Something From Nothing Log

Fixing and making things, what tools to get and what skills to learn, ...
jacob
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by jacob »

davtheram12 wrote:
Sun Mar 13, 2022 11:33 pm
But lately I've noticed some people making regular donations in front of their permanent 'free stuff' signs.
It seems that there are different systems for the flow of free stuff depending on which part in the world one is. In California, Freecycle was the go to place. Around Chicago, it's the alleyway. You just put it out there and people will pick it up, whereas freecycle is ineffective. There's even a "business"-license to do this at scale. Before we realized this, we actually tried putting free stuff out FRONT... no takers. Out back, very fast.

There's a metal scrapper a couple of blocks up from us. There's at least one person "doing the rounds" with a push cart going up and down the alleys and finally up our street on a regular basis.

Laura Ingalls
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by Laura Ingalls »

DH noticed that a crew was cutting down an oak tree a couple doors down. He was sitting on the deck listening to the workers say that they were not sure it all the wood would fit on the truck. He walked up and talked to them. Ten minutes later they delivered about of a cord of really nice wood. They were mostly in 4/5 foot lengths. It was green and will need to be split.

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Ego
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by Ego »

Tenant is moving out. They threw out a Ikea Kallax 3x3 shelving unit. It was disassembled. Fortunately they discarded all of the screws and pegs with it. It took me 45 minutes to reassemble it. I will list it for $60. Along with the screws was a plastic baggie full of change. Mrs. Ego counted. $3.04. She tosses change into the boot of the scooter and uses it to refill the tank.

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Ego
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by Ego »

A tenant recently got into juicing. She gets a regular Amazon Fresh delivery of juicable veggies. Beet greens are one of her staples. She wishes she could buy the greens without the beets attached. :D

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C40
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by C40 »

OMG, these people !!! *head explodes*

davtheram12
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by davtheram12 »

Went on a walk with my DW and found a large pile of discarded goods in one of the many alleyways I walk through. Found a Panasonic DVD/VCR Player/Recorder Model DMR-Es30V with the factory remote. Brought it home, plugged it in and found that it worked. Surprisingly the VCR portion worked but the DVD drive didn't want to eject. The motor made noise but nothing happened. I suspected the belt drive wash the culprit. Opened it up, found the broken drive belt, replaced it with one salvaged from another PC DVD player (salvaged from the trash) and tested it. Worked perfectly. Listed it on Mercari for $110 plus shipping. Someone offered me $94 plus shipping and I accepted. Packaged it earlier tonight and off it goes to the new owner. It's funny that these combo players are selling for these prices. Glad I kept one more item out of the landfill for a little while longer.

davtheram12
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by davtheram12 »

Managed to sell some things I found during a few runs through my neighborhood. Sold and packed a Toshiba LCD TV/DVD Combo for $19, a Nvidia 3D Vision 2 glasses + extras for $60 and a pair of men's Nike Free Metcon 4 for $55.

I also sold another sealed video game I managed to find at a local thrift store. Paid $5 for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 on the PS2 and sold it for $155 within an hour of listing it. Definitely not 'something from nothing' but more like 'something from very little'. Doesn't have the same ring but I'll gladly take the extra money :lol:

white belt
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by white belt »

Was walking by the dumpsters in DGF’s housing development. I noticed a few kitchen appliances that seemed to be in working condition placed outside the dumpster. I had no use for the 4 burner stovetop, microwave, or slow cooker at the moment.

However, I did find a Ninja 4 qt Air Fryer box. I figured the box was empty, but to my surprise there was the air fryer inside it still in original plastic with original stickers on it. I suspect someone got it as a gift and never ended up using it. They go for $90 on Amazon new, so I’ll be keeping this one for my own cooking use.

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mountainFrugal
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by mountainFrugal »

Travel watercolor palettes from trash + superglue.
1) Mint tin with handmade (not by me) watercolors (extra half pans from other palette)
2) plastic case that phone parts came in with exacto-knife cut plastic half-pans from old mechanical pencil packaging
3) ear plug case with mechanical pencil eraser packaging (always protect your yellow!)

I am willing to try the plastic options because they are so light, but worry about them leaking if too wet. We shall see.
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Scott 2
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by Scott 2 »

Advice on sales strategy wanted.

Found two glass end tables in the trash. I'm thinking of list them as a set, for $30, planning to take $20. Something like:
Glass End Table Set. 18" x" 14 top. 16" tall.
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I'm curious if I can make something like this an effortless transaction.

jacob
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by jacob »

Scott 2 wrote:
Fri May 13, 2022 9:18 am
I'm curious if I can make something like this an effortless transaction.
See comments on https://earlyretirementextreme.com/on-d ... cycle.html

Scott 2
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by Scott 2 »

Thanks, I read through those comments and will keep them in mind. There's some question now as to whether my wife wants the tables.

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Slevin
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by Slevin »

Found this vintage schwinn flywheel bike out by the dumpster this morning... The condition is nearly mint, about 1700 miles. Not sure if I will buy some of the parts off ebay and resell it in perfect condition, keep it as is and sell it, or hold onto it and turn it into an electric generator like in low tech magazine. Everything works well and It's a REALLY cool vintage look.

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Laura Ingalls
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by Laura Ingalls »

College student move out time.

This years finds were: laundry soap, dish soap, random packaged food. Towels (always), a woman’s Levi jacket, and a new in package 3 pack of boxers in DH’s size.

7Wannabe5
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

@Slevin:
I'm pretty sure that's the exercise bike I owned back in my roller rink days. Whenever my one size too small Jordache couldn't be zipped into even while lying upside down on a staircase making use of a hanger, I would ride it for an hour wearing pants I fashioned out of Hefty bag and duct tape. In a weird way, being a suburban teenage girl in the early 80s was good training for post-apocalyptic adaptability.

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C40
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by C40 »

Slevin wrote:
Mon May 30, 2022 8:59 pm
Found this vintage schwinn flywheel bike out by the dumpster this morning...
Would Mid Century Modern folks get excited about that bike, as home decor?

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Ego
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by Ego »

A while ago a friend who works on the military base told me a beachcombing story. They were training a group of Polish GROM special forces on high speed boat insertion and extraction. The support staff failed to train the GROM guys on the extra precautions needed to secure their gear. Apparently the normal molle webbing and snaps are not strong enough to hold things in place when they hit the water at high speed. The next few weeks he found a lot of interesting gear washed up on the beach.

This morning I headed out for my run before sunrise and made it to the beach as the tide was heading out fast. Usually I run in the deep sand but lately I've been running at the shoreline at low tide to see if anything interesting turns up. Today it paid off. Tangled among a pile of seaweed was this Japanese made ColdSteel SRK knife. This is the one they issue to potential Seals during BUDS. The knife itself was in good shape. The grommets and snaps on the sheath were oxidized. Nothing three minutes on the buffing wheel couldn't solve.

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C40
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by C40 »

Those kind of knives are nice, and really handy to keep on you if you're in situations where having a knife stored outside your body won't scare people. I used one for a while when I was doing outdoorsy stuff.

I spent some time in Cambodia once and learned a bit about the culture there. They have some traditional lists/poems of rules for both men and women. The "chbab proh" is the 'man code', or 'rules for man'. Similarly, there is the "chbab srey" for women, which seem to be more well known.

Here is a summary of the Khmer rules for man, as I remember them
1 - Always keep your knife on you. Be ready to protect your family and property with your knife. Keep an eye out, especially at night. Keep your knife on you.... ALWAYS KEEP YOUR KNIFE ON YOU
2 - When you fall in love, don't let it make you too crazy
3 - If you sleep with another man's girlfriend or wife, be careful because he might get really mad and violent
4 - Don't mess around with gambling. You'll lose in the end and it will mess up your life
5 - Don't drink too much, it will mess up your life

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Ego
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by Ego »

@C40, the moment I picked it up and untangled it from the knot of seaweed, I was worried that someone in Mayberry might confuse me for a mass murderer so I took off my shirt and wrapped it up to conceal it. Not sure if I would always keep this particular knife on me. A leatherman is so much more practical.

theanimal
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Re: Something From Nothing Log

Post by theanimal »

I'm always amazed by what you are able to find. That type of knife reminds me of knives that people use when boating (kayaking/rafting etc) to free themselves from ropes or any entanglements in the event of an emergency. Also a very popular style in hunting circles. Definitely very useful in more wilderness based pursuits as C40 suggests.

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