$140 lying on the ground

A while back, my Uncle texted me saying that he spotted a good-looking couch sitting in an alley a few blocks away from our apartment.

“Think it’s worth anything?”

“Worth checking out.”

I got home from work and we ventured out to inspect the couch. To our delight, there weren’t any scratches, tears, or pet hair on it. All the cushions were there and it smelled clean like money.

This free couch was too nice to go to waste; it was in near-perfect condition! We had no use for it; our couch was nicer (Aunt Betsy found that one in an alley as well). We figured this one would be worth trying to sell.

We carried the couch four blocks and up one flight of stairs into our apartment. It was a beast of a workout. We had to stop four or five times just to catch our breath. Looking back, it would have been much wiser to carry the cushions first and come back for the frame.

Though we were exhausted and our biceps were burning, our work wasn’t done yet. We had to make the couch presentable. We moved our old couch out of the living room and temporarily into the kitchen while we moved the new couch into the living room, cleaned it, and took pictures. After doing research to find a fair asking price, we listed it on craigslist and OfferUp for $250.

As the week progressed, we slowly lowered the price and began to receive serious offers. Finally, after fatigue from living with two couches in the living room, ironically making it unlivable, we sold it for $140. The craigslist buyer drove over and we helped him carry it down into his car.

“Holy crap!” we were ecstatic, “we basically just found $140 dollars lying on the ground! $70 for me and $70 for my Uncle.” Sure, living with an unlivable living room was slightly inconvenient and it was a bit of a hassle to carry, but it was well worth it. We made money, got great exercise from carrying a heavy-ass couch four blocks, and saved a heavy-ass couch from being thrown in a landfill.

If there’s anything that goes to waste more than food, it’s furniture. This is especially true at the end of a month when people are moving in and out of apartments. Almost every day, I see tables, chairs, couches, and other random pieces of furniture lying helplessly in an alley. A lot are in poor shape, but some are good. When I see the good ones, I think money, exercise, and waste reduction.

Keep your eyes peeled, my freegan friends.

-Freddy