Outside the Box

Haven't we all heard "thinking outside the box" a bunch of times? My dad told me an interesting story about taking that phrase to a new place.......

My Grandmother was the eldest of over a dozen siblings including a sister who was married to a member of the US Congress. One of Granny's brothers worked with the trains in the Chicago Stockyards. This is where all the livestock from the Midwest used to be shipped for processing. Hence Armour and Swift - some of the big meat packing companies - were Chicago based.

Transporting the animals caused a lot of wear and tear on the freight cars. My Dad's uncle would let the family know when one of the freight cars was scheduled to be refurbished. The train company would place the freight car on one of the outside tracks and my father's extended family would use ladders, hammers and pry bars to completely disassemble the freight car down to the frame and the wheels.

The train company was glad they didn't have to pay workers do it, but more importantly, my Dad's family used the valuable lumber they hauled off to build outbuildings, fences and repair their homes.

So my cheap tip question is, "What can you glean?"

Do you need wood for a raised garden bed or fence project? Do you know a company that needs some used or broken pallets hauled off? Lots of wood there - just use a magnet to find all the nails where you are breaking the pallets apart.

I had a friend once who had a huge garage sale and a small vehicle. When the garage sale was over, she needed someone to haul the unsold items off. I owned a truck and and a van at the time.

I called my play daughter (it s Southern saying for an un-related "child" that becomes part of your family) who was just setting up housekeeping. With her help and my neighbor's gracious permission, we hauled everything to a local charity, but my play daughter and I got to pick thru the leftovers. Bonanza for me, there were quite a few beautiful Christmas items that I still decorate with some 10 years later!!!