Charlie Kaiser

Phil Stevens wrote:I pick up pallets whenever I go to town with the trailer. Last week I scored some with 150 mm width boards and today I carefully pulled them apart to do a rustic board sheathing on a closet wall. Very happy with how it's turning out.

Nice.  "Repurposing" is just the modern word for what we always considered was simply utilizing things we had on hand/what was available.  Isn't it crazy how satisfying a little thing like that can be?!

I love me some freebie stuff I can use! LOL!

Cole Tyler wrote:Indeed scavenging is the spice of life!

Pallets from a construction company
Glass doors sitting at the curb out for trash
Bathtub tossed in a dumpster

These things helped along the vision of my bath house build (obviously with some new bought things)

A pickup truck makes it happen on impulse sightings...but that can be dangerous as I have definitely grabbed things to take home that have been more trouble than use :)

Cool bath house Cody!  Totally relate to the "more trouble than use" thing.  There's been plenty of times where I've used one of my top 3 quotes ever.  The Three Stooges were part way through one of their of escapades and Mo was standing there with hand on chin and shaking his head saying, "You know this was my idea but now I don't think so much of it." LOL!

Nancy Reading wrote:Guilty!
Some things may never get used, which is a pity, some as you say may find forever homes elsewhere, but how can you let someone throw away (a perfectly good set of wardrobes, several bags of reject fleeces, a wind blown rowan tree...) a possibly useful item? Admittedly some haven't found their use yet. I'm not sure if that leaky stainless water tank will be useful for a rocket stove project, which was my first thought, or something else. Sometimes the 'gift' turns out to be rather expensive in time or actual money to complete, but you may end up with something really aspirational that way (like my free polytunnel project). .....
I'm hoping to start collecting building materials towards our house extension fairly soon........

Congrats on the trailer load of freebie polytunnel goodies!!! Boy could I use that kind of a great find!

Happy hunting on collection up for the house extension.  The ability to be some sort of flexible in regards to design sure helps there. Our new house is getting stuff that I've had laying around for years and it's awesome to use it. Examples: A bunch of legit circa 1920's bead board a friend gave me when doing some custom wood work for him. (Going on our spacious walk-in pantry ceiling.)  From my dear friend's old family homestead: a dozen doors (1940's) and some single pane windows for transoms in several spots. A 16' trailer load of 2x6 tongue and groove boards that I used for the flooring in one of the rooms and other way cool things!

Collecting: 'an excusable sickness'. LOL!

Anne Miller wrote:My neighbor describes his place as looking like Sanford and Sons, a TV series from the 1970s. ........ .

I love that show!  Several times have I spread my arms out over my collection of "goodies" and told my kids, "One of these days you will inherit all of this!"

Remember...
Junk is the stuff you throw away.  Stuff is the junk you keep.  

I just read a post from John Daley about some rainwater collection he did ( https://permies.com/t/271801/capturing-road-side-drainage#2845368 ) and it got me wondering, do you actively scrounge/bring home freebie stuff that has or might have a use on the homestead?

Things to ask yourself (especially if you don't have an ATM in your living room!):
*Can I use this for something now?
*Can I possibly use this for something in the future?
*What in the world could I do with this?
*Could I maybe trade this to someone for something that I don't have- that I need?
*.......

You get the point. No doubt a creative imagination (and some skills) helps, as does available space of course.  Needing something at the spur of the moment on a project (or something that broke  needing repair) can be deflating if you don't have the excess money to buy new or, just as importantly, lived a far piece from town. On the other hand, being in that same scenario and thinking ' I've got one of those! or I've got something I can make work!' is a small but great moment in life )

I learned growing up- never throw anything away. (Which can be both blessing and curse! LMAO)    

Most excellent!   A great example of there being so very many things "out there" that can be utilized on the homestead (that range from minimal to huge) for no monetary cost.  Labor is good exercise (typically LOL) so it is a win/win.

Derek Thille wrote: I'm certainly not going to imply you have to do anything...one doesn't need owls to create a link between the activities of an outhouse (sitting, thinking, passing excrement) and the activities of a house of government  .........................
Thanks for the chuckle.

Connected to the old saying to 'go sit on the throne'. LOL.  I always thought it would be so funny to get some old scrap lumber and gold paint, and build a mock up throne around a toilet/in an outhouse.Have a family member make a crazy crown out of something ridiculous!

To my  knowledge (and someone could  correct if I'm too far off base)  approximately 70% of tires are recycled and used in pour-in-place rubber surfacing  (running tracks/walkways, etc), rubber modified asphalt (to what volume I don't know), and rubber mulch (playgrounds, etc).

Small example that I know of- goat "playground".  Coolest examples I've seen is  packing them with dirt for making  house walls- though I'd NOT take on that challenge LOL.

Interesting thread. Does make one ponder 'if conveniences dropped, how would I deal with it?'

I do hate "smart" phones but I use one (minimally compared to most) and  I'm very much a "do things guy" so I'll  gladly take advantage of electricity to be more productive: saws, drills, welders, metal fab equipment, concrete mixer, on and on....  But we've also made it though an 11day power outage without stress.

I applaud folks that live totally off-grid, and those extremely minimal on-grid. What's important is- am I prepared (physically AND mentally) to get by without what we have come to think of as "necessities" for an unforeseen time, without going bonkers?

The better prepared one is to do without grid connection for a period of time, the better off one is.  If not there  yet, start making steps to get there.

I could not get past "Bring out your dead-"  It makes me want to watch Monty  Python!  LMAO!