We've all seen foreclosed McMansions in this horrible economy, but I've always been more interested in the much older, classic homes that sit vacant for months or even years with no sale. The kind that have old outbuildings, tools, toys, and firewood stacks left in the backyards by the last owner/tenant.
As much as I sympathize with whatever circumstances forced the abandonment of these kinds of houses in my neighborhood, it goes against my frugal soul not to explore "benign appropriation" of useable discarded items. No, not just taking them because no one is there, but making some calls to see if I can get permission to do so.
One house built in 1920 on several acres and left pretty trashed by whoever lived there was "managed" by a local bank, who referred us to the out-of-state owner when we made some inquiries. My husband called this owner and asked straight out if he would mind us taking the firewood and rusty tools we saw laying about.
The owner started laughing and said he'd inherited the property from a relative and would be thrilled if someone could use what was left behind. He emailed us permission and told the bank, too.
So far, believe it or not, my hubby and his friend have found, dismantled, and carted away the following:
1. Rabbit hutch, chicken coop, and koi pond materials
2. Two cords of dried firewood
3. An axe, shovel, maul, rake, hoe, and crowbar
4. A wood playground set
5. Small metal shed
6. An estimated $900 worth of weathered lumber
We called the owner a second time and listed what we'd found. Again, he said to go ahead and take what we wanted.
I just wanted to share our good fortune in thinking frugally outside the box and encourage you to keep an eye out for a similar situation in your neighborhood. You might get lucky, too!
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
