Through developement of my homestead, it is incredibly difficult to build everything from scratch with bought lumber, shingles, insulation, plywood etc. BUT there are great finds out there for the patient ones. For example, in the summer I see a garage sale sign (there are tons in my neck of the woods), I pull over to take a glance at what people are getting rid of.
I LOVE the gardening finds that people don't want anymore. And YES, they typically come from city dwellers. Hey- I love the city its just that most people will buy something for a project, like a shovel, for their small area and hardly use it, then sell it after its been collecting dust for a couple years. Cha Ching....enter MEG! It's awesome when people are so thankful you take their 'crap' off their hands when you know what they are getting rid of is a minimum of $75 and they want $1.50 for it.
So besides garage sales the places I get my freebies or next to nothing are first and foremost Craigslist. Look in the free section. If for anything, its a great way to spend an evening while sipping a glass of wine, beer, or lemonade (chose your poison). What's more fun is finding something like an old farmhouse apron front sink, plant stand, indoor plant, plywood pieces, pallets, etc for free. After you acquire your goody (ies), you can make them into a project that will be helpful around your house, apartment, farm or homestead and it will be one of a kind! Even if you don't know what you could do with an old sink like that, google it! Now, I am not a junk collector by any means.
Everything I get is used and created from start to finish. I figure, if I spent money on- it needs to be completed promptly, or when weather will allow me to. Another place to find re-purposeful items is Goodwill. Where I live, there is a lot of great ones. I love what people get rid of. I bought two HUGE round planters for $5.99 a piece, BUT NO- it was Tuesday $1.49 tag sale so I got them both for $2.98, big spender right here. The kitchen department can really rock too somedays, glassware to old stuff that you can't find in big box stores. So, I am planning on roasting my own coffee beans this week and I needed an old time air popcorn popper.
I walk into my local thrift store last week, walk through the kitchen aisle and there she be, an old air popcorn popper for $2.99. Sure I could buy a newer version online for $30 all plastic but you can't find quality like the old stuff. It's important to keep in mind that some days are a hit and others are a miss for thrift stores as well as garage sales. But it would certainly take out the excitement if you knew what was there before going :)
I really enjoy re-purposing quality. I don't see the point in throwing away something that works better than the garbage on the shelf there is today. I can literally think of a project with almost any free or used item. If for any reason to find cool free stuff and re-purpose it, it is to see the look in my husband's eyes when I unload my TDI sportwagen with all my finds. His look of 'oh crap, what's she up to now' is seriously priceless
