What is the cheapest thing you ever did?

**madhen** · 01-31-2009, 11:40 PM

I have to admit, I stole this question from another group that I'm on. Thought we might have better answers here.

My cheapest thing: many years ago, I lived near an illegal dumping area. I would take my dogs for their off-leash walks out there, and I would hunt for treasures while they hunted for bunnies. Typically, we both came up empty-handed.

But I found enough stuff, including a really cute little metal chair that I spray-painted gold and made into a planter, a paperback novel, etc, to keep up the search. However, the cheapest thing I picked up was an extremely ugly and deeply scratched ORANGE plastic cereal bowl. This thing had serious cosmetic flaws. I justified my acquisition by determining that I could use it as a water bowl, as I was fostering multiple types of animals at the time, from dwarf hamsters to dogs. Not so bad, right? Except I didn't use it for a water bowl. After washing it, I decided it wasn't so bad, and I ultimately ended up using it as a cereal bowl for myself.

It was just the right size!! (It eventually devolved into a paint bowl and may actually still be floating around here somewhere!!)

I also once told a woman running a garage sale that I wanted her stuffed toy animals for my kids, but didn't bother to mention that my "kids" were actually two mongrel pound puppies. Hey, she only wanted, like, a DIME each for them! Cheap, definitely, but it pales in comparison to the ceral bowl.

**IntlMom** · 01-31-2009, 11:47 PM

Cheapest thing ever?
don't know...
Most ridculously pricey thing ever?
Hubby and I bought two brand spankin new cars while on vacation at Lake Tahoe.

Really.

**elphie** · 02-01-2009, 12:13 AM

We have our kids convinced that the free travel brochures they have at places are "souviners", lol... don't know how much longer we'll get away with that. Dd actually has a nice little collection of these in a folder... she's a saver.

**thefrug** · 02-01-2009, 07:56 AM

Trash picked from the side of the road and in dumpsters behind large box stores

**shortstack** · 02-01-2009, 08:16 AM

ROFL my kids love brochures! We have tons of them floating around here. It drives my husband crazy.

I'm not sure if I could nail down the cheapest thing I've ever done because there are so many.
Perhaps the time my mom and I went dumpster diving behind Hallmark. lol

Andrea

Originally Posted by elphie

We have our kids convinced that the free travel brochures they have at places are "souviners", lol... don't know how much longer we'll get away with that. Dd actually has a nice little collection of these in a folder... she's a saver.

**angelbumpkin** · 02-01-2009, 08:35 AM

We curb shop alot. We got brand new living room furniture that was left behind.

**FrugalMomof3** · 02-01-2009, 08:38 AM

I dont know if I have just one cheapest thing as I've gotten alot for free from craigslist, dumpster diving, curbs, etc...

The one thing that does stick out to me is the one time we saw this very vintage, all wood with dovetailed jointed dresser at the curb, we picked it up and refinished it with stuff we already had at home and it was beautiful!

**mombottoo** · 02-01-2009, 09:48 AM

I have done many things throughout the years that haven't cost me a penny, so there is no one thing that could be considered the cheapest.

I have stopped by people's garbage and taken off with things they were throwing away...for the first 10 years of my marriage every single vacuum cleaner I owned came from someone else's garbage. Currently, the Fisher Price slide, picnic table, platform house, rocking teeter totter thingy and basketball hoop that the grandkids play with all came from other people's trash

!

Guess that's where the saying "one man's trash, is another man's treasure" came from.

**cab54** · 02-01-2009, 10:11 AM

I picked up an old metal Radio Flyer wagon that someone had curbside, and sanded and spraypainted it, and used it to take my kids for walks and to the park when they were too little for trikes/big wheels.

They played with it till it fell apart.

**sabrelvssammy** · 02-01-2009, 11:05 AM

ate tortilla chips off someone's room service tray left out on the floor in the hallway....(hey i did pick around the soggy ones...)lol

oh-did i mention that i had had a few too many cocktails...so it's not really my fault...(even though i DID know exactly what i was doing)

oh wrong post- this should be for the 'gross-est (sp?) thing you've done.... haha

**Grayce** · 02-01-2009, 11:12 AM

I have picked up several pieces from the garbage of my neighbours. Just from my street I got a brass headboard, plastic patio chairs and a tabletop.

**frugalbabe** · 02-01-2009, 11:27 AM

When I was single and in college a near-by fraternity was destroyed in a fire there was an office chair on wheels that had somehow remained untouched just sitting by the smoldering ruins (everyone got out ok) I asked what would happen to the furniture and stuff and a firefighter said the city would send a garbage crew the following day to haul all of it to the dump. I had my eye on that chair so late that night I made my roommate go with me and I rolled it to our apartment. Still have it! It's my sewing chair now and my kids love to spin around in it.

**Cricketlegs** · 02-01-2009, 11:58 AM

I alway put my nice stuff on the curb on non trash days and usually a sign that says free on it so people will TAKE it as I HAVE taken things off others curbs--my best an antique mirror.

Just last week I hauled out a shelf, an air bike(that one hurt but I have zero room for it and frankly it was just a dust collector) 2 ottomans,2 sewing caddies,a ceiling fan,some office supplies, and a nice fish tank.

Someone got the shelf and sewing caddies right off and then later an elderly lady stopped and I halped her load it all up. She is a garage saler and was going to use the money to help her pay for her medicines!

She left me her phone number incase I had anymore as my stuff was really nice and would sell well.

**Debbie-cat** · 02-01-2009, 12:14 PM

I have taken quite a few things from other people's garbage. I also would put things out with a free sign and everything would always be gone by the next morning.

**NewLeaf** · 02-01-2009, 12:23 PM

One year my neighbor was throwing away all of her old Christmas decorations and paper. I knocked on her door and asked if I could have them. She was pleased that they were going to good use and told me that anytime I saw something she was throwing away just to help myself. I didn't have to buy ANY wrapping paper that Christmas at all.