Kijiji

Our friend Martin is a big fan of the yard sale.
'Obtainium' is what he calls the rewards of a fruitful search.
Quality goods for next to no money.
I tend to agree with the principle of reusing and re-purposing,
but I can't picture myself ranging all over the place just to score some great deals.
Especially if you come home with things that you never intended to buy.


Having said that, I have been using Kijiji more often.
If you don't know what Kijiji is,
it is an online classified service, much like a well organized yard sale.
It is informal, with no online payment system; cash only, in person, pick-up.
It costs nothing to post a simple ad, and it costs nothing but time,
to peruse the thousands of items available.

Though I have used the service in the past,
I find myself turning to it more and more.
Normally, I type in a keyword and do a search.
But last night, I caught myself browsing categories aimlessly.
Not unlike Martin picking his way throughout the tables, scrutinizing the boxes in search of precious, overlooked treasures.

I must admit that the draw of very low priced goods has put me in danger of accumulating more than I need.
To date, I have done well procuring what we need,
avoiding the new goods in the box stores.
I fear that my recent successes may turn me into a rabid online shopper,
being sure to turn the screen off as Kira passes by.
Like an obessive gambler; sneaking around, hiding my filthy addiction.

As I use the site more frequently,
I am better able to zero in on those items that I covet most;
building materials to feed my other addiction for constructing.
Though, I found myself drifting through the guitars for sale, and wistfully choosing the ones I prefer.
"Hey, that's pretty cheap! Maybe I should....."
But no. That's not on the list.
I was looking for one window and one door.
Which I did find, and bought today.
$50 for a brand new window that is just the right size, and $85 for two solid pine doors that are beautiful.


And now look at this.
I have been searching for Baltic Birch plywood for some special kids toys.
Lo and behold, up comes a big pile of it for $125.
Can you believe it!
Wow!
But I only need about six sheets.
Only, the price is so low.
But how do I get it home?
I'll have to go and look on Kijiji to see if there's a good trailer for sale.