Thrifty Treasures: Criminal Edition?

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is hosting a blog party today. Go visit her for more of the weekend's thrifty finds! She's always so much fun.

I was a little bummed about not having anything to share with you all today... Until I peeked over our back fence yesterday afternoon. Long story short, our neighbors were forced to move, and they left a lot (understatement of the century) of JUNK behind.

Most of what didn't sell at their yard sale a month ago was left sitting to rot on the front lawn....ewww! It has been such an embarrassing eyesore for our street. People slow down when they drive by, and it's not because of the paint job on the old siding!

When I peeked over the fence yesterday, I wasn't sure what I'd find, but I did see one item that I thought might be worth salvaging. A neighbor informed me that the "demo" crew will arrive this morning to begin trashing the entire house so it can be revamped and sold.

"Take whatever you want because it will all be gone on Monday morning." she said.

So I turned into a looter today. At first I felt like a criminal, but I reminded myself that everything is headed to the dump anyways, so I better find something salvageable. Disclaimer: These photos are not for the faint of heart. This house was pretty beat up...code blue!

This is a shot of their front yard. Not pictured: the pile of old clothes to the far left...has been sitting there for a month now. I couldn't move it because D didn't move out until a few days ago!

This is the heinous site that greeted me when I rounded the corner to check out the backyard. I have never seen something so awful. Ever! Now I believe T when he claimed the locksmith said it was "top 5, one of the worst he's ever seen." Apparently, even the Realtor was appalled.

There were so many soggy boxes, wet and rotting books, magazines, shoes, etc. It was all there was to walk on. Sadly, the wicker chair and the matching love seat were covered in mold. I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole, and I was glad I chose to wear tennis shoes and jeans.

This is the far side of the back yard, closest to our back yard. I have never been so glad that they had a privacy fence! I would have liked to take a look at the plastic lawn chairs, but I was seriously afraid that I'd get bitten by a snake!

I spent the better part of 45 minutes prying these large slates out of the ground and loading them into a wheelbarrow I stole from T. Can you imagine how I even got the wheelbarrow into the back yard? It wasn't easy! I didn't think about how heavy it would be after I loaded it, and the trip back to my house was long and frustrating. I had to clear a path through the muck, and the wheelbarrow tipped when I got to my back yard. BUT, it will make a nice floor for the girl's play house. (Not all the slates are pictured...moving that wheelbarrow back was the hardest job!)


This is the big item I was after. I've been looking at picnic tables on Craig's List and at yard sales, and they run between $200 to $300 around here. It caught my eye because the benches are attached, meaning active children will be unable to tip them over. Free is better than $300, in my opinion, even if I had to wade through hell to get to it. (P.S. Yes, that is a fridge to the right.)




T was unwilling to help me carry it over to our house when I called him at work. Then I threatened to TiVo a Lifetime Movie instead of his soccer game, and he came around.


PLEASE, I'D LOVE SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT COLOR TO PAINT IT!!! At one time, in a past life, I believe it was painted black because I could see traces of the color on the table top.

They had boarded up their windows with Styrofoam!!! In the left corner, you can see part of the two tomato cages I picked up, along with some waist-high scrolly metal fencing that can be used as a trellis.

When I peeked in another window, I could see the kitchen had doors missing from cabinets, no appliances, flooring ripped up, flies buzzing, etc. T went in the other day when the locksmith was there, and he told me that there were only two rooms with flooring (it was exposed sub floors), NO drywall, and the stench (from 10 ferrets, 4 dogs, and a cat) was overwhelming. I don't know how they lived that way!!! It was her father's house, and I can't imagine treating my parents' property that way.

This is their front yard flower bed turned vegetable garden. I loaded up the white "picket fence" pieces that weren't broken to use as a border for my back yard vegetable garden. The leftovers will be used to make a cute "faux" fence in front of the girls' play house.


Natalie and Michaela Byrd's little red wagon multi-tasks nicely!

It just needs a "power washing," but I liked this outdoor mat because of the fleur de lis pattern.

Here's the table in our backyard. T put it on a spot that needs to be reworked with grass seeds for now. This will be a good spot to work on beautifying it! I think it can seat 6! I do believe it looks better already. A change of scenery will do her good!

I thought it might help if you could see what we have going on in the back yard for suggestions for the picnic table. Our siding (the addition is all siding and the rest of the house is brick on the bottom and siding on the top) is a khaki color. I am praying that T will start our deck to the right of the addition this summer. I'm dying for a place to entertain outdoors. I think we'll keep the picnic table under the trees though.


This is the girls' play house, which needs to be cleaned up again. We've been reseeding some grass, so there are some displaced birdfeeders, and stuff is moved around.

I think I'd like to do the table in a color that will go with lots of things....

So I'd say I had a pretty thrifty day! I am praying that the company that bought the house will do a great job fixing it up and we'll get some fabulous new neighbors! My hope is that they'll get some nice vinyl siding in an updated color that will compliment the home, which is spacious and open when not gutted and forlorn.

Cross your fingers for us!

I felt like a criminal going through all their old stuff, but I think it was criminal to leave their home that way!