Showing off: a big pile of trash

Moving into a new area means The Bargain Queen's making a whole lot of fantastic new discoveries. In the way of shopping, there's luscious cheap seafood, more dollar stores than you'd believe, fantastic Thai food, lots of Asian grocery stores and a massive home improvement warehouse just up the road. Loving it all! But the absolute best thing so far is... the garbage collection!

In the area we've just moved into, they still do an old-style large waste collection day. This is the one day every six months or so when the Council will pick up all the stuff that doesn't fit in your regular trash - old matresses, broken couches, building materials, etc etc. In the area we used to live, you could call any time and they'd pick this stuff up, so it didn't all happen on one day any more.

The Bargain Queen headed out early yesterday morning to check out all the things that were being thrown away.

Here's what she came home with:

Framed Indian poster



The Bargain Queen LOVES this picture. It only needed a quick wipedown to remove a few years of dust and it'll look fantastic hanging in our bedroom. Score!


Funky striped rug



This is super-bright on one side, muted on the other. It works really well under our dining table and hides some of the so-so carpet we're about to pull up... so it'll soon be hiding yet-to-be-restored floorboards instead. It was freshly cleaned, neatly folded and has only a little damage, so we're thrilled to get it!


Mid-century leather-upholstered chair



This was sitting by the side of the road in two pieces but took only five minutes, a mallet and a screw to repair. Not because The Bargain Queen's so clever, but because it was so well-made to begin with.

So what will we do with a single chair that doesn't match all our others? The Bargain Queen's trying it out as a dining-room-friendly desk chair, since our new place is so tiny that her work space has to be in the living/dining room. If it's comfy, that means no big ugly office chair in our living room, which is a big improvement.

60s placemat set, new in box

This 60s placemat set for two was still in its original packaging. It needs a quick clean to de-moth it but is otherwise perfect, so we'll use it when we're eating at home along together (which is most nights).



This is how they look in use:




Big spice jars



Spices are much, much cheaper to buy in big quantities and they keep better too. We're a few jars short after the move so it was fantastic finding eight of these in a box by the side of the road. The person who threw them out had even cleaned them and packed them in a box with handles for easy carrying. Thank you stranger, whoever you are.


Blue dress



This blue evening dress has a beaded trim and fits The Bargain Queen really well. It was thrown out in immaculate condition and perfectly clean.

(The Bargain Queen hoards evening wear a little, because although she rarely has occasion to wear it, having formal wear on hand saves so much money and stress when it's needed.)


Red dress



Another discarded evening dress, this time in sexy red satin. It's not ironed because The Bargain Queen only irons when her life depends on it, which is practically never. It laces up the back like this:



The Bargain Queen's especially thrilled because the lining and lacing combined provide enough support that she doesn't have to wear a bra with it - which means it's one of the few backless dresses she can wear!



And last but not least, the strangest find of the day:

Stacks of condoms

The strangest thing The Bargain Queen found amongst all that trash were boxes and boxes of condoms that someone had thrown out. Each one contains 100 condoms, with a sticker for a herpes treatment stuck on each one.



The first thing The Bargain Queen thought when she saw them was, what's the logic with that promotional gimic? Are they trying to say 'Don't get herpes, but hey, if you do, use our product!', or was it more like 'Hey happy herpes patients, try not to pass it on!'.

Then she thought, well, a job's a job and some people must hand out condoms with herpes treatment stickers on the back to make a living. If that's your job, what would you do with the leftovers? There's only so many you could use yourself and they'd probably remind you of work, which would likely remove the need for them in the first place. So, into the bin they go.

And in case you're wondering, The Bargain Queen brought them home merely to photograph - she might wear other people's garbage but she's not entrusting her reproductive health to it.

Mr Bargain Queen has been greatly enjoying them though... for making balloon animals!

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• fashion
• decorating