One of my husbands favorite words is, “free.” He can’t resist it, his eyes actually light up and his heart begins to race. “But it was free,” “they were just throwing it away,” “can you believe they were throwing this away,” “free hotdogs today,” “are you going to finish that sandwich, well if your just going to throw it away…” These are words and phrases I’ve heard often over our twenty plus years we have been together.
As I write this blog my car isn’t able to fit into the garage, why you ask? Well, because I have some free “shit”, as I call it filling up my garage. “But, we can sell it on Craig’s List, Vance was just going to throw it away…”
But, the sad fact is that we will probably make a few hundred dollars on this crap and then I will have to listen to Dale say, “just admit it, I was right?” God, I hate that!
I can see him so clearly as a small toddler pulling his little red wagon around the neighborhood and loading it up with all his “treasures.” He says it didn’t happen, but I have my doubts!
This is why my blog is called “the funny side of the street,” because loading this crap ass furniture into my garage I had to laugh at the absurdity of it all. And that little, happy smile on Dale’s face thinking, “Can you believe he was just going to throw this stuff away, what an idiot!”
I say, “Who’s the idiot,” but only quietly to myself…
I can just see Dale’s face as he says “but its free” with that sheepish grin of his. We both know he is the biggest collector of anything and everything. Where in the world did you find space in your garage? I know it looks like my basement.I think you should put it all by the road and say FREE.
Yes Dale, I love you but your nuts. You need to free up your time. Love Mom
Amd mom is telling YOU to put it all out by the curb witha free sign on it as she compares it to her cellar??? I can remember Ron going to the dump and coming home with more than he left with! “A fireplace screen” he exclaimed with so much joy. “And in perfect condition.” Fine, if we had a fireplace…and the 200 patio blocks taht are still sitting in a pile in the back yard? (He has been gone for 6 years now and I can still not part with them…) Sandy, I know your pain…Love ya
I love FREE stuff also…I have some great finds in my home that were free…I have a beautiful chair, a window pane,somebody’s wood shutters are part of my garden. I had a chair in the baby room that I made Mike go pick up from down the road, and when we were done with it…back out to the road it went. Recently I started couponing…ever watch “Extreme Couponing”? I am now getting free stuff from the grocery stores…that’s the best. Good luck cleaning out that garage!
My garage is empty and is availablefor storage but it is not free, sorry Dale.
See you next week Sandy.
Love,
claire
Oh that is just SO funny. I think it’s a man thing, because my husband doesn’t like spending money (I do!!), but if it’s a bargain, he’s there like a short and, like you, we get all this rubbish that we are never going to use!! Loved your thinking of Dale as a little toddler with his truck> Hee Hee!! I’ve missed you – it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen you here! Welcome back.
LoL, thanks for sharing this story. I was laughing while I was reading it as you were probably laughing writing it.
You didn’t mention that you were going to post a photo of ME “dumpster diving”… I take offense to being ridiculed in this fashion…
Don’t even try to steal any of the money I’m going to make on this Free stuff! I get to spend it on Wine, Women and Song…LOL
The Husband and Entrepreneur!
I hate to admit this but I helped a neighbor on Roberts Road stop and steal a victorian chair that was on a curb near garbage pickup day. We threew it into my trunk and brought it home. Her husband wouldn’t let her put in the house, so it lived on the breezeway. We stripped that chair down to bare wood refinished it a beautiful cherry stain, and she went and bought deep red velvet and I reupholstered it and she sold it for 300.00 a week later. so there is somthing in picking up garbage if you do something with it. You DO have to DO something to it tho.
Great post/story which made me laugh. Thank you! 🙂
Sandy I have the same problem but with cabinets. My wife has acquired so much “stuff” that you can barely get the ones we use in and out without creating an avalanche. There is literally glasses and other pieces that fill cabinets that we have not “touched” since I married her back in 2004. But you had better not say anything about getting rid of any of it. Lord, help me.
Odie
Just a quick follow up, he sold all the crap and has an extra $285.00 in his pocket. It took a few weeks with having to constantly lower the prices on Craig’s List. My car is once again back in the garage…