Hi all! I am recently single and during the breakup I did lose some furniture. That’s neither here nor there.

I am currently in the process of scouting out some new items on FBM and Buy Nothing groups near me. I’m fairly crafty and have given second life to a number of items in the past for myself and friends. This however was when I was living at home with my mother and had access to her garage. Does anyone know some affordable ways to setup a workshop or a place to work in a large metro area? I could in theory work in the parking lot, but lugging equipment down seems like a hassle. The maker spaces in my city are NOT cheap and it makes no sense financially unless my goal would be flipping furniture which isn’t really what I’m into. Any suggestions would be helpful! In theory I could tarp up a corner of my apartment worst case… 😅

Breakfast: oatmeal, banana, frozen blueberries, apple pie spice, stevia, pepitas. Dinner: soaking beans for soup.

How are you eating cheap today?

Today was the final nail in the coffin of Amazon for me.

I’ve already been boycotting it, and now I’ve officially decided to cancel my prime subscription.

Why? Today I need to restock on Alka Seltzer. This is one thing I typically like to buy in bulk online because I go through a lot and I can’t go without it (bad reflux = enamel decay and higher risk of esophageal cancer).

But I decided to see if I could find it off of Amazon, I had even resolved myself to the fact that I might have to pay more.

Except I didn’t. I found generic effervescent antacids for sale at a MUCH cheaper price ($7 per box of 100) than on amazon ($11 per box of 100).

All I had to do was look. This whole tome I could have actually been paying less for my antacids if i had simply looked on Google instead of going straight to Amazon. Sometimes it pays to boycott.

Thrifty Furniture Sources?

What has been some of the thriftiest wins you've had for household furniture and supplies?

Spring is coming up and it reminded me of thrifty source for household furniture.

Back when I lived in a town that hosted two different colleges, dorm move out week in the Spring has always been some of the best dumpster diving weeks ever.

I don't usually dumpster dive throughout the year (no shade to those who do), but move out week in the Spring has usually resulted in some amazing finds. And I don't actually go inside dumpster (safety reasons), but I'm not above looking at the stuff next to it.

Towards the end of the school year, college kids get ready to leave their dorms for the summer. Over the year, they've accumulated more stuff than expected and these kids usually don't have storage units.

And they soon get tired of packing and often find that they have no room for another item in their car or truck and have no other way of transporting some bulky items.

Instead of worrying about these items, they often get tossed to the dumpster since they have no sentimental attachments.

I've picked up couches (no cushions), dressers, lampshades, nightstands, and kitchen side tables from the side of dorm buildings.

I don't pick up cushions, mattresses, pillows, or clothing because of the risk of bringing home bed bugs or other pests. But everything else is fair game.

After picking up these items, I usually leave them in the garage or porch for a week or two, then spray thoroughly with lysol, then wipe them down before they are brought into the house.

One of my favorite couches, which I no longer have unfortunately, was a dumpster dive find. I bought some cushions from Walmart and made sure they fit nicely on the couch, added some throw pillows and throw blankets, and viola, as good as new. These all cost less than $50, so I got a whole new couch for that price.

I also once picked up a really scratched up dresser. I sanded it down then sprayed a few layers of a different colour. Looked new afterwards. With a little time and effort, I got nice tall dresser for my clothes.

What have been some of your favourite thrifty dumpster dive finds?