Curbside Finds

This post is for all the junkers that are constantly amazed by what they find on the curb. While driving my daughter to preschool yesterday I came across a whole mess of good junk that I couldn't pass up. It was trash day...and let me tell you people, the people had the goods out waiting for my drive by. (Mind you, my daughter's school is a mere 3 minutes from our house so keep that in mind while viewing this post.)

I never go out with the intent to drive around and curb shop. However, if there is something that catches my eye on my way to wherever, I will not hesitate to pick it up. I DESPISE seeing usable items thrown in the trash. Even if I can't use something, I have been known to pick items up to donate or sell. We can all use extra cash these days, can't we?

Yes, I'm a recycler. No, I'm not hardcore. Your basic plastic, metals and paper recycler here. But there is a line I won't cross - You'll never see me toss something I know someone else might be able to use.

My final find yesterday morning was a Trek mountain bike. Yes, I said Trek. I bought my own Trek bike new over 10 years ago for close to $400. Even if there are $100 in repairs for this bike (which it doesn't appear to be), why not drive it to a donation drop off instead of trashing it? If you're hoping a guy in a pickup truck will come before the garbage man (or a mom in her minivan - sorry kids, you gotta scooch over so I can get this bike in here), oftentimes it doesn't work out that way and it just gets buried in the ground with all the other gazillion bikes.


So the next time you think 'hmmmm, maybe someone could use this', don't toss it. Either drive it to a charitable donation location or post it for FREE on Craigslist. (Candy is now stepping down from her soapbox).

What kind of curbside finds have you come across? I'd love to hear about them. Even though I complain about others, I still love to find good junk! I'll have an update with what project I'll be doing with the crib springs in the photos at a later date. ;)

As always, take care and keep on junking!

I am not alone

Over the last several years I've made the discovery there are gads of people like myself that find the rustier an object or the more chippy paint an object has, the more desirable it is. These Junkers are everywhere!

Case in point - last year while driving my kids from an activity, I spotted in somebody's trash a purple mountain bike that would be perfect for my then 7-year-old who had outgrown her bike. When I stopped to pick it up, the homeowner happened to be outside in her driveway so I asked to make sure it was there for the taking. She said absolutely and proceeded to tell me she had gotten it from someone else's trash the previous week. Whoa! Someone just like me!

This nice woman then showed me around her yard and pointed out each and every garden ornament that was trashed by someone else. Her yard alone was a real eye-opener as to how many unnecessary and beautiful items end up in landfills. Pretty ridiculous. She ended up ditching "my daughter's" bike because she said there was a problem with the tire. (Needless to say it just needed air in it). So gladly, after my daughter was finally able to get a brand new bike for her 9th birthday, I gave our trash freebie away to a nice gentleman on Craigslist for his 7-year-old. He picked it up today as a matter of fact.