When my wife and I moved away to be Peace Corps volunteers, we gave away nearly everything we owned before we left. We didn’t know how long we were going to be gone, and knowing the value of a dollar, the thought of renting a storage locker was out of the question. We made some people very happy, even though towards the end of our time in the US, we wouldn’t let a friend leave the apartment unless they took something with them.
Fast forward three years back to our reuniting with life in the US. We first touched down in Hawaii, and began anew our desire to own things and furnish a place to live. I believe it all started with a small french press we found on the free shelf at a backpackers in Waikiki. Although we didn’t settle for a few months after that, eventually I found a job and subsequently an apartment. Then we found out just how much we love Craiglist, Freecycle, and people leaving stuff on the sidewalk in general.
We have furnished a lot of our apartment for the price of walking down the street a few miles. Sometimes we take the metro, but often a collecting mission is a good reason to get some exercise and fresh air.
I’m not just talking about the occasional freebie, besides the fresh air we have received for free:
coffee table
Linksys wrt110 router
6 sets of wooden shelves
2 sets of metal wire shelves
2 floor lamps
rolling desk chair
food processor (this was a long walk)
blank CDs and DVDs
bedside table
futon with mattress and cover
Large really nice mirror with wood frame
curtains and curtain rods
boppy pillow (I admit I just had to Google search what this is. My wife got it.)
pregnancy pillow
birthing ball
baby bouncer
baby food processor & steamer
multiple throw pillows
milk crates
nice table lamp with rice paper shade
bed risers
bed frame & box spring (two separate trips, two separate days, two separate Craigslist ads, but same people)
kitchen towel rack
baby swing
bottle sterilizer
TONS of baby clothes and blankets. (enough for different outfit everyday I think)
a few baby toys
baby bjorn
heart beat blanket
baby books
mobile
playmat
fuzzy bucket seat cover (like a blanket for the entire car seat)
2 baby bathtubs, infant & toddler
big bag of scrap fabric
40+ lightbulbs (still trying to give the excess away)
ironing board
toaster
Update 5/16/2015
Another glider
bumbo seat
more baby clothes
2 brestpumps, bottles, bags, nursing bra
An amazing foam tile ABC set
Solids feeding supplies for baby – cups, plates, bowls. High quality stuff.
And I’m sure I’ve forgotten something. In the meantime I’ve given away a few things, a flat screen monitor, an older laptop, and the router I mentioned earlier. Craigslist and Freecycle can’t be underestimated.
With as much as we gave up when we left, the kindness of strangers in the US have definitely given us more than we could have asked for. Perhaps it was living without so many amenities for those three years, but I feel triumphant at the power of giving, and the power of saving. I wish I could thank every person a second time for what they contributed to the list above.