Fixing it up for free

For all the wonder and amazement that purchasing new trinkets for the home can bring you, there is still no act of consumerism that beats the feeling of free. Discounts are nice, and Craigslist is an adventure, but free has to be the best way to furnish not only your home, but your life.

It is for this reason that I have been blessed to live with two very proficient freebie snatchers who, over the last couple of months, have taught me well in the ways of cheap living. To you, dear readers, I impart their wisdom.

Always be on the lookout. I have not bought groceries in a couple of months for two reasons. The first being that I am pretty busy and usually too tired to shop for food and then cook it. The main reason, however, is barley. This magical grain happened into my life after both of my roommates were walking back to the house one day and chanced upon a large pile of barley just kicking it in the street. Seriously, what are the odds?

Suffice it to say, I am a little sick of barley right now, but that isn’t really the point. The point is that my friends had the good idea to go back to the house and grab some of the many plastic bags being horded in our kitchen and bag up this free mound of grainy goodness. Now, we have close to 100 pounds of barley hidden around the house and will probably not be wanting for food anytime soon.

The same goes for clothing and furniture. My female roommate in particular has a good eye for discarded clothing on the side of the road. She’s found dozens of shirts and a couple skirts this year alone, all of which are pretty good looking and oh-so funky. One of her better finds was a red cashmere sweater from Brooks Brothers that originally cost more than my phone.

About a third of our furniture came from the side of the road as well. Another third of it came from other creative sources. The dumpsters at PSU were particularly good finds this year. While dumpster diving is technically illegal (or so I’ve been warned), it doesn’t hurt to cruise by the dorm dumping grounds around finals week when everyone is moving out. Just try not to cause too much of a disturbance, and be wary of the fact that sometimes things get thrown out for a reason.

Finally, sometimes your friends will come through for you in a time of need for furniture. It’s best when obtaining things from friends, though, to work out some trade. The guy I live with picked up a couple of amazing red vinyl couches (which I’m pretty sure came from a strip club) while working for a friend of a friend, because he did a good job and the man he was working under just didn’t want them anymore.

Ultimately, free goodies are at your fingertips, waiting to be plucked up like so much succulent fruit. Just keep your ears open, your eyes peeled and that Febreze handy. Sometimes these things can get smelly.