Scavenging Day

Well, this morning I was able to scavenge stuff in the street. Having a a work trolley with decent wheels made a difference.

I collected: a side cabinet; a working TV with remote (for when the bedroom TV dies); a carpet; thee painted bits of wood that used to be the fronts of drawers but will be used as an awning at the side of the house; a wooden chair; a computer desk on castors; an umbrella/phone stand; a wheelie gas chair with working gas cylinder; and a foam mattress.

I put out: a gas chair with a gas cylinder that doesn't work); an armchair that was falling apart; another ditto; a vacuum cleaner that blew up; a PS3 driving set; an old DVD player; shelving from the garden shed that was actually the framework for overhead kitchen cabinets.

I moved the computer desk I had in the RecRoom into the SunRoom where it will make a good craft desk, moved the munged computer desk into the RecRoom to replace it and put a space bookcase (which had partially blocked the hall) next to it. And then I moved the coat rack from the Lounge into a spot near the side window, and put the  Umbrella/Phone stand in it's place.

Been a busy day.

Satisfaction

There can be no greater joy than recycling for oneself the stuff that others throw out for bulk disposal. I discovered years ago that I am a scavenger, and lacking great sums of cash, I could still get nice stuff when folk put it out for council disposal. I have in my house lots of stuff obtained by this way, and rather than be ashamed, I feel I'm doing my part in cutting down the wastage that comes with modern life.

As I'm typing this, I do so on a gas chair I got today, on a computer that sits in the computer desk I also picked up. Yes!!!  It's also a great way to chat to people. I got an (unexpected) working Tv when talking to the woman at the end of the street. She was chucking no less than 6 TVs out - not because they didn't work, but because of the switchover to Digital last year (they each need a set top box to pick u[p free TV). She even offered me a fold up sofa bed, and a gigantic media centre wall thingy (but I just don't have the space for them)!!!

I also chatted with a guy down the street. Seems his brother died last September and he was doing up the house to sell. I got a beautiful umbrella/phone stand and chair from him. But it was good to just chat as well.

Maybe we're not all that wasteful as we think, provided we give give up our fetish for the new.