Freecycle Does it Again!

Happy New Year everybody! We're finally back after being stranded in Colorado due to the storms. Luckily, we were at my parents house, and not in an airport.

This year, we carpooled with our housemate, whose parents live in Colorado as well, about two hours from where we were going. His brother met him at a halfway point in Colorado, and Kirk picked him up on Wednesday for the trip back. Our plan was to stay on Thursday for my sister's birthday and leave early on Friday. That did not work out, and it's lucky that we did not leave as planned, because we had A Problem.

Now, you remember I graduated from graduate school on December 15th. I had taken the train out to Colorado. My husband had joined me later. He also brought our house mate, our dog, our four guinea pigs, and our rabbit. The car was quite packed, even without me and my stuff. Then Christmas happened, and while none of us received anything terribly big or tons of things, it added to the amount we had to stuff into our car. Our little, little '89 Honda Accord. Did I mention that it is not a huge car? It really was impossible to fit all our stuff, animals, and ourselves in the car.

Our first thought was to mail things. It was going to be expensive, but we were really unsure what else we could do about it. It was when I was wishing to my mother that they still had their old cargo tub for the top of the car that a thought struck- why not try Freecycle for a top of the car cargo tub?

It was a long shot, but you won't receive unless you ask. I really did not expect that anybody would have something that big to give away. I barely even checked my e-mail during this time. I did not really expect anybody to reply.

But somebody did! They wanted to get rid of theirs, as was taking up too much room. All it needed were straps to attach it to the car, which were inexpensively found at Wal-Mart. I honestly still am in shock that we were granted this wonderful item. Our prayers were answered so directly. We are going to hold on to this item for awhile, as space is always an issue when we travel for long periods of time, but when we get rid of it, we've already committed to giving it away for free.

I think Freecycle is one of the frugal person's best tools, both for giving and receiving. It's a great way to clear clutter from your home. You never know- that item that has been gathering dust in your basement may be a prayed for blessing to somebody else.

My "new" breadmaker

You know, I never really wanted a breadmaker. I did not ask for one when I got married, and I was never tempted by them when I saw them at yard sales or thrift stores. I make a lot, if not most, of our bread, but a breadmaker never really appealed to me. I'm not even sure why, other than a vague remembrance of my mother talking about how huge and expensive they were. I'm also suspicious of kitchen gadgets, and after all, I can make bread myself. I do it all the time. Do I really need to spend money on a breadmaker?

When I saw a breadmaker on Freecycle, I did not think much of it. Then it was up for a few days, and nobody claimed it. I don't know why, because I've never really wanted one, but something prompted me to ask for it. I figured if I hated it, I could always Freecycle it again.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am a convert. I love my new breadmaker. I never minded making bread before, but it is so nice to be able to just dump everything into the bucket and push a few buttons. I've started working part time again as a substitute teacher, and it is so nice to come home and have hot soup (in my crock pot) and fresh bread (in the breadmaker- it even has a timer!) ready to go. My husband loves it because he says it's so much less messy, and he's right! We put everything in one place. There are not multiple bowls around, or flour everywhere, or a cutting board to clean off. (I kneed my bread on one of our big cutting boards.) I wish I had gotten one years ago.

If you want one of your own, check Freecycle, yard sales, and thrift stores. I saw them all the time, I just never bought one. If you are missing the directions (mine was) go here for some generic one size fits all directions. If you're missing parts, check the manufacturer. They can usually mail you a replacement part for a small fee. Also check E-bay and Amazon for used parts, usually for far less than the manufacturer wants to charge you!

My latest Freecycle find.