Come Curb Shopping With Me
by Katy on June 13, 2024 · 50 comments
I’m currently in my “let’s scrounge up some extra money” era and I’m not ashamed to go through my neighbors’ discarded things for possible profit. So I roped my friend Lise into going for an evening walk with “for inventory.”
See anything interesting in this free box?
How about this wool blend REI flat cap? I brought it home, cleaned it up and threw it up on eBay for $18.*
Did you notice the pair of Birkenstocks peeking out from under the plastic tote? They were actually in okay-ish condition, so I grabbed those as well. They’re also now available for $39 on eBay.*
This free box offered up a four-cup Mr. Coffee coffee maker that worked perfectly. (I checked) Now available for $10 on Facebook Marketplace. Complete with filters!
Good thing I brought along my reusable bag!
This free pile? Chipped dishware, scratched up non-stick pans and a burnt baking sheet. No profit to be made here!
But I saved the best for last. This curb find was actually a day later and down the block from my daughter’s apartment. Sure it had a couple of surface level stains, but I was able to remove them using soapy water, a washcloth and a half-hour or so of elbow grease.
I easily found the brand information and original price, ($321) which helped me price the set at $75. It sold in under 24 hours and I’m happy with my 0 —> $75 profit. Everything else will take awhile to sell, but that’s okay, I’m a patient(ish) person.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.
* The eBay links are affiliate links.
Like this post? Then please share it with your friends!
Like this:
Like Loading...
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
I’d have grabbed the pan lid if it passed inspection.
Scratched up Teflon, so inspection was not passed.
Not talking about the pan, just the lid.
Ahh . . .
Yes! I’m all for thrifting but we are talking about a baby security here. This is the one item I would never buy/get used. Expiration date means nothing if the car seat was in a car accident, even a minor one.
Oops, wrong place! I was talking about the curb-side car seat. (Post below)
Great finds.
The closest I’ve come to curb picking was when I worked with seniors. When they passed or moved whatever the family didn’t take was open to take.
I would find a few items that were sellable
Interested that you feel the Birks are worth $39 that condition. I would have skipped them in my ignorance. You are amazing it comes to this stuff. I learn much from you. Thank you!
They may not be, but since my buy is was $0.00, I’ve got literally nothing to lose!
Yeah, that’s a real lesson is “your cool stuff is still . . . just stuff.”
I spent my day helping with the opposite of treasure hunting. I taught my good friend how to post items on Poshmark. She is a self confessed “shopping addict” – especially QVC and HSN. This woman is generous, remarkable and works tirelessly with women trying to get sober – many who are in the pursuit of getting their children back. My friend is certainly worth a new start any help I can give.
She followed Dave Ramsey’s plan and now pays with cash. Still there are two storage containers of “stuff”. We started with posting 20 purses. I think she is keeping 20 and we will go through another 20. I also left with a large shopping bag of purses to bring to Goodwill. It took 4 hours. So worth it.
I think the hardest step for her to accept is what the items are “worth.” She continued to say “It was $400.” Similar Posh items were $50. Accepting the loss of hard cash and illusion is a tough reality. It is humbling but she hung in there.
Anybody can start today. In my program we have a saying” If I had known better I would have done better.” Being honest, openminded and willing can change any destructive pattern.
I urge anyone in my friend’s position to take a deep breath and release those poor choices to the universe. It is a step toward freedom. It blesses others. Once there is empty space in a life, wonderful things can come in.
My sister is one of those who thinks just she paid x it’s still going to sell for x and not y
That’s really nice of you to work with your friend to sell/donate her stuff.
Mary Ann, I love what you’re doing to help your friend. And there are a *lot* of people out there who think, as Kathy puts it, that if they paid x for something it’s still going to sell for x and not y. (I see this often at garage sales in the upscale ‘burbs here, for example.) I’d urge such folks to think of this in terms of what happens to the value of a new car the minute you drive it off the lot.
that chair and footstool are a GREAT find, Katy!
Today, when I was taking my dog for her ‘pedicure’ (She won’t let me deal with her nails, so I have to take her in to have them done, darn it all), she was interesting in doing some sniffing around before we went in – and Voila, there was a carseat with a ‘free’ sign on it. it was beside a donation bin, but probably didn’t fit in so they wrote “FREE” on an old envelope – and I saw it! I have brought it home but haven’t had time to take a look at it to see if it has expired – but I am in need of one come August so I am pleased to have found this. It might not be perfect but it does have a perfect price.
How do you know if the car seat hasn’t been in a wreck? If it has, it may not be safe for a little one to sit in. Has it been recalled? If you can turn it in to the manufacturer for a new one, fine; otherwise, I wouldn’t risk it. I think from time to time, Target accepts old car seats for credit. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a lot of info about car seats and how to ensure they are safe.
Yes! I’m all for thrifting but we are talking about a baby security here. Expiration date means nothing if the car seat was in a car accident, even a minor one. This is an item I would never buy/get used.
Fru-gal Lisa, Isa, Where I live folk wouldn’t put a baby seat out for free if it had been in a car wreck – and it is really surprising to me that either of you would go THERE first, when you read that I got one for free!
Huh, different parts of the world, I guess.
The expiration dates probably have to do with the age of the plastic – I have had some chicken carrying boxes essentially explode in my hands due to sun-created brittleness (thankfully this happened AFTER I had safely transported the chickens).
I still need to research this carseat for date and manufacturer, however I have no concerns that it was in a wreck.
IMHO, a car seat, regardless of expired OR in an accident is better than no car seat at all. And notice “expired” = greed – cheapest made for greatest profit. The war on the middle class – yes thank you raygun – means people end up buying pretty much shoddy made instead of putting down said foot and refusing to buy shoddy products. No doubt the US would lose WWII if it was fought today. Not only does the US not manufacture squat, there’d be incessant whining about rationing.
I have always been confused about why car seats have expiration dates. No one has ever explained it. Is it because the plastic becomes brittle?
Yes, I wish I could find things like the chair on a daily basis.
Good work, Katy! I haven’t picked up anything wonderful on garbage day in quite a while. Earlier this week, my neighbor put out two beautiful Christmas topiary trees, but I was walking Rescue Pup when I saw them. When I went back a few minutes later they were gone.
As I have mentioned, I have been doing the whole house Declutter, so I really didn’t need to add something new to the mix. I have a little piles all around my house right now and many things to sell. I’m working through it day by day. It feels good to pare down a bit.
On another note, did you see the article recently about the young man that was shopping at the Goodwill bins in your fair city, Portland, Oregon. He picked up a vintage Chicago Cubs baseball jacket that ended up belonging to the great Ernie Banks. The estimated value is between $15,000 -$25,000. As a occasional Thrifter, I dream about this kind of score. https://wgntv.com/sports/cubs/portland-oregon-hs-student-finds-vintage-ernie-banks-cubs-jacket-at-goodwill/
Happy treasure hunting!!
That is awesome! I love that the person who bought the jacket was just 18 years old.
Nice scores, particularly the chair!
I made a couple of decent sized eBay sales this week, so I’m feeling pretty jazzed.
Congratulations!!
However much or however little you get from selling curb finds, it’s still 100% profit!!!!!
Crap out of their houses, money into mine!
Great finds! I’m listing some things this weekend after a grueling week of summer school. My husband is house/dog sitting this weekend, partly to fund a short subscription to sling to watch the Euros (soccer). I love that we can fund the ‘extras’ with side hustles.
I could use the glass lid from the pike that you rejected.
I agree – spare lids are worth their weight in gold.
The chair and ottoman – swoon!
1. I have been working like a dog teaching a HS STEM/Nursing camp. I’m not used to teaching HS students nor teaching 8 hours at a stretch. It pays well & I’m glad it’s over.
2. We had leftover takeout food from feeding the unruly teens. I took 2 pizzas home, 4 BBQ sandwiches, & some Italian food. Good thing. I’m too tired to cook.
3. Gal pals are going on a trip. I booked the room for 4 nights using points. We get food credit due to my CC status. I get a 60$ credit also for incidental
purchases. I think we 3 can have a modest lunch or dinner with 60$.
4. I found an extra large litter box which we can use or donate.
5. The back door of my car will not open. I hope hubby can fix it. He replaced the handle already, now this. Would have never happened on my Toyota.
6.Turned my broken Surface Pro in to get another at school. The screen broke. One advantage of my PT job. Tech support & devices provided.
Gotta love free food!
That armchair with footstool is beautiful! Not surprised you sold it so fast. Personally though I would run a mile from upholstered furniture in such a light and unforgiving colour, not matter how beautiful it looks.
1. A friend gave me 2 sunflower plants and I gave her an oregano plant and also a cranesbill plant, both from our garden. I am so happy to have a friend that is delighted to swap cuttings and plant volunteers with me!
2. We eat a lot of walnuts and I have discovered that Aldi sells walnut halves for a lot less in the baking aisle than on the aisle with bagged nuts. So I am now getting it from the baking area, same thing and every little saving helps 🙂
3. My son needs a suit for a special occasion and we are able to borrow one from my friend’s son. The trousers need to be taken up but my friend is fine with that!
4. All of us use a silver based cream deodorant (it’s so handy because it only needs to be reapplied after about 5-7 days) and were running out so I ordered a new packet with the usual 10% discount code that I found online a few years ago (and it still works every time!). A few days later I got a notification that the company has a buy one get one free offer for 48 hours so I availed of that, too, and saved approx 24 Euro. We have enough deodorant for a year now!
5. One of my teens needed a clear pencil case for an exam and was able to borrow one from her brother.
Fail: Very expensive school trip coming up next school year, we had to pay the first deposit on this. The memories will be priceless though, I still remember my own school trip abroad fondly, great times!
Not a fail, these types of expenses are the reason to save a little here and little there.
Very true, I should call it a frugal challenge!
Well, it wasn’t exactly curb shopping, but I still feel I made out like a bandit at the local peace-and-justice group’s yard sale today (to which I donated earlier in the week, and I was pleased to note that most of my donations had sold). For a total of $15 on two visits (one at the beginning of the sale and one at the end), I got the following:
Six books; a tea tin (which I will use for my homegrown dried peppermint tea later this summer); an Audubon bluebird box and two woven straw nest boxes plus nesting material; a picnic tablecloth (which I will put in with the picnic basket and utensils I recently acquired); an unopened box of holiday cards; a small working flashlight and a rubber spatula (you can’t have too many of either of these); a pair of gardening boots with images of farm animals all over them; and, best of all (Lindsey, take note), a Duluth Trading flannel shirt in women’s 2X in pristine condition. And all this was in support of a worthy organization.
Wow, you made out!
I am indeed swooning over a Duluth flannel shirt. As you might imagine, in our winter temperatures, I wear a LOT of flannel.
1. Cooked up rhubarb my cousin gave me from her garden, ready to eat with plain greek yogurt or cottage cheese.
2. Sold a pair of shoes and mailed to the buyer, made approximately $25.00.
3. Bought a summer shirt at thrift store for $6.
4. Neighbour gave me some Dahlia bulbs, first time I’ve grown them, coming up great.
5. Cousin gave me a partial can of black spray paint he is finished with, for a small decor project I have.
Hooray for a partially full can of spray paint, your decor project will be that much more satisfying!
What great finds! That chair is awesome!
I too have been curb shopping for resale. So far this week I sold a high end solid wood water/sand sensor table-$150, 3 Himalayan salt lamps-$20, cactus shaped cat scratcher-$10, American flag-$3, bird cage-$5, Guinea pig cage -$40, exercise balls and bands-$10 This was a very profitable week. All sold on Marketplace.
Whoa . . . . that is seriously impressive, I need to step up my game!!
I feel anxious about picking up free item from the curb. I don’t have a good explanation for it, as I have no problem buying things at garage sales for a quarter or a dime. I love it when people pick up free stuff I put at the curb, so I try to remind myself they would love it when I take theirs.
This week I found two XL tomato cages. One needed a little electrical tape where the metal had come apart – still sturdy. I also picked up two large charcoal gray lightweight plastic plant pots, which are perfect for the tomato plants.
Bettypants, I think we all have a phase of having to get over the fear that “It’s on the curb? Ooh, it must be icky.” But I got over that ages ago (I’m an old lady now), and you seem to be working on it; good for you. And, as Katy regularly reminds us, there’s gold in them there trash piles!
@Bettypants, as a curb-filler, I know that often things go out there because I am TOO BUSY to get them to a thrift store. And sometimes, as you noticed with your imperfect tomato cages, the items aren’t perfect – thrift stores often junk them. So if I put them out, folk know they aren’t perfect but that I think there is some kind of life in them for someone.
And sometimes, it is a lawn tractor (minus the mower deck) that probably still works – for free! (someone took it from my place within 2 hours of me putting it out on the road with a free sign). That someone is likely having fun taking apart a briggs and Stratton engine or carburetor and fixing something that has bad memories for me – and so there is a win-win for everyone!
I love this. There are so many things that have life left in them but aren’t thrift store appropriate or worthy.
And speaking of that beautiful chair that Katy found and sold…….does anybody else remember my favorite episode of “Friends” when the women found that reddish chair for free on the curb? Freakin’ hilarious.
Or Big Bang Theory when the curbside chair was infected with insects – aka ICK.