Anyone ever make good use out of someone elses "throw aways"?

[kar313]

We have done this several times w/ pool/beach toys on vacations. First time was in WDW in '98 we always drove our car back then because money was tight and a very nice Bristish family was playing w/ our kids at the *** pool. It was their last day and when they got ready to leave for the airport they offered all of their pool toys, buckets, balls, etc to my kids who were so exicited to get them. I thought it was a great idea and when we left we gave them to another family. We do this all the time now when we fly, esp since the pool is always one of the last things we do before we leave and don't want to pack wet toys (I just bring a plastic bag for the wet suits.)

 

[powellrj]

when I was in high school I took one of the youth trips to france. We had to take our own towels and bedding with us, so I packed all that stuff and took it with me, but there was no way I was dragging it all home because I wanted to room in the suitcase to bring things home!! I left them with the other kids there and you would have thought I gave them gold!!!

 

[Hippychickali]

when I was in high school I took one of the youth trips to france. We had to take our own towels and bedding with us, so I packed all that stuff and took it with me, but there was no way I was dragging it all home because I wanted to room in the suitcase to bring things home!! I left them with the other kids there and you would have thought I gave them gold!!!

Somethings mean a whole lot to people. Yesterday, my family and I went to Burger King. We had a whole bunch of coupons and we may go to BK once every couple of months at most. These expired at the end of the month. So, we took the ones we were using and overheard a lady say she was getting a poutine. So we offered her the rest of the coupons (one was for poutine). Well, you would have thought that we gave her our last moursel of food. She thanked us repeatedly. After she ordered, she gave the remaining coupons to some other stranger. He came over and thanked us because she explained that "those nice people over there" had given them to her. Jeez, we would have just thrown them in the garbage anyway.

Thank you so much for the link to freecycle.org to the person who posted it. I had never heard of it before. I checked out the site and found 900 members in my area. I'm signed up and ready to go!

Ali

 

[Schmeck]

My mom's hometown has a 'swap shop' at the garbage transfer/recycling center. People can leave useful things there, and take what ever they want. My mom found the girls a typewriter that they love (imagine the excitement of 'retro technology') bicycles, baby toys, and a gorgeous solid oak cradle.

We drive to WDW, so we don't tend to leave anything behind, but a Mousekeeper put flowers in our room one day that were left behind in another room. It was so sweet!

 

[pumpkinfish]

I think that people get so surprised now when there are good deeds given to them. Maybe in this world of negative images, the little sparks mean so much more than in past times.

I work in a top-name retail store. I get customers in all the time that are surprised when I offer them a further discount (something our store participates in with the mall) on their purchases. Saving an extra 20% on their total purchase makes their day! It makes me feel good, especially when I come across a family with a bunch of children!

One good deed deserves another!

 

[minkydog]

I once saw a nice yellow & green Little Tykes kitchen by the side of the road,next to the trash. After dark it was stil there, so I went out and got it. Other than having mildew on it, it was perfect. The next day while DS, then 3yo, was napping, I cleaned it up like new with Clorox. You should have seen his face when he saw it! He was dancing around, so happy. He had been wanting a kitchen set, but DH thought it wasn't "manly" enough so we couldn't get one.

He played with that kitchen set every day until he was about 5yo. At that tmie we had to move cross country and he elected to give it away to a children's shelter. Heck, the way those Little Tykes toys are made, that kitchen set is prbably still in use today.

Cathy--mom to John the cooking man,18

 

[Hippychickali]

When I was in the Yukon last spring, one of the things that amazed me about the little community I stayed in was something called the Free Store. It was the same idea as the swap shop someone mentioned. It had clothes, decorations, toys, furniture, and everything.

Ali

 

[jjarman]

THROWING AWAY handbells! That seems unchristian! Who would do such a thing? Even when our choir got new robes, we donated our old ones to a rural church that wanted them!

I hate to talk about any church and this church does some fine work around here but I can only guess that who ever threw them out had no idea how much they were worth. I am in the handbell choir now with those bells and they are perfect.

 

[mamapajama]

What is "poutine"?

 

[RobinMarie]

Don't you LOVE freecycle - I've gotten rid of a TON of stuff - and have gotten some wonderful things as well!

My BEST freecycle find was a Broyhill dresser - exactly in a style I would have BOUGHT!!

We also had "inherited" a king size mattress and I found the 2 twin foundations on freecycle! I'm AMAZED by it!

I think I've given more than received for now, but am hoping it will 'pay off' for me real soon! Of course, I never post WANTED ads, just respond to others.

 

[Hippychickali]

There are different ways to make poutine but the kind sold at Burger King is french fries with mozzarella cheese and gravy.

Ali

 

[BostonRob]

There are different ways to make poutine but the kind sold at Burger King is french fries with mozzarella cheese and gravy.

Ali

Never heard of it. Must be a regional thing.

 

[MrsPete]

A lady in the hallway at Wilderness Lodge offered me her styrofoam cooler last year. They'd flown in, and they'd bought a cheap-o cooler when they stopped at the grocery store for drinks (makes perfect sense to me -- it's much cheaper than renting a refrigerator). I turned it down because we had a good cooler that we'd brought from home, so she left it by the ice machine with a note saying "Free -- hope you can use it".

If you're interested in this concept (not just at Disney, but in general), do a google search for "Dumpster Diving". It's amazing what people throw away. I used to pick up tons of good stuff at the end of the year when I lived in the college dorms: unopened canned food, calculators, backpacks, furniture, kitchen goods, even small refrigerators. In fact, I've been out of college 15 years and I still use some of those things! I attended a school with many out-of-state students, and I assume they couldn't take it all home. Still, it was terribly wasteful.

 

[pamlet]

I think I've given more than received for now, but am hoping it will 'pay off' for me real soon! Of course, I never post WANTED ads, just respond to others.

Same here....

The group in San Antonio had gotten very large - so I stopped receiving individual emails....

I try to stick with the smaller groups outside San Antonio... easier to give away...

I'm a firm believer in "if it is meant to be"... laugh... we REALLY needed those box springs... and the dresser!

I love the concept - it's really been helpful as I "declutter"

 

[pamlet]

There are different ways to make poutine but the kind sold at Burger King is french fries with mozzarella cheese and gravy.

Ali

I used to go to Butte, MT on business and had never heard of gravy on fries until I got up there. MMMMM it was good - never had it with cheese tho'... now THAT sounds wonderful!

We used to laugh that they put brown gravy on EVERYTHING up there....

 

[Hippychickali]

Poutine is a French dish. The kind I described is very popular around here and I think it originated in Quebec.

Ali

 

[stm61]

we live very close to a summer resort area. Never fails, every yr some of the homes are sold and the new owners don't like the furniture. They throw out everything! I'm not talking discount furniture (like I would buy LOL) but brand name stuff they still looks new!

 

[ChrisNif]

My trip this past december we brought our "on its last legs" mini fridge for a one way trip. I was chatting with a nice couple from seattle and they were on their 2nd day our last day so we gave it to them. I just asked them nicely if they could pass it along to someone else. I'm sure by now its probably been tossed, it was 6 years old, but at least a few people probably got some use and saved $10.00/day at the allstars.

-Chris

 

[Bill From PA]

I've done the 'Buy the Gooding's Cooler, Leave it by the Ice Machine' thing and I always wondered if anyone ever put them to use or if CMs are told to snatch them up for liability reasons.

Bill From PA

 

[bigmerle1966]

I have gotten several things out of the trash like that. The one I could KICK myself over though was when we had a dumpster in our neigborhood for our twice yearly clean up and someone threw a perfectly good Little Tykes slide in there. I was going to have my friends 9 year old climb up and get it for me, it was sitting just in sight at the edge, but I was leaving to go out for the evening and when I got home it was too late. The dumpster was picked up early the next morning.