Friday OT #2 - Curbside Treasures
- Thread starter Angie
- Start date
I had a friend that put a used mattress out in front of his house with a free sign on it. It sat in the yard for a few days, no one took it. Then it got rained on. Then he put a sign on it that said $10. Then someone stole it.
When I lived in Ames we took a charcoal grill that someone put on the curb and used it for the next 2 years. It was one of those barrel style grills.
I've never taken anything but I lived with a guy that worked a trash route for about 6 months. People would have yard sales and then just throw away stuff that didn't sell. That's where we got our dishes from. They were all boxed up just sitting on the trash.
When my parents cleaned out the attic before moving to Virginia, they had a yard sale and everything else went to the curb. One of our oldest neighbors called her that night and told her that we must have really good trash because there were like 4 families digging through it. Mom said they took about half of it.
When my parents cleaned out the attic before moving to Virginia, they had a yard sale and everything else went to the curb. One of our oldest neighbors called her that night and told her that we must have really good trash because there were like 4 families digging through it. Mom said they took about half of it.
I've heard its common for people to pick those up from the curb/dumpster outside the Sports Column in Iowa City at closing time.
I'm usually the one leaving unwanted stuff on the curb it seems like. Wouldn't call it a curb find but it was free to me so I guess it kind of qualifies but my brother in law moved this summer and had a bar in his basement. Said I could have it if I found someone to help me haul it as he didn't want to mess with it so I now have a nice bar in my man cave that probably would have cost me at least $500 or more if I were to go buy one like it at one of the rec room type of stores.
When I was in KC, I used to snag some stuff from the dumpster behind this pottery studio down the street from the Westside Local. They would sometimes throw out stuff with little deformities, but some of it was useful for utensil dishes or pen holders, and the deformities made it cool.
Nothing, and I can't even get rid of stuff by leaving it on the curb since I live on a short dead end street with no drive-by traffic. I hate tossing stuff that someone might be able to use but sometimes even listing it for free on Craigslist isn't a great option. Did find a home for my old Schwinn 10-speed (really nice shape but 30 years old, something nobody on Craigs would want since in Mpls you have hundreds of bikes listed) Some cool little bike shop in Mpls takes them as donations to fix/sell of cannibalize for parts.
We never went out looking, but on our way home one night, we passed by a house and saw an adjustable basketball hoop. It had a plastic backboard and could be adjusted up to 8'. I felt dirty, but we grabbed it since my daughter had been asking about a hoop. I think she used it 5 times. About two years later, we set it out during big item pick up, and it was gone within half an hour.
The circle of life.
The circle of life.
A friends ex-girlfriend. Thankfully someone took her off my hands also.
I was dragging an old bed out once. While dragging the mattress a guy asked if it had a box spring, I said a frame would be there also later. He asked if I wanted him to help bring it out. I said no, (I didn't want a guy who would take a curb mattress to be I need my house).
Another time I had a old lawn spreader on the curb, someone took that and left a pile of bricks and paint cans. WTF, this ain't trade day, it's garbage day. Especially when he left crap that they wouldn't take.
Another time I had a old lawn spreader on the curb, someone took that and left a pile of bricks and paint cans. WTF, this ain't trade day, it's garbage day. Especially when he left crap that they wouldn't take.
I convinced some kids from 3 blocks away to take an old Cabinet TV from the neighbors house. Some jackwagon cut the cord off (a lot of copper you know) the night before. I could hear their dad chewing them out a block away as they pushed it down the street.
I set some rotten fence boards out by the curb (our garbage collection would take ANYTHING you set out), but they got scooped up by somebody before the garbage man got there.
I think they probably had termites in them as well.
I think they probably had termites in them as well.
My wife picked up a headboard for a full-size bed. We have king, queen and twin beds. The headboard is in a storage area in our basement and will probably be there until we move out.
I've had good luck with putting stuff on the curb and finding it gone the next morning when I lived on a busy street. Most things I'll take to Goodwill, but some stuff just wasn't worth the effort. Amazing what people will pick up if it's free!
A friend of mine discovered a set of four bar stool chairs - solid wood with "I-State" painted and sealed in on the seat backs - sitting on the curb once when she was driving around specifically looking for 'junk.' There wasn't a scratch on them and she figured they must have cost several hundred dollars when purchased. They're still sitting at her basement bar today (this was probably 8 years ago or so).
A friend of mine discovered a set of four bar stool chairs - solid wood with "I-State" painted and sealed in on the seat backs - sitting on the curb once when she was driving around specifically looking for 'junk.' There wasn't a scratch on them and she figured they must have cost several hundred dollars when purchased. They're still sitting at her basement bar today (this was probably 8 years ago or so).
Similar story, but when we were moving down to KC, we had a hide a bed couch we were desperately trying to get rid of. Put it on Craigslist for $50...then $40..then $25 with zero inquirers. Someone told me that I was selling it to cheap, so no one would want it as they would think it's cheap. I then put it on for $100, and within a day I had it sold after the guy "talked me down" to $50
