Live lean. Wear Stuff Out.

Wear Stuff Out.

The average American discards 1569 pounds of waste per year. Often, it turns out that some of that waste is still perfectly usable to someone.

This was a great Adirondack Chair.  We had it for years and I even repainted it a few times. Many cold beers were enjoyed in this chair over the years. I read more than a few great books here as well. Early this summer, it started to wobble and one of the chair’s back legs was split. Also, SuperK would not even sit in it anymore due to a fear of splinters. It was pretty much falling apart. We had officially worn it out.

Wear. Stuff. Out.

A big part of my “living lean” philosophy is simply wearing stuff out.  Think about how much cheap plastic, or low-quality, outdoor furniture is discarded every day. The cheap or plastic stuff looks great in the store but quickly it fades, the paint peels or it simply collapses and ends up in a landfill.  Much better to start off with a locally made quality piece of furniture and wear it out.

This chair had done its job well. I couldn’t just take it to a dumpster or use it for scrap.  So, I took this fantastic photo, put a “curb alert” up on Craigslist, then set it out in front of the house. It was gone in less than 15 minutes. Maybe some craftsman was going to sand it down, replace all the rusty screws and rotted parts, paint it and get another 15 years out of it. I’ll never know, but I like to think that someone else is sitting in that chair right now enjoying a few cold beers and wearing it out all over again.  This just demonstrates that even when we think something is worn out, someone else can see it as having great potential.

You can post stuff to Craigslist directly from your smartphone using this free Craigslist mobile app. Once your account is set up, you snap a quick photo, type in a description, and post. This is much easier than the old process of getting that picture and uploading photos and descriptions from your computer. It’s always good to include a couple of photos so people know exactly what they’ll be picking up. Curb alerts are always for free merchandise and are a great timesaver versus hauling stuff away.

While you’re on Craigslist, you may even find a replacement.

The Frug