green tip #2 - craigslist

Green tips are ideas, usually not my own, that are helpful for making your life easier AS WELL AS being kind to the environment. But, first and foremost, they're about doing the things that you like to do. Please feel free to comment with ideas of your own or we can link to one another if there's something on your blog you'd like to share. Thanks!

Sundays are for sleeping in - I'm a firm believer in that credo. While I can be motivated to be an earlybird, that usually hapens when I've planned my day out the night before and I jump from bed with a list of things I want to get done. Last Sunday was not one of those planned-out days... it was a day for sleeping in.

The handyman, however, rose bright and early to check Craigslist. See, the only person who can sniff out a deal faster than I can is the handyman. He's still looking for the elusive cheap-but-in-super-good-shape rototiller, and each day he scours Craigslist for a repeat of the cheap-but-in-super-good-shape rototiller that he missed out on a few weeks ago (got sold before we could get there).

Instead of a rototiller, an ad for treated deck lumber winked at him from the classified section. Despite knowing the ins-and-outs of ebay and craigslist like the way to the bathroom in the dark, the handyman was not aware until recently that there is a materials section in craigslist that has all kinds of building material listed. On said Sunday morning, in the materials section, the add said that the treated deck lumber was in an alley ready for pick up and, most importantly, it was free.

So, despite the fact that coffee had yet to clear the sleep cobwebs from my head, when I heard the cry, "Free lumber. Get your shoes," I knew it was time to scramble.

The boards are mostly 5' lengths, and even though most people need 8' boards to build something, the 5' ones will be perfect for the design for new raised beds. Apparently, the person placing the add was going to put in a patio, and even though the support/structure boards were moisture damaged, all of the upper boards were still in really good shape.

Were you waiting for the green tip? Picking up perfectly good deck lumber saved about $170 AND kept good lumber from unnecessarily going into a dump.

I can't in good faith write this post without mentioning a local organization that does something really similar, maybe even better. Home Resource collects and sells re-usuable building materials. Even though I don't have a lick of building sense myself, it's fun to walk through their place - there's a corner for doors, a corner for windows, one for lumber, one for bathtubs and toilets, one for sinks, lighting fixtures, tile, and the list goes on. Not only does it reduce waste, it helps the local economy, etc. Doesn't that sound fantastic?

So, even though the shed isn't finished, it's already serving it's purpose by holding the salvaged craigslist lumber.





And, my reward for making three trips to move 700 sq ft of lumber with the trailer? My favorite sugary treat from Bernice's. How's that for cheap labor!