Free Finds Helped My Family Save Money and Live Sustainably

I was conducting an interview over Zoom recently when my teenage daughter called me twice in a row. Worried that something was wrong, I texted her, “In a meeting, emergency?” to which she replied, “No, just a good table on the side of the road.” This cracked me up and is so on brand for my family.

I grew up with a mother and a grandmother who would scour church rummage sales for antiques and other treasures. My mom even recruited me to help out at her church’s rummage sale a few times, as volunteers were able to shop the sale before the public (and therefore, snag the best items).

Now that my kids are teenagers, they’re always on the lookout for “roadside treasures,” especially after estate sales, when framed art, plant stands, and garden tools are discarded. We’re happy to load these into the minivan and use them in our home.

Roadside discards saved me money when my kids were little

When my three kids were toddlers, I outfitted our backyard with kid-sized slides, a picnic table, and a teeter-totter that was supposed to look like a whale — all rescued from the side of the road.

With three kids in day care at the same time, I was always looking for ways to save money and avoid making large purchases, especially of items that would only be used for a short period. I felt good about not buying new giant plastic toys, only to toss them a few years later.

One of my best finds was the three Cozy Coupes I found over a series of months of scouring my neighborhood (because you can’t get just one when you have three kids close in age). Once all three were secured, we transformed them, à la Pimp My Ride, with paint, decals, custom license plates, and streamers from the Dollar Tree.

The personalized kiddie cars even made the move with us from Illinois to California, as they were my kids’ favorites. Eventually, my kids outgrew them, and all three cars were scooped up from our front yard “free” pile to be used by other neighborhood kids.

I find the best items on ‘large item’ pickup days

We now live in the San Francisco Bay Area, adjacent to some bougie neighborhoods, where I’ve found backyard furniture, an antique card table, and animal-carrying cages that my kids can use for their 4-H project.

Skateboards and scooters are often discarded, so we’ve collected quite a few over the years (and then donated them back). I love the idea that these items are just on loan from the universe, to be used by the next kid after mine.

The best are when the neighborhoods near us have free “large item” pickup days. Regular trash pickup only includes the trash bins you have paid for, but on “large item” days, you can put out whatever you like, including furniture, mattresses, e-waste, and building materials.

On these special pickup days, you can find so many things that shouldn’t be going to the dump. My middle son needed a new bed frame, and we were able to find one on the side of the road that even came with all the necessary hardware to assemble it, tucked in a Ziplock bag.

Some items, like mattresses and rugs, are off-limits in my mind, but you can find many great things that people no longer use.

Saving money and helping keep things out of the dump

I’m an active member of my neighborhood Buy Nothing group, where we post items we’re gifting and even ask for items we need. I recently posted a few wetsuits my kids outgrew, and they were quickly scooped up from my front porch by grateful parents.

When my daughter expressed interest in starting guitar lessons, I was hesitant to purchase a guitar, in case it was a fleeting interest. I posted in the Buy Nothing group and was able to pick up a guitar from a neighbor later that day.

Being open to finding free things instead of purchasing them has saved me a significant amount of money over the years, and it also helps us lead a more sustainable lifestyle. While I could certainly donate items to our local Goodwill, I prefer knowing that someone will actually use these items and they won’t be scrapped.