Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Scavenger Metamorphosis Complete



I never thought of myself as one of those people. People who save EVERYTHING because you might be able to use it some day. Balls of string. Rubber bands. Tin foil. I used to throw things out... Yesterday though I was shocked at a new behavior and realized I've been completely overtaken by this scavenger life form.


I was getting ready to list a VHS video tape still in it's shrink wrap. When I picked it up I could hear something moving around inside the tape so I had to open it up to check it out. Turned out the plastic casing was broken and a piece was lose. I threw the tape in my garbage and that was when IT happened. I felt bad putting this new tape in the trash! such a waste as it was new! so I took it back out. I looked at it. There must be something salvageable on it. The first thing I noticed were screws. About six tiny metal screws. I thought those are worth saving.  I'd never taken a tape apart before so it was interesting to see what was there when I took out the screws. I ended up saving the screws, spools and a few little pieces of metal and plastic that looked like they might be usable for some future project (sickness!). I still threw out the plastic case but felt much better about the whole deal. Have you ever done this type of thing?



Ryanne over at Scavenger Life recently made the analogy of our lifestyles of scavenging and the post apocalyptic world you see in movies. I like that analogy (or is it metaphor?).  I think part of the thrill of taking apart the tape was that I was somehow saving bits and pieces that could maybe some day save my life ;) Yeah, ya get weird thoughts working alone.

I come by this behavior honestly. I grew up with parents who were born during the depression. During my childhood my dad hunted and fished and we ate all manner of animals. Squirrel, rabbit, turtle, deer etc. I never realized until I was much older that my dad was also quite a pack rat and liked to 'fix' things with bits of other things he had lying around. I'm sure back then I would have thought it was silly but now I'm quite proud of him and glad that the gene has finally expressed itself in me :) I think the longer I stay out of the normal working world with it's materialistic pressures the more I will become this scavenger. I like that. I feel like I've finally found 'my people'.

So when the end of the world hits and you wonder where to go, head up to my place. I will have saved all kinds of bits and bobs that we can cobble together to re-establish life here on earth. Bring some of your stuff with you. I know you have some and it might be just what we need :)

all photos courtesy of pixabay

14 comments:

  1. OMG you're my twin. I do that a lot. But it does come in handy when you buy something and you know you have a screw or bit of something at home that can fix it and sell it for $$. Especially if its free or really cheap. Carry on!!!

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  2. As I was reading this post, I thought about my own grandparents who grew up during the depression and never wasted one thing. Everything was used, re-used, taken apart and used again. As I've been on this eBay/scavenging journey, I find myself really feeling sad about all of the things I see getting tossed. Obviously, it's not possible, but it makes me want to save it all! It does make me feel good about our chosen profession. In a way, we're saving and passing down pieces of history.

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    1. That's true.

      Seems like the more money people make the more they waste or the less value they put on goods.

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  3. I love that phrase "bits and bobs". Once you really embrace the scavenging lifestyle, you really need to buy less and less new stuff. Buying "retail" is a very rare thing for us these days.

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    1. Me too Jay. I rarely go into a big box store anymore. If I do it's for something very specific. A mall? Can't even tell you when I was in one last.

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  5. Well, my hubby has been doing this for a long time, but I can honestly say, he's never taken a VHS tape apart to save the screws. He has a gazillion tiny drawers full of assorted clock parts though.

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  6. I love what you wrote about finding "my people." I feel exactly the same way. The area where I live is so pretentious, with multi million dollar homes, etc. I really truly feel like an outcast. I do love that we've been able to find people like us online. My hubby grew up in this area (3 houses down - his parents still live there). Every time I complain that we should get the heck out of here, he always says that he's been here long before everyone else. But I don't like these "every elses"!! LOL

    BTW, my basement is full of things that "might" come in handy someday. My hubby does that too. And I must admit that it has saved us a lot of $. He is very handy.

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    1. Hi Margaret. I also live in a neighborhood where I feel like I don't belong. My neighbors keep manicured lawns and bushes and there is no privacy in my yard for my introverted soul. My trumpet vine has finally grown big enough that in summer it obscures my deck so I have a bit of privacy. I have started to think about moving but the idea of moving all my 'stuff' is pretty daunting! I love my house but I'd like to pick it up and move it somewhere else.

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    2. Wow, your trumpet vine must be gorgeous. I have a couple, by they are still little and not yet blooming! Luckily we still do have privacy. We have 1 acre.

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    3. My trumpet vine is beautiful. I got two of them 8 years ago from my Mom so they are very special to me. They don't take too long, maybe a couple of years to get to a good size. I hope this summer yours puts on a good show for you :)

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    4. Margaret I'm going to post a couple of pictures of my trumpet vine on my blog. I hope you come back and see them :)

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