I’m a known thrifter. Unlike known grifters, this is a good thing. Since becoming Mrs. Frugalwoods, I’ve tried to buy everything second-hand. This doesn’t always work out and sometimes I choose to buy things new (such as my mattress), but on the whole, my household is awash in used goods.

Today, I want to talk about three aspects of my buying used strategy (oh yes, it’s a strategy):

1. Focus on things that make the most sense to buy used (using depreciation to your advantage)
2. Why I plan ahead and buy ahead (even though I might not end up using the stuff)
3. The non-monetary benefits of buying used (I started buying second-hand because it saves tons of money; I’ve continued for that reason and all the non-monetary benefits I’ve discovered)

If you’d like a primer on where and how to find used stuff (which I won’t be covering today), check out: How To Find Anything and Everything Used: A Compendium Of Frugal Treasure Hunting.

Continue reading How to Thrift Like a Rockstar: Plan Ahead, Buy Ahead and Focus on Depreciation at Frugalwoods.

Finding great trash is both art and science, my frugal friends. Mr. Frugalwoods and I pride ourselves on a honed methodology of trash scouting that’s equal parts whimsy, strategy, and kismet. The proof is in our epic trash finds catalogue, which includes everything from coats to fondue pots to wine glasses to shirts.

But how do we come to possess such divine and free delights? What dark magic do we employ to yield results so sweet every retailer in town throws their head back and belts a primordial “nooooooooo!” when they see us coming?

Wonder no more, for today I divulge every trash hunting secret I’ve got. Follow these easy steps and you’ll be finding trash like a boss in no time.

1) Embrace Your Inner Frugal Weirdo

The very nature of trash finding requires you to not care what other people think. The spendy-pants among us would rather rack up debt and squander their savings by purchasing brand new furniture, clothes, and custom hound coats.

Continue reading Our 12 Tips For Finding Roadside Treasures (aka Great Trash Finds) at Frugalwoods.

The only problem I have with winter is that it puts a serious cramp in our trash finding endeavors. There’s just no way to locate great trash with 4 feet of snow on the ground. Believe me folks, I’ve tried so you don’t have to (you’re welcome). As I gaze out our back door into the epic tundra Cambridge has become, I thought I’d reflect on some of the gosh darn prettiest things we found in the trash last summer and fall (which is peak trash picking time, in case you’re wondering).

My amazement never ceases at the perfectly usable and lovely things people toss to the curb. It’s incredible that we have a society in which it’s OK to trash stuff that still works. But I digress and yes, I do benefit from my spendy and careless neighbors; however, I earnestly wish people would donate to Goodwill instead!

Continue reading Great Trash Finds: Pretty Things Edition at Frugalwoods.

It’s the time of year when resolutions abound and everyone is committing themselves to a cleaner, leaner, serener 2015. I have a bold resolution to add to the list: find better trash in the new year. Are you less than enthusiastic about your trash finds in 2014? Do you long to roam the streets confidently picking up the choicest roadside discards? Well, dream no more. Resolve to bring home the top shelf trash in 2015 and prosper.

To assuage your sadness over your heretofore subpar trash, in today’s edition of Great Trash Finds, I share with you the worst Frugalwoods scavenges. These are all things that have utility, but they’re not gems in the canon of truly great trash finds. But alas, we can’t find a coat, or a J Crew shirt, or a fondue pot every time we trash hunt. I hesitate to denigrate anything free, but, this stuff is pretty weak sauce.

Continue reading Not So Great Trash Finds: New Year’s Resolution Edition at Frugalwoods.

On the heels of last week’s list of shockingly expensive things we own, I figured I’d better bring it on back down to earth with some trash finds. This month’s Great Trash Finds is devoted to a few choice items that Mr. Frugalwoods and I will use while we host his family for Thanksgiving this year. We’re thrilled that my in-laws are visiting us for the extra long weekend! In addition to many of our superb kitchen trash finds, there are a few other pieces we’ll employ in the hosting of this oh-so-festive holiday.

In case you’re new around these here frugal woods, Mr. FW and I are devout trash scroungers and every month I share a sampling of fabulous items we’ve pulled from the refuse piles of others. Living in the city is terrifically conducive to this type of frugal weirdo behavior since people often leave items on the sidewalk adorned with a “free” sign.

Continue reading Great Trash Finds: The Thanksgiving Edition at Frugalwoods.

Welcome to the kitchen edition of my recurring analysis of trash–more specifically, items salvaged from the trash by myself and sundry members of the Frugalwoods family. Last month, we viewed my sister and brother-in-law’s trash and the month before, we were treated to the refuse discoveries of my parents.

We’re going back to our roots this month with a deep dive into gems quarried by yours truly alongside my trusty bearded tech guru, the love of my life, the father of Frugal Hound, the one and only Mr. Frugalwoods.

If you’re new to my dumpster diving adventures, check out Great Trash Finds: The First Edition where I break down the philosophy behind trash finds. Or I can just tell you: Mr. FW and I take things from the side of the road and/or other people’s trash piles, because folks throw away perfectly good, usable stuff and we like free things.

Continue reading Great Trash Finds: The Kitchen Edition at Frugalwoods.

In my never-ending pursuit to deliver rigorous financial information in a very dry and straightforward manner, I bring you the third installment of the ongoing investigative series: Great Trash Finds.

Today I am publishing the research I conducted into my sister’s trash. Specifically, the stuff she’s pulled from the trash. As you may recall, the last edition featured my parents’ epic trash discoveries, so we’re trying to keep it in the Frugalwoods family. I’ll have to coerce my brother and his wife to send me photos of their trash next (because I know they have some choice finds). Best part about this is that I periodically receive texts from various family members of random objects they’ve pulled from the trash. My favorite are the texts from my mom, which are usually apropos of nothing and not accompanied by any explanations.

Here at Frugalwoods we are huge proponents of taking discarded items–it’s frugal, environmentally sound, and fun!

Continue reading Great Trash Finds: The Sister Edition at Frugalwoods.

Welcome to the second edition of Great Trash Finds, a scholarly photo essay in which we explore the finer points of scavenging items from the side of the road. Taking stuff otherwise destined for a landfill is not only a frugal win, it’s an environmentally sound means of recycling and reusing.

In this edition we welcome a guest blogger (sort of): my mom! My mom is the original frugalista and she and my dad have been frugal reusing fools since long before it was fashionable (it is fashionable now, right? right?!?). My parents espoused a thrifty, debt-free way of life that my siblings and I employ to varying degrees. We’re all very conscious of how fortunate we were to be raised in a loving home where we didn’t want for food, shelter, or fun.

When my mom read Great Trash Finds: Part 1, she immediately called me (actually she called, left a voice message, and then texted to see if I’d gotten her message.

Continue reading Great Trash Finds: The Mom Edition at Frugalwoods.

Mr. Frugalwoods and I are not above taking things out of the trash–in fact, quite the opposite. We fancy ourselves experts in the procurement of others’ unwanted goods, specifically those found on the side of the road. After all my frugal friends, why pay when you can find it free?!? Am I right?

There’s a lot we don’t glean from the trash: used mattresses, musty shoes, and couches of questionable provenance. But there are simply amazing finds to be had in our urban neighborhood. The Frugalwoods-mobile is integral to our strategy as anyone who has tried to carry furniture home via bike or human arms (both of which we’ve done) well knows.

People have called us tacky for engaging in this lowlife behavior, to which I respond: I’m tacky and I know it.

To prove just how tacky I am, I’m starting this photo essay (see?

Continue reading Great Trash Finds: The First Edition at Frugalwoods.