Okay, this post is entirely to say how much I love Freecycle. Last week we went to a FREE yard sale, thanks to a post on freecycle letting us know about it. I got so much great stuff - mostly a ton of clothes for Trinity to grow into.

Then I saw this idea for repurposing an old papasan chair base on BHG.com. It reminded me of the fun play tents that Tia Karin hung from the trees in her yard when the family last gathered in Santa Cruz. The same day I posted a Wanted ad on our local freecycle group, another freecycler had posted one as an Offer. Perfect timing!


Of course, I had visions of piles of pillows and the girls and I lounging, reading books together. The girls prefer to go running through the sheets and wrap themselves up in them. They did have a stuffed animal convention one afternoon inside the tent. All in all, a great play place for no cost.
(editors note: we did end up having lovely lazy days reading in the tent)



I often longingly look at the beautiful playsets that it seems everyone I know has in their backyards these days. But those suckers are expensive and definitely not in our budget. But the girls love climbing all over the old pickup truck down by the barn. I started thinking, heck, it is a perfect base to add to and turn into a playset. So this week I was able to acquire a 10ft slide off Freecycle. A perfect fit! We have the start of our Redneck Playset. :)


My future plans are to use scrap wood and build a platform floor with railings to go on top of the cab. Also, I want to add a climbing wall and rope for climbing up into the bed of the pickup, and of course I have to figure out a way to rig up a tarp for shade. I posted a picture on Facebook and one of my friends suggested filling the bed with sand. A giant sand box to play in - excellent idea! I often see listings under the free section of craigslist for sand so I will be keeping an eye out for more.

Posted in: Slow Lane, thrifty living on Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at at 3:16 PM