Our Recent Freecycle Find

This one was actually from a month or two ago but I never posted the pic. I was looking for clothes and board books for Jem, and a very nice lady gave us two big bags full of hand-me-down clothes (12m-3T), plus these:

This is actually not even all of it, but I'd already stored all the paperback books away before I snapped this photo. I couldn't believe it when my husband brought it all home. Such a generous find! I thought, he doesn't need all this! I was very happy to have the books and puzzles (especially the four books about trucks...Jem is obsessed with trucks), and I admit I was pleased with the corn popper (we love those but never would have spent the money on one, since we're trying to avoid buying new plastics), but I figured I'd re-Freecycle the walker toy away. Jem had other ideas. As you can see, he wouldn't even take his hand off of it long enough for mommy to take this picture. :-)  I don't think we'll need to get him any new toys or clothes for awhile!

Hope you all had a great weekend. Enjoy the week ahead!

Where'd you get that cool plastic toy?

In my home, the answer to this will usually be either "It was a gift" or "We got it from Freecycle." The larger the item, the greater the likelihood of such an answer.  After all I've read about the toxins produced and dispersed into the atmosphere during the production of plastic products, I try as hard as I can not to contribute to further production waste, and that means getting plastic items secondhand when we need/want them.  As an added perk, we also get to keep someone else's "trash" out of the landfills!  We also ask our family members to only buy Jem wood or stainless steel toys (you know, for Christmas and other special occasions) or to get them secondhand. So far they've been wonderfully cooperative!

Here are a few of the items we've found on Freecycle.  I'd say that so far we've saved several hundred dollars this way - talk about an added perk! Sorry about the poor picture quality, I can't seem to find the camera, and my cell phone camera is not exactly the greatest substitute...

 This exersaucer is in excellent shape! A little vinegar and it was clean as new.

Save $40-50 dollars on a Bumbo that's in new condition without the excess packaging? Yes, please.

These giant Brik "legos" sure are fun to knock over after Mommy builds a tower with them!

Little Tikes Country Kitchen.  Missing a few things - the fruit bin, dishwasher basket and phone - but all Jem really wants to do at this point is open and close the doors anyway!  It was quite a mess the day we got it, but we left Grandma to babysit and by the time we came home she'd given it a good vinegar scrub, and now it looks almost new!

Jem likes to run over mommy's feet in his walker.  He's really good at getting through doorways, over carpets and around corners.  Best part is that it folds up for easy transportation.

I have no idea what this toy is supposed to be, the people who gave us the exersaucer and the walker threw it in when my husband went to pick them up.  Some kind of standing entertainment center is my best guess, but the supports that help keep it upright are missing, as are some of the pieces on its face.  Jem doesn't care, it still lights up and plays music just fine.  I took two of the legs off so he wouldn't try to pull himself up on it and topple over.  As you can see, I had trouble pulling him away when I took the picture.

Okay, this isn't plastic.  It also wasn't from Freecycle, it was an $80 purchase from Craigslist. But considering what it was originally worth and the great shape it's in, plus how much more comfortable it is than similar models I tried out brand new in stores... It was a steal and I was happy to give it a new home.  It also came with an ottoman which we are no longer using.