Each April, our city has a clean-up day. On this day, residents can put large items out on the curb to be picked up by the garbage hauler. Our normal garbage day is Tuesday, but neighbors start putting "junk" out on Sunday, as long as the weather is nice. By the time Tuesday has rolled around, most of the stuff has been picked up by "junkers" who cruise around the neighborhood with trucks and trailers...
followed by me. 😎 Yes, that's me driving around in my SUV, scouting for curbside treasures.
When it comes to snagging stuff off the curb, I have no shame. None whatsoever. People put some pretty amazing things out on the curb. This upsets me greatly, because if those awesome things don't get picked up, they absolutely will end up in the landfill. But clean-up day is actually a GOOD thing because it results in many items being salvaged instead.
This year, there was SO MUCH STUFF on the curb that the garbage guys
didn't make it all the way around town until THURSDAY. In the meantime,
people kept dragging more and more stuff to the curb.
Long story short: It was a banner year for curbside treasures!
Now mind you, you HAVE to be selective when looking for curbside treasures. There's a lot of not-so-great stuff on the curb -- stuff that should be recycled or truly thrown in the trash. But if you're willing to put in a bit of time and effort, you're sure to find some good stuff.
The stuff you see on the curb seems to vary by year. One year, there were fire pits on every curb. Recliners, mattresses, and office furniture are always common. When flat screen TVs became the norm, older models were at the end of every driveway. This year it was artificial Christmas trees.
This clean-up day, I was looking for two kinds of items: Things to sell in my case at the antique mall and larger decorative pieces for my garden. Remember the bird bath I found a few years ago?
On my first trip around the neighborhood, I stopped quickly to inspect some trellises. They weren't in good condition so I turned to head back to my SUV when suddenly, behind some old office furniture, I spotted this sweet bird bath. I mean SERIOUSLY! There is nothing at all wrong with it other than rust -- which I actually find rather charming. The base, however, weighs about 200 pounds. But when curbside thrifting you develop SUPER HUMAN STRENGTH, so I hoisted it into the back of my SUV. I absolutely love it!
Near our house, I picked up the stack of tall metal buckets you see in the photo above. They have been painted, but galvanized tin (even in poor condition) sells very well, so I grabbed them. I've since learned that they're actually vintage sap buckets but can also be used for flowers. Crossing my fingers that they'll sell quickly!
I also found a box labeled "old trophies". A quick peek inside confirmed that they are mostly from the 50s and 60s. They're in good shape with dates and, thankfully, no names. Believe it or not, there's a good market for old trophies, so we'll see if I can sell them!
Nearby, I found a box of old school papers from the 60s. Peeking quickly, I could see several interesting vintage items such as books, chemistry charts, sketch books, and more -- in short, a few older pieces that could be sold. Going through this box actually made me rather sad as it contained a number of report cards and photos that would have been lovely in a scrapbook...sigh. I recycled most everything in the box with the exception of non-personal items such as books to sell. More on this in another post.
In that same box was a goofy purple rabbit. I've been known to rescue stuffed animals, so I dropped this one off at Goodwill on one of my trips there. I could not stand the idea of him sitting out on the curb. Hopefully he found a home in time for Easter!
I also found this baker's rack which, other than a bit of chipped paint, is in really good condition and would be nice outside for smaller pots of plants.
As it got dark, I went a bit further from our immediate neighborhood and made a great find: A huge pile of trellises and garden ornaments. I had to turn my vehicle toward the pile and shine my headlights on it to inspect the loot! The trellises were all tangled up with fishing line and a garden hose, but I was undaunted and finally reached the two I wanted which were (naturally) at the bottom of the pile. They'll be perfect in my garden!
While I was working on the pile of trellises, a truck pulled up and the driver hopped out to take a look. After I left, she must have come back to take the entire rest of the pile because when I circled back around to grab one more item, everything was completely gone. When scoping for curbside treasure, if you see something you like, you must act immediately!😉
But with all of these great finds, the best was yet to come!
By the time Thursday rolled around, I could still see piles of junk out on the curbs. So on a whim, I decided to make one more trip around the neighborhood. Suddenly, I spotted two urns sitting at the end of a driveway.
I was sure they were plastic but just to be on the safe side, I turned around and went back to take a look. Lo and behold, they are CEMENT and look as if they've never been used! Aside from a chip on the corner of one pedestal, they are in perfect condition. They only weigh 400 pounds each but I managed to hoist them into the SUV. I knew if I didn't take them immediately, the next person would!
This was the best find of my entire curbside operation. These urns will be beautiful in the garden, on the patio, or on the front porch. I seriously can't believe how lucky I was to have found them!
I spent some time over the weekend cleaning up the pieces I plan to keep for the garden and will share some pictures in a future post. I'm thrilled to be giving these curbside treasures a new life -- outside of the landfill!
jp
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