Street Junk

You never know what you're going to find in the street when you live in a college town--recliners, sofas, desks, mattresses, lawn chairs...  A lot of it is beat, but sometimes there are gems among the junk.

One Sunday morning last June, I left the house to go running.  When I turned the corner, I couldn't believe the stash of "trash"in front of me. Half of the next block was lined with boxes, bags, and discarded items from mops and brooms to an artificial Christmas tree and a wooden clothes drying rack.

Anyone who knows me knows that I hate to stop in the middle of a run almost as much as I love to pick up junk.  It was only 6:00 a.m., so I figured I would run my 4 miles and come back.

Maybe not. Just as I started to take off, a van pulled up along the curb.... Another early-morning Dumpster diver.  We would have to share, and there would be no waiting until later.

It was worth it.  I ended up with an almost-new Cuisinart blender:

A set of heavy Ikea bistro glasses:

and an interesting stainless steel container that turned out to be the perfect holder for two rolls of toilet paper in our upstairs bathroom:

I also snagged some Ikea storage containers, a baby quilt that I donated to a local animal shelter, an Oxo colander, and some other kitchen utensils.

I love thrift store bargains and yard sale deals.  But free is the best.