Here’s how Lorie adds to her fund…
One of my favorite ways to save money is to take advantage of “curb alerts”. It has become common place in our region to leave re-usable items on the curb for others to pick up for free. Garbage pick-up days and Saturday evenings after yard sales are the best time to look for items. You can also find free items and curb alerts listed on Craigslist.com.
If I drive by unusual items, I will pick them up, clean/paint/fix them up, then re-purpose them in my home or sell them in a yard sale or on-line. Some of the most common items that you will find are plastic items that have faded from the sun such as yard chairs, kids toys, garden pots, and holiday decorations. Rust-Oleum makes a spray paint just for plastic and it can be purchased at most home improvement stores for $4 – $6 dollars. It’s easy to use and produces great results!
I also have great luck finding wooden stands, tables, and chairs. It is really easy to use Minwax Polyshades stain and finish in one to make the items look brand new! I have also used discounted or leftover paint to create one-of-a kind pieces.
Take another look at the items on the curb! They may make stylish additions to your home, great gifts, or can even earn you some money and won’t cost a dime!. I was able to add $100 to my fund by selling curb alert items in my last garage sale. What a fun and creative way to keep things out of the landfills and save for Disney!
Want to find out how to find even more money in your budget? Be sure to check out all the articles in the your fund series.
Mary says
I love the spray paint for plastic. We bought a $2 Fisher-price doll house at a yard sale, painted it black and decorated it for Halloween. It took 2 cans to completely cover it though.
Kristin of Couponing to Disney says
That sounds cute!