ONE MAN'S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE

Gemma enjoying my curbstore find!

Gemma and Rebecca love their Barbie cars!

I am a bargain hunter. When you have 5 children it’s not even a choice…no it’s a necessity. Clipping coupons, scouring the clearance aisles, searching website after website for the lowest price…it’s all about saving money. I love deals. Some might say I’m cheap—and you know what…I wear that title proudly. And thanks to the recent economic woes—it’s now actually fashionable to be cheap. And at times, I am not too proud to say that I even have found some great deals from other people’s “discards” (fancy word for garbage). I consider myself a trend setter…this is what I tell myself when I’m dragging items from people’s curbs and ducking low so they can’t tell it’s me. I have gotten some of my best deals from what I like to call the “curb store”. My husband and I first discovered the “curb store” on one of our many walks when we first moved into our complex. We discovered that since Tuesday is garbage pick up day that meant the curb store hours were open Monday from 7 pm till the following morning at 6 am. One of my best finds came from my next door neighbor’s house. I remember the first time I spotted what would soon become my daughter’s dresser. It was wrapped in plastic wrap from bottom to top and looked brand new. At first glance it looked like it might have just fallen off the delivery truck but upon closer inspection we discovered this was a curb store special. Since it belonged to our neighbor I felt it would be wise to at least ring the doorbell and officially ask if they were getting rid of the dresser because we could use one. I would have just died to actually have them see me and my husband hauling it off. Now while I said I’m proud to be cheap…I’m not that proud to ring the door bell so I made my husband do that part. He would ask the question while I discreetly pretended to be picking weeds (as if I had no idea what he was asking). When no one answered the door we decided to make our big move. Quick let’s grab this thing before they come home and see us. Bob got a dolly out of the garage so we could place the heavy dresser on top. We started rolling and pushing it up the driveway…sweating, panting…and soon our deed was accomplished. Of course, now we can never have the neighbors visit our daughter’s room—the coincidence would be just uncanny!

It wasn’t too long after that we scored another great find. On one of our many walks we spotted a Barbie car. The kind a small child can sit inside and actually drive. It wasn’t as new looking as the dresser but there were that many dents in it either. Now this was an item from the curb store that would actually require a drive thru pickup. My husband Robert would have to run home…get the car, load the item and make a fast getaway. It’s so funny how we women can train our men. I don’t think Bob would have ever done any of this curb store pickup situations in a million years…but there I am encouraging him to the finish line.

Now I’m not sure if it just was a bad year for Barbie car models or not…but that summer we ended up picking up a total of 4 Barbie cars. Most of the time all they needed was a new battery. One required a little tinkering…but that’s what husbands love to do…it gives them a sense of accomplishment. My daughters practically each have their own Barbie cars to drive around in the backyard. They love it…and while most of these cars retail for around 300 dollars…we got them for the cost of a new battery. When friends come over and see the 4 Barbie cars they can only wonder if we won the lottery…or just robbed a bank. Let’s just keep this our little secret…..thanks. Have you gotten a great find somewhere? Would love to know about your deals…please email us at threepluskids@aol.com