UsedEverywhere.com

Community Angel Car Seat Recycling Project

Working as a community angel with UsedVancouver.com is very rewarding because environmental and human stewardship is the focus. My favourite project is the car seat recycling initiative that includes our amazing community partners Bellies to Babies Celebration and Gibsons Recycling Depot. On May 5th, UsedVancouver.com collected a total of 83 car seats and boosters and then transported them over to the recycling depot to be deconstructed and recycled. The plastic base and metal clips are the main pieces of the seats that are recycled.

The buzz for this car seat recycling project was amazing and parents within the Lower Mainland kept repeating the same comment: “Thank you for giving us a convenient way to dispose of this piece of baby gear that we’ve been saving to keep out of the landfill.” Even parents who learned about the initiative through social media loved the idea from afar.

For anyone interested in hosting a car seat recycling campaign or finding a place to dispose of a car seat, I recommend calling nearby recycling depots to start. Once you find a location that will recycle the plastic and metal from the seats, if a recycling depot receives enough interest from parents, it might see the value in testing several seats to find a common thread of plastic to continue the campaign. Our hope is for future campaigns to include more baby items once they’ve expired or been passed down many times, so they have a place to go and will be recycled. If you think of large baby items, they are usually comprised of several different materials, which makes things difficult for a recycling depot. Once common materials and types of plastics are defined, a broader scope of strollers, highchairs and saucers can be included.

Hosting this initiatives show the importance of grassroots UsedEverywhere.com movements and it’s wonderful to work with a company that so environmentally focused to reduce landfill waste.

Highlights of the collection this year include: most unique drop-off transportation. Check out our favourite two drop-off people that we’ve been calling Scooter Guy and Bicycle Mama. Both were super cool to chat with and we had to take a picture of the unique ways these car seats ended up for collection at Bellies to Babies Celebration:

Scooter Guy

Bicycle Mama

The collection was very successful and we doubled our efforts from last September. The van that was used to transport the seats was packed from floor to roof once we made our way to Gibsons Recycling Depot the following day.

It was an amazing day to tour the Gibsons Recycling Depot (GRD). I highly recommend anyone with children to find a local recycling depot and arrange a tour or field trip. Every time I go to GRD I learn something new. The most amazing part of the depot is learning if personal waste actually reaches a depot, there isn’t much they can’t recycle. Items that prove tough for the depot always go back to mixed plastics, dirty or contaminated plastics and Styrofoam. An example of this is Styrofoam meat trays. Normally Styrofoam can be depleted of it’s air and packed down into small flats that is actually sold to be reused. But this can only be done with clean Styrofoam (from packing boxes of appliances, etc.). When GRD receives contaminated meat trays they can’t recycle them. So do you know what they do? Make planters (pictured below) for people to take/buy from the Depot. Amazing things can happen with waste if it just gets to the right place.

Other sources that are tough to dispose of are mixed plastics where a recycling code isn’t shared. Plastic pots from plants, mixed plastic shopping bags, baby items discussed at the beginning of this article, and many toys cause problems with waste management. The key message I always leave GRD with is to strengthen my resolve to manage my family’s personal waste. Biggest problem being plastic – buy it second hand! Plastic is such a durable material which is why it’s so difficult to recycle. Put that durability to use by listing and buying plastic online. Try hard to not bring new plastics into your life. When we do need to purchase plastic it would be great to have a clear vision of where these plastics will end up at the end of their life. If they are mixed, try to curb the original purchase unless buying used and encourage manufacturers to use a recyclable material. Hopefully car seat manufacturers will understand this problem and change policies to accept car seats back after they’ve expired to reuse the plastic and metal at their own manufacturing plants. But until this happens, UsedVancouver.com is proud to be offering this service to local parents. Grassroots efforts do make a difference and we thank all the people that brought us seats and our community partners for another great campaign!

Share your thoughts with us in the comments area below or visit our UsedVancouver.com Facebook page to chat with us and find out what we’re up to next in the Lower Mainland.

Attracting Birds to Your Yard

The return of migratory birds to our yards and gardens can be a welcome sign that winter has passed us by and spring has finally returned. Some of us wait for robins, while others wait for geese and ducks to return to ponds and waterways. We hear them in the trees through our open windows, and we see them as we start to spend more time outside. It doesn’t take us long to realize how welcome they are once they are back, and to wonder how we can attract more birds to our yard – or perhaps coax the ones we have to stay, and nest.

What birds need:

• natural habitat and shelter (birdhouses or boxes, plus an abundance of trees, shrubs and plants for shelter)
• water (for drinking and bathing)
• nesting material (twigs, sticks, grass, dried leaves, feathers, pet hair, etc.)
• food (natural sources and supplements you might want to provide)

What to feed birds in your yard: 

Birdseed, sunflower seeds, suet (which you can purchase mixed with seeds and/or berries), millet, cracked corn, nectar for hummingbirds (sugar water, without red food colouring, please). Larger birds might like peanuts, popped popcorn, fruit, soaked raisins, or other larger items. Be creative, do a little research, and if you have kids, don’t hesitate to try preparing your own bird food at home. It can be a great project to share with little ones.

Be sure to do a little research to find out what the birds in your area are eating, and ensure if you decide to offer food that you are keeping the feeders clean and dry, that the suet isn’t left out to go rancid and other health considerations. It doesn’t help to offer food that won’t be healthy or safe.

Most birds get what they need from nature, but the more we clear trees and develop our cities, the less there is for birds to eat. If you want to attract them into your yard to stay, it would be a good idea to think about food sources. Well-fed birds will often stick around, and if they do, many will likely nest.

Benefits of welcoming birds to your yard:

Extending a welcome to birds in your yard is good for everyone. Our communities are bettered when we find ways to coexist with the species we are displacing as our urban areas spread. It’s also good for kids to stay in touch with nature, and to foster their interest and respect from a young age. Birds help us and our yards by eating insects that are considered pests in most yards – think of how many mosquitoes some species eat! And finally, our love for our outdoor spaces increases when we engage, connect, and find ways to increase our enjoyment. Kids also tend to love projects that get them into nature, so keep them busy preparing bird food, cleaning bird feeders, building nesting houses and feeders, and gathering nesting material to leave out for the birds.

Birds common in Canada :

Birds native to Canada can vary from province to province. It can be a great family project to track what bird species you have seen with your kids – does it change year to year? Does it vary from home to perhaps your favourite greenspace or camping spot?

Here is a list of all the birds commonly found in Canada, but you could do your own research to find ones common in your specific area. This could be good research for kids who show an interest

Ask your kids to look over your list as the year progresses – which birds are migrating?  Which are staying?

Do you get a lot of birds in your yard? How do you attract them? Do they stay and nest? We’d love to know if you have tips or tricks to share!

My Journey to “Hope House”: A Community Helping Create a Home Away from Home

I’m extremely fortunate to be the Community Angel for UsedVictoria.com because part of my job is being able to help others in our community. Recently I was presented with an opportunity that really proved to me what I always knew to be true:  that people, when given the chance, really just want to help give back to their community and pay it forward.

The Start Line

A few months ago, I was contacted by the Beacon of Hope House Project which was founded through the Salvation Army in Victoria. This organization provides a safe haven for at-risk male youth (ages 13-18) seeking individualized and comprehensive drug and alcohol treatment. They had recently moved into a new house and were wondering if UsedVictoria.com would be able to help with donations from our site.

I immediately jumped on the opportunity to help a project that would be able to benefit so many youth in our community.  I asked the organizer Keltie to put together a wish list of everything they needed. It ended up being a little bit longer than I anticipated and I suddenly became nervous that I wouldn’t be able to fulfill it with my limited budget. But my gut told me that once our community found out about this project and who it was benefiting, that they would help me make this goal attainable. And boy was I right!!

My Journey

I began scouring UsedVictoria.com looking for items on this wish list. Within a couple hours, I managed to find several items either for sale or free and started contacting the sellers. I decided I would mention who I was and where the items were going to and thankfully I did. Almost every person who I contacted responded that they would gladly sell or hold the item for me as they were happy to help out such a great cause. Some people discounted their prices while others actually went above and beyond to make this project a success. Here are a few stand out examples:

• Lori posted some soccer equipment for free on the site and so I arranged to pick this up from her. When I got to her home, she told me she was spring cleaning and had managed to find some brand new beach items she’d be happy to donate as well. She has teenage boys of her own so this project really resonated with her.

• Sara posted a free television and stand on UsedVictoria.com. Not only did her and her boyfriend help me load it into my truck (it weighed a ton!) but they also offered their time if we needed their help for any future community angel projects.

• The Rotary Club advertised they were having a garage sale on our site so I decided to pop down to see what they had on the wish list. I met this wonderful volunteer named Larry and showed him my list explaining what I was involved in. He quickly started running around the gymnasium grabbing items and starting a pile for me. Within minutes, he had found a large portion of my list and even gave me an amazing deal for all of it. I left with a huge smile on my face, not only because I found such amazing items but also because the money I paid for the items would be used towards another great charity. Love it when you can pay it forward twice!

• But my favorite part of the journey was meeting Tyler, a local 14-year-old boy who was selling a skim board on our site. I emailed him some questions about it as I’m a total novice when it comes to this sport and explained who the skim board was going to. Tyler emailed back quickly asking if there were any other sports items we were looking for. I rattled off the different sports items assuming he may have other items for sale. Instead, he replied that he would go through his garage and try to find other items to donate to Hope House. When I arrived at his house, he had a pile of items in the middle of the garage floor including two baseball gloves, three baseballs, one soccer ball, one basketball, a brand new snorkeling kit and, of course, the skim board. It floored me how generous this young man was and that this generosity was helping other kids his age.

The Final Leg

After combing UsedVictoria.com for items and reaching out to the community for two months, I’m happy to report that I managed to find almost every single item on the wish list for Hope House (still looking for a bongo drum and a ukulele so if you happen to have one sitting around in your house, let me know!).

We arranged a moving van and dropped everything off to the Salvation Army downtown, shocking the organizers with the amount of donations we had. They were overwhelmed with what we managed to find for them and before you knew it, we were all shedding tears of joy over how much these things would mean to the boys at Hope House. As Keltie eloquently put it, “these items will help turn a house into a home for the young men living there.”

Finish Line

I’ve been lucky to be able to help many people in our community but this project will always hold a special place in my heart as it affirmed my faith in human kindness and how people will jump at the opportunity to help others when simply given the chance. Thank you to everyone in Victoria who helped make this donation and project a huge success! It was a journey I will never forget.

For more information on the Beacon of Hope House and details about the items UsedVictoria.com donated, please click here.

Bubble Blowing: Spring Activity for Kids

Most of us remember blowing bubbles as kids. Our memories are full of images of brightly-coloured wands dripping soapy water all over our front steps or back porches and bubbles sailing off in the wind. We competed to see who could blow the largest bubbles, and whose bubbles would last longest before popping. Any of us who grew up to have kids are sure to pass this activity along to them…it’s too much fun to miss out on. It’s also a great early spring activity, when the kids want to play outside and would love some water play but it’s too cold for hoses and water guns.

Tips and tricks:

Ask anyone who takes their bubble blowing seriously and they will tell you that making your own solution at home is the trick that will make all the difference. You’ll get bigger, longer lasting bubbles – and isn’t that the point?

Here is a homemade bubble solution recipe that I’m dying to try.

As simple as bubble blowing can be, there are a few other tips and tricks that can make the whole process more fun for you and the kids. Give kids small amounts of liquid if they want to play independently, and keep a larger container out of reach so adults can assist with refills. If it’s cool out, put your kids in rubber boots as they likely will drip. In warm weather, let them go barefoot. Shop for different types of bubble blowers – small to start, large wands, different shapes or try making your own. Remember bubbles can also be blown in the bathtub in inclement weather or to help very young children enjoy bathtime.

Unique ideas to shake up your bubble time:

A make-your-own bubble blowing station 

Water bottle bubble fun for small kids who struggle to blow bubbles

Can you freeze a bubble?

Beaded bubble wand craft perfect for older kids or a party activity

Reminders:

Bubble or soapy solutions can make surfaces slippery so use caution with young kids standing on wooden decks, steps or other smooth surfaces. I like to let my kids blow bubbles on the grass so there is no risk of falling.

Warn your kids that getting bubbles or soap in their eyes can sting and encourage them to keep their hands away from their eyes and faces. A bucket of clean water nearby or even a towel or clean cloth can be handy if someone crosses paths with a wayward bubble.

Don’t forget to take pictures! Blowing bubbles can make for some great candid shots as kids concentrate on blowing, then break into laughter or chase and reach for bubbles.

Bubbles can be a great, easy party theme for a young child. Their simple but appealing shape can be repeated throughout the decorations, the blowing itself can be an activity for any young children present, and guests can take home bubble blowing supplies as their take away treat or loot bag.

Do your kids love to blow bubbles?  Any tips or fun ideas to share with us?

A Rookie's Lessons in House Hunting

I learned a hard life lesson last week. My husband Mark and I began the hunt for our first home a few months ago. We’ve been pretty open in terms of what we’re looking for. Assuming there’s room to have a few chickens and space to expand our family by one someday, we’re pretty flexible.

And then it happened. Our realtor sent us the listing and it was love at first site: a beautiful little bungalow with an ocean view on an acre of land. We went to see it and it was even more amazing in person. The house was modest, but had some upgrades and looked to be in great shape. The ocean breeze smelled fresh, the seagulls sang and out front the “Sarah Michael” fishing boat was docked, saying, “Welcome to the neighbourhood, friends”. We made an offer, the sellers accepted and I shouted from the rooftops that we were homeowners and happily shared pictures of our little paradise. Emotionally, I was vested. In my mind, I was moved in. I had even mapped out the route to our daughter’s future elementary school. I was in love. The only hurdle was the inspection, but how bad could that be?

Well… the answer is bad. Very bad. The first indicator was the “grey-water” line from the sink routed to the ditch by a fire hose “secured” with electrical tape. Funny, I didn’t notice that the first time with my rose coloured glasses. Or maybe the illegal wood stove they’d configured in the garage that was adhered to the wooden frame with duct tape. Melted duct tape now. Fire hazard? These were signs of disrepair. Unfortunately, the owners had not taken very good care of this little ocean beauty. But, it was the foundation that was the deal breaker as we discovered it was being washed away by the day and needed extensive work. It was devastating. We just couldn’t take on the huge tasks needed to make it work.

As a result, I took a few weeks off from house hunting to get over the tragedy of my “first love” and now that I’ve had time to reflect, I thought it might be worthwhile to share a few tips for others who’ve begun their hunt for the perfect house.

Find a Great Realtor

We went to see the first house on our journey without a realtor, and met a realtor who was everything that is wrong with realtors. He assured us that we didn’t need a realtor; he could just handle it for us. But after spending five minutes with him, it was clear that he did not have our best interests in mind. When we asked where the property line went to, he said, “ummm, back there somewhere.”

Lesson learned. Invest the time and find a good, experienced, knowledgeable realtor. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with them and counting on their expertise, so be sure to find a good match. Don’t just go with your cousin’s friend who is new and needs the commission. Unless, your cousin’s friend is an excellent realtor.

Get Mortgage Pre-Approval

See your banker and make sure that you know your budget so that you’re not falling in love with houses that are out of your price range. If you know you’re pre-approved, you’re able to act faster when you do find “the one.”

Be Prepared

Do your research as you go. Line up that house inspector, insurer and lawyer before you get into the heat of the hunt. That will take some of the stress out of the scramble once you’re ready to make an offer. Everything happens fast and it’s a business of quick turnaround, so do what you can to be prepared in advance.

See It Twice

It’s really easy to panic and get caught up in the excitement of buying a house. A house might make a great first impression, but once you go away and come back (with less emotion) you’ll probably be able to look at things a bit more objectively. Take your time looking at the house. Open the cupboards and lift the rugs. It’s likely the biggest investment of your life. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest bringing the most critical person you know along for the second viewing.

Sleep On It

Give yourself a little time to think things over. In some markets you might not have the luxury to wait and sleep on it (and I suppose there’s no harm in making an offer) but make sure you don’t rush into the purchase. If you can, give it the night. Everyone feels more prepared to make a big life decision after a good sleep.

I wasn’t expecting it to be as emotional a process as it has been. I guess I fall in love easily, so it has been a good learning experience for me. I’m not yet wise in the ways of the homeowner but hope that over the coming months, I will be.

Expired Car Seat Recycling Program

It’s back! This Sunday, May 5, the UsedVancouver.com crew will be collecting expired car seats and boosters at Bellies to Babies Celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. We hope to triple the collections from last September when we collected and recycled 44 car seats.

As many parents in the Lower Mainland will tell you, it’s very difficult to find a recycling depot that takes back expired seats without an organized initiative in place. It’s also unique for parents to be able to simply drop-off expired car seats without having to disassemble them first. This weekend disassembly is not necessary because Gibsons Recycling Depot is looking after this potentially toxic task and they will be taking apart the seats and then recycling the plastic and metal components. Gibsons Depot experts agree that when disassembling car seats, masks should be worn in a well ventilated area to avoid inhaling flame retardant chemicals found in the interior foam of all car seats. We thank them for looking after this for Lower Mainland parents!

Many of the newer car seats have longer expiration dates, but typically they still expire within six years. If your car seat has not expired but you have finished using it, before you think of passing it to a friend or selling it at a yard sale or online please call the manufacturer and check that the model number adheres to the new regulations set forth by Health Canada announced in January 2012. This removes liability from you if the car seat is involved in an accident.

Local initiatives like this are what set UsedEverywhere.com apart – with its strong community involvement and commitment to the core mission of keeping our landfill clear of items that can be reused or disposed of with a recycling focus. Also partnering with an amazing trade show like Bellies to Babies Celebration and Gibsons Recycling Depot makes all the difference with offering the education piece of why it’s important to be aware off the personal waste we bring into our lives and pushing to find solutions on how to dispose of them responsibly.

Gibsons Recycling Depot is a great place to visit because their message of holding people accountable for waste is important. Most things brought to the depot can be recycled, anything else that isn’t broken goes into a walk-in locker to be sold. For the campaign on May 5th they determined there are enough similarities between booster seat materials and car seats to now include booster seats in the recycling program this year (last September they were only able to accept car seats). Hooray for progress!

After receiving feedback from green-minded parents still holding onto broken high chairs and strollers, knowing they will go to the landfill when disposed, we are also working with Gibsons to find a common thread to these items so in future campaigns they can be recycled too. Wouldn’t it be great to have these campaigns include a broader scope of baby items that after being reused multiple times, can be disassembled and disposed of by recycling the components instead of sitting in a landfill forever?

We are inviting a small group of parents to bring broken baby items comprised of metal and plastic (highchairs, strollers, saucers, etc.) to the trade show on May 5th and we’ll include these in our delivery to Gibsons Recycling Depot so they can analyze the components to see if any of these products can be included in our next campaign. **Important** if you are planning on bringing any other baby items besides car seats for disposal on May 5th, please comment on this article and let us know the number and type of items so we can be prepared. And remember, if you have baby items that are not broken and safe to be handed down to another family, please create a listing on UsedVancouver.com - let’s also reduce our consumption.

To checkout Bellies to Babies Celebration vendors that will be at the show this Sunday, access the full list here.

To read more about the great work Gibsons Recycling Depot does for the Province of B.C., click here.

To read more about how to tell if your car seat has expired, click here.

All Lower Mainland parents are encouraged to share the image included in this article so their friends and family are aware of this excellent service being offered. Free up some room in your garage, Spring Clean, and feel proud to be taking responsibility for managing your personal waste!

Find UsedVancouver.com on Facebook now to join the conversation.

Used Tips: Tell Us Yours

My friend Deanna inspired this post. I joked recently about buying her some Used angel wings. Seriously, this woman finds everything on UsedVictoria.com. If you need something, just ask Dee, she will find it for you on a Used site. Anything you want. Just ask. It’s kind of a running joke with our friends, but it’s also really useful!

So I checked in with Dee to see what her tips are and I’ve added some of my own. I am guessing everyone uses Used in a different way, so please share your tips with other bargain hunters and environmentally responsible shoppers:

• Bookmark it baby – Dee has UsedVic bookmarked and centre on her favourites tool bar. I thought this was strange, but it turns out about 90% of my friends have the same thing
• Search – it’s an obvious one but remember to search in different ways. One person’s patio set might be one person’s garden furniture set. If you want something specific, be specific. Search for Nissan, but if you know the model you want, search Nissan Altima. Use the advanced search option to narrow down to area, price and types of sellers
• Alerts – You have to have an account to sign up for alerts, but this really is the smart way to use Used. This way you can save yourself the trouble of the refresh button and let those ads come to you. Alerts go by category and can either be sent to you via text or by phone
• Account – Sign up for an account and have access to more special features, such as the alert service explained above. If you are a frequent seller, an account makes everything so much easier, no need to add contact info each time you sell, it’s all set up for you already
• Barter – Dee always barters. Always. I however do not and I should. The worst people can say is ‘no’ and then it’s up to you how much you want the item in order to pay the asking price
• FREE – The Sunday just gone, Dee alerted me to a free ladies’ bike and a free car bed (any mom of a two-year-old boy can likely tell you how coveted these twin beds are!). There she was at home riding that free button and I know she wasn’t the only one, because despite emailing both sellers minutes after their ad went up, I was next in line for both! For tips on finding only free items on Used, check out this interview with Karen Bragg,  a local Victoria woman who renovated her whole property for free! Karen talks about etiquette, which can go a long way with being a successful Used user as well as offering other insights into being a pro searcher on Used
• Wanted – A wanted ad may just catch the eye of the person about to upload an ad for exactly what you are looking for
• Help – Hit the help button if you want to know how Used can work for you. There are lots of tips and FAQs covered on this page
• Social Media – When it comes to interesting and unusual finds, curiosities and collectibles, you can bet your dollar, that our Used team has scoured their home site and will post their finds on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. If you are a serious collector, this is a great way to have an extra alert

How to Spend $1000? Invest in Yourself!

What would you do if you suddenly came into a thousand dollars?

When I was a kid, I used to think a hundred dollars was a big deal, never mind ten times that amount. Now that I’m an adult however, a ‘cool grand’ has lost a bit of its lustre. Don’t get me wrong, a thousand dollars is still a nice amount of money, especially if one finds themselves the sudden recipient; it just doesn’t seem as infinite as when I was a child.

In fact, with credit card bills, utilities, car payments and rent or mortgage amounts due, a thousand dollars can come and go in the blink of an eye. In fact, one can spend a thousand dollars so inconsequentially that just a few years later, it may be difficult to recall exactly where the money went – a sad state of affairs for an amount of money that used to ‘razzle-dazzle’ me as a child.

Now, if you have reckless tendencies like me, you might make the suggestion to go ahead and “Treat yourself! Buy something nice!”. A new iPad? Perhaps a high-end handbag? Maybe even a glorious full-package deal at a spa? These are all fantastic but the joy will most likely be fleeting and again, in a few years, it’d be difficult to recall exactly how that thousand dollars was spent.

Investing is always an option. It’s super easy to funnel a thousand dollars into retirement savings, a children’s education plan or even just a tax-free savings account. Doing any one of these things is a smart move but again comes up a bit short. Inching one’s retirement savings from, say, $28,000 to $29,000 hardly qualifies as fulfilling, memorable or exciting.

Sticking within the realm of investing, the option to gamble on the stock market is always there. This approach is risky but can yield much higher returns on an investment, which definitely ups the excitement factor. However, what I personally found out this year is that a thousand dollars is kind of a lame amount to invest. I made a thousand dollar stock purchase and saw my money grow by about 15% in just a few weeks, providing a pretty good return on investment. What soon became apparent is that in actuality, this meant I only gained $150, which winds up being about half that after taxes are applied. The lesson here is that the stock market is designed, more or less, for those wishing to invest much larger sums of money.

So what to do with a thousand dollars?

Just recently, I came across an article in MoneySense Magazine that asked this very question. While it covered several different approaches, one suggested action really stood out: Invest in yourself. The gist is that should a person ever come into an unexpected thousand dollars, an intelligent use of that money would be to spend it on increasing personal knowledge, abilities or skillsets with the goal of being able to use the newly attained qualities to generate income. For instance, if you’ve always had an interest in woodworking, then you could enroll in a part-time course that teaches cabinet making, birdhouse building or even something unorthodox like intarsia.

The opportunities for investing in yourself are vast and varied. I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia and in just a few minutes, I was able to come up with a handful of self-improvement courses and workshops that suit my fancy. Here are just a few examples:

• Learn How to Keep Bees, $225 
• Photo Manipulation with Adobe Photoshop, $397 
• How to Bake Wood-Fired Bread, $500 
• SCUBA Diving Open Water Course, $350 

While the above are local to Halifax, opportunities like these are almost always available in-and-around towns and cities across Canada. Apart from investing in yourself being a unique approach to spending a thousand dollars, it can also provide an actual return-on-investment. By investing in a skill, while money is initially lost, over the long run a person can actually earn that money back (and then some) by turning the skill into a small business. This can also be a big benefit when one retires, as having the ability to self-generate income helps with financial security in old age. Lastly, apart from the practical aspects of acquiring a new skill set, the other bonus is that investing in yourself guarantees that you’ll never forget when and how you spent that extra thousand dollars.

So, how would you invest a thousand dollars in yourself?

Keep Your Basement Dry This Spring

Why basement flooding happens:

In spring, melting snow and early rains can cause basement flooding – either via cracks in the foundation, leaking window wells or other structural issues. Sometimes a sump pump can fail, or a sewer can back up due to issues with the public sewer system.

Consequences:

Water in a basement has all kinds of negative consequences. Besides the immediate mess and damage to belongings that can be an irritation and expense to clean up, there can be damage to walls and flooring that require insurance claims and renovations. There are long lasting effects of mold and mildew if water seeps in and is not discovered right away. Insurance rates can go up, and property value can suffer if it goes on too long.

What you can do to avoid flooding:

• Shovel snow away from exterior walls if you get a late snowfall or are having a late melt
• Clean out your gutters – this is a chore not to ignore!
• Clear out window wells and check for leaks
• Check your foundation for cracks that may need further inspection or attention
• Direct downspouts away from your home, and add extensions if necessary
• Watch your landscaping and grade – are there issues? Anything you can fix or remedy?
• Check your sump pump to be sure it is working properly, and have it checked periodically

Be prepared:

• Check your insurance policy – what’s covered? What’s not? Do you need additional coverage? Now is the time to ask, not later
• Check your storage and belongings – what do you store in your basement? Is there a better place for these items? Paperwork, memory boxes, keepsakes, important documents – all of these should be safely stored above the reach of potential water damage. Move or rearrange your storage in case the worst happens
• Keep contact numbers handy. Having a recommended plumber’s name and number at hand will be a relief, as will having your insurance documents and contact information close at hand. Don’t be trudging through water to open filing cabinets to look for this info. Put them in your phone or put the wallet cards in your wallet – whatever system will work for you
• Keep an inventory of your belongings, especially the most valuable or expensive. A list of what you own, the value of each item and the receipts for the most valuable would be immensely helpful in the event of an insurance claim

What else can you do?

If you live in a very flood-prone area, you could carefully consider the furnishings you choose for your basement as an extra precaution. If you build a home or develop the basement, choose flooring that can be easily cleaned after being wet. Ensure that furniture has legs or some elevation to keep your belongings off the floor. Build shelving to keep your possessions from getting soaked every time water seeps in.

Consider rallying with friends or neighbours in flood-prone areas. Let people know you are willing to help out or come to their aid if the worst happens and ask if they will do the same for you. If you end up with a wet basement, wouldn’t it be great to have a few people to call who can help support you, bring supplies and assist in the clean up? Or at the very least, if you have kids, take them off your hand for a few hours while you clean up and deal with the water? In this day and age, it’s easy to forget to be neighbourly…but having friends and family to help in a crisis can make all the difference.

Have you ever trouble with water in your basement?

What caused it? What did you do? Any tips to add to our list?

My Garbage Chair

I’ve always loved the idea of finding great furniture in the dumpster (although, still not sure why people don’t list the items for free on their UsedEverywhere.com city site). For so many years I’ve seen chairs and stools and tables rescued from the curb and made into something spectacular. I’ve always been a fan of the people who pull over and take someone’s junk to make it useful again. I have just never felt comfortable doing that myself.

So, when I saw this chair on the top of a large pile of discarded household furnishings (someone moved out) I drove around the block to take a better look. Then I drove around again, wondering if I should stop and get it. Then I kept going and got almost home, but turned around and went back. I drove past reeeal slow. I felt like a stalker. I pulled off on a side street and told myself I was being ridiculous and garbage day was the next day and it would get crushed up for no good reason. So, I went back. I pulled into the driveway and took that chair and put it in my car. Of course neighbours were out raking and getting their mail and they totally stopped and looked at me (and in my head they were judging me something fierce) but I had my prize and I took it home and looked at it for a while. I am so glad I stopped!

The chair is a mid-century piece but it’s a knock off of a designer chair. Not the best quality. However, under the fabric that had been nailed to the legs, was the original cushion (orange. So perfect) and it was FREE. It was missing a leg support and the finish was cracking all over but these were easy fixes. I sanded it down all over, just a quick sand but I paid attention to the rougher spots. I got a 3/4″ dowel and cut it to size, glued the ends and put it between the legs where the old one was cut off. Those got a nail in each end. Then, I painted.

A paint that I find really useful for these kinds of projects is Tremclad. They have a paint that’s for wood and metal, and it comes in flat, gloss, and high gloss. I used the regular gloss because that is what I had at home already. It dries quickly and has a really great sheen on it. It is also water soluble so it’s easy for clean-up.

For the cushion, I used a remnant I had picked up at the textile store a few months ago. It cost me a whole $1. I put it right on top of the old cushion, as it was clean plus I like to keep old fabric underneath when I can for someone else to discover somewhere down the road. I always like finding the original fabric on something! Staple guns make this kind of job much easier. I use a hand powered one, not an air compressor or electric one. One day I would like to get a fancy staple gun, but for now my father-in-laws will do.

So, that is really all that it took to take a $1 chair from the garbage back from the brink and into the modern world. I really love this chair, and am glad it was an easy fix. Sometimes a coat of paint and a piece of printed cotton can really work wonders. I am definitely stopping to pick up treasures again.

UsedEverywhere.com is encouraging it’s users to snap pictures of discarded future-treasures and post the pictures to Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ShouldaUsedOttawa (#ShouldaUsedVictoria, #ShouldaUsedVancouver, or #ShouldaUsedRegina etc. – depends on the city you live in of course). It’s much easier to find free stuff on a UsedEverywhere.com site than driving around searching for unloved items that could already be damaged by the elements.

Has anyone else rescued something from the curb and put it to good use?