I write about raising my large family frugally as a single mom, mental health, and surviving a cult. I hope you find value here! Read more about me

Subscribe and get a free monthly meal plan

Download My Free Guide

Recent Posts

  • Five Frugal Things
  • How the Jehovah’s Witness Cult Creates Mental Illness
  • How to Protect Yourself Financially as a Stay at Home Mom
  • Beyond Bubble Baths: What Self Care Is, and What It Isn’t
  • Five Frugal Things

Privacy Policy

Pretty Chic Theme By: Pretty Darn Cute Design