Wednesday 6 July 2011

So I thought I was a fan of thrifty finds before...

So Brandon and I had a very busy holiday weekend.  So busy that I didn't have time to download photos, and you will have to wait for the post to see everything in its full glory.  Everything being a kitchen renovation and a silk upholstered headboard with nailhead trim! But all in good time.

What I can tell you about are some bizarrely successful adventures in dumpster diving.

On Friday, (Happy belated Canada Day!) Brandon took out our trash before coming downstairs to meet me, to go out for dinner with the fam for Lisa's birthday.  Only he was late because when he got to the trash room, he found... a PS3.  Granted, I am sure its broken.  But if he can't fix it, it was worth a shot, right?  Who just throws away a PS3?

On Saturday, another long day of home renovation for me, I again pull into our building to pick him up, and I drive up next to the dumpsters to wait for him to come out.  And sitting there, waiting for me, is this beauty:

Double-sided kitchen island with two drawers (not pictured) that pull out halfway on each side.


Granted, the bottom shelf needs cleaning and shoring up with extra feet (or replacing.) But if I ever throw away a gorgeous kitchen island (double sided at that!) it will be because it is in shattered pieces.


I mean, I don't need a kitchen island right now.  In fact, as you can see from these photos, I don't even have room for the one I just acquired.  But how could I just leave it there?? The answer: I obviously could not.  And if my dad doesn't sell it on craigslist first  (because where else am I going to store it, obviously?), one day this puppy will have place of pride in my kitchen. 


One question remains.  Do we really live in such a nice building that people just throw stuff like this out, and not try selling it on Craigslist first?  Maybe I should take the trash out more often...

4 comments:

  1. oh, free things. i never can resist the call.

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  2. we got our loveseat from the trash room at our last apartment! fumigated it first, of course. no bugs, perfectly awesome loveseat. free! definitely keep an eye on that trash room, particularly during the busy moving season. I think people just go "crap! this doesn't fit anywhere! just leave it!" and leave perfectly good stuff..

    that is a gorgeous little kitchen island, glad you saved it from certain death.

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  3. Ha! That's how we've ended up with 90% of our furniture slash STFD inventory. The Foliage loooooves my Abandoned Item Pity.

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  4. Yes, and I pick them up and keep them, or sell them on CL :) From our previous apartment trash we got a samsung surround sound system, an ice bucket, a brand new baby stroller (used by my wee sister when she visited and now a friends baby) a mirror/sconce set (sold on CL) and from the street here we got a vanity table (given away on CL). I don't understand people putting perfectly good stuff out in trash.

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