Ode to Craigslist

This week I sold my breastpump on Craigslist. I dug it out from under my bed, wondered why in the world I hadn't gotten rid of it, and then cleaned off the dust (don't worry, all vital parts were clean). The breastpump was my last remaining baby item. Well, come to think of it, there's still the stroller, the jogging stroller, the double stroller, the double jogging stroller, the crib... Okay, I meant that it was my last remaining infant item. It should have been the first thing I got rid of, considering the literal and figurative pain it was.

I don't know how people with stuff survived before Craigslist. I'm guessing people just saved everything. Because a lot of things are not priced for a garage sale ($5 and under) and plus who wanted to sit out in the hot sun all day just to earn a measly $50? I could work at McDonald's (actually anywhere) for the same amount of time and earn a whole lot more. So they just threw their old stuff into the garage. Which is why my mother-in-law has a broken water dispenser, two toasters, two broken rice cookers, 20 or so empty boxes, and dozens of empty toilet paper holders in her garage.

Periodically I check on Craigslist to shop for stuff. Some people window shop; I Craigslist shop. I particularly love the free section. People are so wasteful with their garbage. We've gotten two plastic play structures for the backyard and some homeschooling books for free. It helps to keep my shopping bill down because who really wants to drive 10 miles to buy some old stuff? I was willing to drive a little for some cheap soccer cleats for my son, but I couldn't find any so I had to use a Sharpie and color all the pink areas on his sister's old cleats. Then when we scraped all the dirt off the bottom, we realized it was entirely pink so we had to spray paint it too (we already had the paint). The refurbished cleats are completely black with a white bottom. One of a kind design.

I have this friend who's husband is a real stickler on security, due to the fact that he was actually in the Secret Service for awhile (and swears that Hillary is a lesbian which makes total sense when you think about it). He thinks it's a danger to have strangers coming to your house. Whereas I think, if total strangers want to spend their valuable time coming to buy my used junk, more power to them!

Here's where having 4 kids is even more helpful. The racket they make is an effective repellent for any crook, who think, there's an old couple down the street that's easier to subdue than that crazed child on the tree. Also, the bikes, trikes, and everything else left on the front yard scream out, the most valuable thing in this house is their collection of Disney dvd's. So I'm not too worried, especially in light of our Rottweilers.

Besides the free stuff I mentioned, we got the piano, the second saucer (after I gave away the first one and got pregnant again), maternity clothes the second time, the second stroller, the double jogging stroller, the single jogging stroller, and both bunk beds with mattresses from Craigslist. One time we were picking up free moving boxes and realized that the guy giving them away was my old classmate from high school.

Now I must go color my son's cleats again. It needs a weekly touch-up. It's actually quite therapeutic to sit there and color. Or maybe it's just the fumes.