Lately I’ve been working regularly as a household cleaner part time, and then I’m doing one off organizing jobs for different families as well. In addition to this being a rather well paying job in my area (it makes more per hour than many jobs requiring degrees) I’ve also discovered that there’s one huge perk of this job.
The free things.
Because I’m in people’s houses on a regular basis, when they have something they no longer need, instead of posting it on local giveaway groups or bringing it to thrift shops or swaps, I often seem to be given first dibs. Additionally, many times I’m helping people organize things, and as we organize things, they realize they have things that they never use and decide to give them away… and again, guess who gets first dibs? Also, lastly, as someone who is known for being frugal and minimizing waste when I can, there are times that people offer me things that they’d otherwise throw away, like being past the expiration date (which I don’t believe in for most things), which definitely ends up to my benefit.
My issue isn’t not having enough things, but rather, thinking well about whether or not our family actually needs those things and will use them, or if they’ll just become useless clutter in our house. Fortunately everything that we’ve brought home has been put to use and enjoyed. Many of the things I got free replaced stuff that I would have otherwise needed to buy, so they saved me money.
I took the above picture of things that I came home with in one day, but it’s only a small fraction of the free things I’ve gotten because of my work.
Things I’ve gotten:
- A leather rolling office chair (that the family was gifted with and had no room for in their house; my old office chair completely broke so this was very handy)
- Hand me down clothes for my girls
- Dress up clothes for my girls
- A bread box
- A container for storing cereal
- A collapsible metal steamer (my old one broke but I didn’t know where to get a new one)
- A mandolin
- A flour sifter
- A pie cutter
- Microwave safe containers
- A cookie jar
- Gluten free cereal
- Pure fruit jam
- Wine
- Taco sauce
- Chocolate hazelnut spread
- Butterscotch flavoring
- Bailey’s Irish Cream
- A giant package of plastic wrap
- 2 giant packages of aluminum foil
- Cooking bags
Do you often get hand me downs from people, or things that other people are giving away? What types of stuff have you gotten?
When my husband worked as a handyman, he too was given free things. People like giving to people they know; it feels more personal than just dropping stuff off at the thrift shop. He was always clear though that if we couldn't use the item, it would be passed on to someone who could. Otherwise feelings would get hurt.
When my husband worked as a handyman, he too was given free things. People like giving to people they know; it feels more personal than just dropping stuff off at the thrift shop. He was always clear though that if we couldn't use the item, it would be passed on to someone who could. Otherwise feelings would get hurt.
growing up, I wore hand me downs from cousins, and then one of my cousins sent her daughters' clothes to mine. One of my children started a family when most friends had finished and now take advantage of all the freebies.
Don't you feel that they are treating you as a welfare case?
Don't you feel that they are treating you as a welfare case?
Not at all. I give things to people, I'm not just on the receiving end. And I'm not taking things from people that they'd be using, but things they would have passed on to someone anyhow, so why not benefit from it. There's no shame in getting free things. Even rich friends of mine like freebies. You don't have to be a welfare case to get hand me downs.
Not at all. I give things to people, I'm not just on the receiving end. And I'm not taking things from people that they'd be using, but things they would have passed on to someone anyhow, so why not benefit from it. There's no shame in getting free things. Even rich friends of mine like freebies. You don't have to be a welfare case to get hand me downs.