Would you give back a $40k find stuffed in a thrift store couch?: The Saturday weekend review #72

FINDERS KEEPERS……

 

Imagine that your new comfy couch that you just bought from the Thrift Store for $20 is worth more than you might make in your first year after graduation.

Going to school and having to furnish your apartment with furniture can be a costly venture for a student on a budget. Aside from going to garage sales or finding free stuff online the next best place is the second-hand shops.

You can find just about any type of basic furniture that you need at a second-hand store including couches that really do sell for less. You know after the school year is up you will find that couch sitting on the curb for free or in hopes the city will pick it up and discard of it, no questions asked.

A while back we shared a blog post about places to stash your cash around the house and to be honest I didn’t think many people did that anymore. I’m sure there are few and for those that did it was so long ago they likely forgot they even had the money they buried away for a rainy day.

 

Couch cushion jackpot

 

I was reading on Yahoo about some students in New York who had just brought home their new-to-them couch from the Thrift Store. They thought it was a bargain until they discovered what was hidden in one of the couch cushions. It was something  much better than a bargain, they hit the jackpot.

You know those old cushions with the zipper, well one of the students opened it up as it felt odd to sit on. He didn’t find magazines or old newspapers shoved in the couch cushion to keep it level what he found was a zip bag filled with $40,000.

You read that right, someone donated their used couch to the Thrift Store without remembering to take out what was likely their emergency savings or life savings. These kids stumbled upon what would seem to be a gold mine of fun but luckily they all have hearts of gold and returned the money to the owner who was listed on the bag.

She rewarded the students with $1000 for bringing back her money that she likely didn’t even remember she had or if she did remember it would be when she needed it the most. In that case, the money might have been long gone if these students weren’t honest enough to return it.

We read more and more about thee amazing second-hand finds that people seem to fall into and I’m pretty sure not everyone would be willing to hand that money back over to the owner. Some would say they now own the couch and it’s their money. I’m almost certain if I found the owner’s name I’d return the money or at least try to locate the owner of the couch.

I hear about so many people who are struggling to make ends meet and I don’t know why the money was stashed in the couch. For all I know it was a young family who owned the couch with kids or someone who desperately needed it. Unless you are loaded I’m pretty sure the money would come in handy and likely slipped the owners mind that she put it in the couch cushion.

Would you return the money? What do you say to people who stash money at home? Is that a good idea?

 

CBB at home and blog

 

This week has been so busy for me with work, the blog and installing the new central vac in the house. I pretty much have everything wired up and running but will need at least another day to pipe it all into the house.

We managed to score and awesome deal on river rocks going to straight to the source. The only reason we found out was because the landscape supply place we went to said we had to order 2 yards.

Well, we didn’t need 2 yards so they gave us the number of where they get it from. Great! I called and the guy said no problem come pick what you want. I asked how much and he said don’t worry it won’t break the bank. Now, that’s what I like to hear.

He was right 2 large recycle bins and 4 med sized recycle bins later and the total came to a whopping $10!! Considering Canadian Tire wanted something silly like $6.99 for 4KG I thought that was a darn good deal. Sure I had to do the picking work but they were all in a pile all I had to do was pick the rocks that I wanted. Score!

Other than that we went to a couple of greenhouses this week and spent a bit of money on bushes and a shrub. We did pick up all the flower plugs for our hanging baskets as well which worked out great. I also managed to grab mulch on sale at Lowe’s for $3.99 a bag reg $6.99 a bag. I didn’t need a yard so I picked up the bags instead. When I finish off the back gardens in the next few weeks I will likely order a yard of mulch.

Other than that, it’s business as usual for me but for many they are enjoying the long weekend with the 2014 Statutory holiday Victoria Day this weekend (May 2-4  to all you party animals and cottage country folks) falling on Monday May 19.

I’m afraid I’m working but will be doing a bit of travelling for a couple of days next week. I’ll still be around the blog don’t worry it never seems to escape me although one of these days I’m sure I’ll do a disappearing act for about a week.

So, enjoying your holidays wherever you are in Canada!

-Mr.CBB

 

Weekly CBB posts

 

If you missed any CBB posts from the week here is the list of posts you can catch up on reading!

• How we became mortgage free in five years
• How to grow your own  fruit at home
• Does your mobile phone control your life?
• Product strategy change may equal grocery savings
• Scones with blackberry apple jam and whipped cream
• Should you negotiate prices at a garage sale?
• Would you pay to watch a new movie in premium Cineplex seats?

 

Fan deals and inspirations

 

Submit your Brag or Inspiration If you have a brag that you want me to share email me at canadianbudgetbinder (@) [yahoo] [.ca] or fill out my contact form by Friday each week to have your brag considered for the Saturday post.

Today CBB fan Christine can’t wait to share the awesome deal she picked up for next to nothing.

 

Hey Mr. CBB,
The grocery store Foodland runs a couple of promotions every year and because the store is across the street from me I do most of my grocery shops there.

This is what I got from the current promotion that is now winding down. For every $10.00 you spent for groceries you got one sticker. There were extra products you could get for extra stickers and they had a couple of double stickers. For 80 stickers I could get a 20cm frying pan or a 1.4L pot.

For 110 stickers it was a 26cm frying pan or a 2.8 pot. For 120 stickers your choice was between a 28cm frying pan or a 4.7L pot. Just buying my regular groceries I managed to get enough stickers to get the two smaller pots for $2.00 each! These are really nice hefty, professional grade pots! The pots will be showing up in my shops for next week’s Grocery Game Challenge.

Last spring’s promotion was from the same company but it was knives and I got one for myself as well as a couple for my daughter. In the fall right after Thanksgiving they run a promo called turkey bucks, this past year you had to spend $30.00 to get a turkey buck. I managed to get $18.00 worth of those to save some nice money on my turkey and for my budget.

 

Making a difference

 

If you know a personal finance blogger that is making a difference and want to nominate them please send me an email canadianbudgetbinder (@) yahoo.ca so I can reach out to them for a feature story.

Note: If you are a blogger who gives back and would like to be featured by all means get in touch with me as I am filling spots up for the rest of 2014 and they are going quickly.

Today I would like to introduce to you my mate Nikki from Debt Busting Chick.

Hi I’m Nikki from the Debt Busting Chick; I’m a 20 something year old with a shed load of debt. Over £14k to be precise. How did I get in debt you ask? Well I discovered credit cards and loans at the age of 18, had a mother who financed big purchases and was never taught to save or pay for things with cash.

I started my blog as a way to stay focused become accountable of my debt. I’ve always thought about paying it off but never really prioritized that thought. So blogging about my debt has kept me motivated.

On my blog you’ll find tips I’ve picked up to help cut back on my spending, how to earn more money and to save. I write monthly updates detailing how much debt I’ve paid off each month, and a weekly post about what I’ve spent my money on.

When I started blogging I never dreamt anyone would want to read any of it and I still can’t quite believe it now. But miraculously I’ve been blessed with some great readers, many are PF bloggers and others are people on their own debt repayment journeys.

I receive some amazing support from them, which does help me to keep going. I hope that my journey will inspire others on a similar one to mine, and know that if I can prioritize and pay off debt then anyone can.

 

What is a blog carnival?

 

Some fans have asked me “what is a blog carnival?” so a little explanation is due here for anyone reading for the first time or for my long-time fans.

A blog carnival is where a blog or website hosts what we call a carnival of blog posts from around the web. Most blog carnivals have a theme and certain rules for submitting which must be followed.

If you are a blogger and would like to learn what blog carnival directories I submit to each week you can find the information in a previous Saturday Weekend Review post that I wrote.

 

Carnival glory

 

A big thanks to these pages for accepting my blog posts and sharing them in the following carnivals and/or sharing my blog posts with their fans. If you don’t see your blog it’s likely because I don’t know that you shared my post so send me an email to let me know. Thanks.

 

Carnivals

• Carnival of Financial Camaraderie– Monica on Money
• Carnival of Financial Independence– FI Journey
• Personal Finance Carnival 41– Aspiring Blogger
• Carnival of Retirement– Finance with Reason

 

Blog Mentions

• How to Save Money
• Our Big Fat Wallet

 

Google search terms

 

Every week I get thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they did a search online and found my blog. Keep in mind any spelling errors below are because I share with you the exact way they typed their search engine query to land on my blog.

• Signs a man is a good cook– You eat it without wanting to throw up lol. You lick the plate clean. You want him to cook again.
• I want to be a guy because…– I don’t even know how to respond to this one.
• Can I take a day off? – Sure, go for it…lol. If you mean from work…talk to your HR department
• Grocery Budget not working– Try again… figure out why it’s not working and start over.
• The Suze Orman of Canada– Ha, well that’s not me.

Thanks for joining me for this edition of The Saturday Weekend Review #72. Join me here again for more crazy stories from around the web and at home!

 

 

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Related articles

• The Saturday Weekend Review #66: What would you do if the ATM gave you extra money?
• The Saturday Weekend Review #67: Do we ignore the poor people?
• The Saturday Weekend Review #68: Do you hold an Easter egg hunt for the kids?
• The Saturday Weekend Review #69: Is paying off the homeless people the answer?
• The Saturday Weekend Review #70: Are businesses going too far for customer service?
• The Saturday Weekend Review #71: Should you negotiate prices at garage sales?

Photo Credit: Freedigitalphotos.net/Ambro

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