Better than cheap

20 years ago

is FREE!! It is bulk trash season here - in a neighboring town this week and in my town next week. Mom and I went "junking" this afternoon. We get a lot of garden junk that way and found some today. We went down 2 out of the way streets. On one a couple were putting out a twin wooden bookcase headboard (passed on that) but did take a white Christmas tree and an end stand for the living room (complete with magazine rack), 2 Christmas wreaths and a drying rack. The stuff was so nice I waited until the couple came out and asked if they were really throwing it away.

Down another street and found a queen size green fancy wrought iron headboard and footboard which I need. That about filled the van so we headed home. We saw a man with a truck and trailer with about 50 bicycles on it and another truck with a big wicker star and reindeer - darn. Well that was fun and I can't wait to go next week (my town has different streets putting out "trash" every day). Kathy_PA

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Comments (6)

budster
20 years ago
I'd love to ride shotgun with you. Our town doesn't do anything like this...everyone tries to garage sale the stuff...and some people have permanent garage sale things. We are also blessed with 2 salvation army stores and a hospital thrift shop....but like you say "better than cheap " is definately free.
weed30 St. Louis
20 years ago
We don't have bulk trash pickup in our area - you have to pay the garbage company to pick up large items. So when I have something big, or something that I think someone else can use, I take it to the main cross street nearby and set it out there. Things are usually gone within the hour. Just last weekend I took two perfectly usable saw horses out to the street. I was still taping the "FREE" sign on them when someone pulled over and loaded them in their truck :)
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Meghane
20 years ago
We don't have much of anything as far as bulk pickup goes. You have to pay someone to haul stuff away or pay to dump it in a landfill. A friend of ours has a bonfire party a couple times a year, and we get rid of junk that can't be sold by burning it (always trying to sell it or give it away first of course). So far we have burned at least 3 sofas, a bunch of chairs, 2 flip-chairs, a piano, and in the process we are clearing up the brush on his property. The stuff was broken and not worth repairing, and burning it is so much fun!
CindyBelleZ6NJ
20 years ago
You lucky dog, I LOVE "curbside finds". Some of the things I get the most compliments on are just that, usually repainted or refinished, but a few were just cleaned up. So FUN.
Momma_Bird_OH
20 years ago
I wish we had designated days! In my town, you call the trash dept for bulk pickup any week, so there is never a mass clean-out.

The best trash pick EVER was our tricycle. I found it on top of a "moving out" trash pile in front of our babysitter's neighbor's house about 8 years ago. PERFECT condition. All 3 boys have used it, #3 is using it now and loves it.
carol_in_california
20 years ago
We were given two free bicycles and found another 12 speed on the street with a free sign. We took the two best ones in the be gotten ready for riding so we could take them on our trip to Yosemite. Got a real bargain...the bike shop only charged $15 per bike for a minor tune up and lube. He had to put on two tubes and tires on one bike so the total for both bikes was $61. We had to buy two helmets at Costco....cheapest ones were $19.95 each. Because it was such a chore at our age to get the bikes in and out of the van, we purchased a bike rack at Walmart for $39.95. After we did all that we took a bike ride and discovered my husband was too out of shape to ride any distance at all, especially at 4000 feet elevation. Two days later, he decided to try to "get in shape" and rode about a mile and a half....he ended up in the emergency room for five hours. They thought he had a heart attack but he decided he didn't want to stay overnight so he signed himself out. Now we have to pay the $50 ER co-pay. So perhaps, free wasn't such a bargain for us this time.
As it turned out, he did not have a heart problem but was just severely dehydrated.