financial aid and rants and raves

It hasn't always been fashionable, but I loved to grab stuff from the trash and rehab it for future use. It was also a great way to find Playboys as a kid, since I had no older brothers to supply me. Puberty would not be denied! Anyway, I found many interesting and salvageable things. My fave was a 1000 page cookbook with instructions on making everything from eggs Benedict to spinning your own sugar for decorating wedding cakes. The price of the book (during the early 80's) was $50 back then (!) and I loved reading it. It was "lost" by my mother, though to this day I'm convinced she sold it to a neighbor. I don't dumpster dive much these days, since I do actually make a decent living. If I really want to be cheap, I can trundle over to Goodwill or the Salvation Army stores. I like saving money (in certain ways anyway), but I'm not that broke.

Although I always found good stuff, I was never very vocal about my hobby, and in Westchester, that was a good thing. People are much less shamed (by anything!) these days, so websites such as freecycle.com and others have grown in popularity. They existed before the present economic mess, but their growth has been much greater since people started losing homes, jobs, and their artificial sense of safety. As someone who was twice homeless, I can say it can happen to anyone, even nice Catholic boys from Mamaroneck. Props to the family for helping me when I was down and out.

Prior to our current mess, people reclaimed usable trash for a few reasons. Mine was simple curiosity, but others used these items for art, or somethings may have been antiquities, or they couldn't stand the idea that something usable should be wasted in the garbage. I'll place those who survived the Great Depression in the latter category. Others were just really cheap/thrifty and filled needs with their hunting.

Westchester County is prime territory for dumpster diving, since my home territory is very wealthy. As such, perfectly usable (and often quite nice ) furniture, etc. is often found curbside. One friend actually knows the dates of bulk pick-up in Northern Westchester towns, and hunts accordingly. Living in a co-op like myself, I often see usable items at the dumpster. If you feel like getting in shape, you could equip a home gym with all the stationary bikes and treadmills people toss on the pile right after Christmas. Tinsel? Check? Dead Christmas tree? Check? $1000 brand-new Bowflex? Fuck yeah! (Occasionally you'll find the instructions along with the home gym.) Again, whether or not I need these items, I pause before I pick. Can I, with my salary and other methods of making money, excuse the act?

I had to ask this question twice recently. As mentioned, I don't need many things, but I do need a chest of drawers. Living out of a hamper of clean clothes is fine, but I don't think many ladies would understand my dedication to efficiency. I would like to start biking again, although I'm not overwhelmed with motivation. As such, I don't feel like spending money on a new bike.

The bike presented itself first. It was at the dumpster for my building on a Thursday, and I was tempted to snatch it. It was in good shape, and I might have used it. The fact that I wasn't sure stopped me, so I decided to wait. If it was there by Sunday night, I would take it. The bike was gone a day or so after it was placed in the garbage.

The chest of drawers was next. This was something I actually needed, although it is more a cosmetic need rather than a pressing one. It is bulk pickup today in Yorktown, so my regular trips from Croton to Starbucks over the weekend were also journeys into people's junk. The amount one family spends on mattresses must be staggering. In addition to the usual items such as broken chairs, old fans, etc. was a tall, narrow chest of drawers. It was in good shape as far as I could tell. It even had all it's knobs! It seemed to be a child's item, but I really didn't care. It wasn't so juvenile that I would have been embarrassed to have it in my apartment. I was back and forth all day yesterday, so I planned on stuffing it in the back seat on the way home after meeting (cough) with friends Sunday night. As I drove home in the early afternoon, it was still there.

As I drove from Croton to Yorktown, I saw the pile of stuff. What I did not see was the chest! Yep, I was beaten to the punch yet again. This happens more often than I care to admit. Still, if I couldn't have it, I'm glad it won't just be taken to a dump. It had plenty of life left; it shouldn't have been thrown away. Poor people around the world would freak at some of the stuff we Americans consider garbage. The bike and drawers would have been a prime example.

I know I'll never be one of those who tries to spend no money at all. Freecycling so a perfectly useful item is saved from a landfill is one thing, but others take it to an extreme. I won't dumpster dive for food, as an example. If you think I'm nuts, or exaggerating, go search Cnn.com on the topic and get back to me. This is not a political stance on my part; it's more the thrill of the hunt and a desire to live cheaply.