Buying Used or Getting Free

I don't think before Hurricane Sandy I would have actively searched for used things to buy or even to get for free.  This spring when we needed a riding lawn mower I turned to Craigslist instead of Lowes or Walmart.  It was a risk I know.  We were counting on people to be honest in their descriptions.  We were able to buy a riding mower and push mower for $300  We did have to purchase a battery for the rider, but the man told us that himself.   They may not look brand spanking new, but how long would they have looked that way anyway?

This weekend we will be going to get a fort for the children for free.  The only thing we will be out is elbow grease.  We will have to take it apart, haul it home, and remake the fort.  BUT it is FREE!  I had no idea you could get things this way. 

With Earth Day being this month, I think it is a valuable lesson for my family to try to not only reuse,  repurpose, or recycle our own things but also the things that once belonged to others.