Made $300 and saved about $1000 this past week (over and above 'regular' work).
Had our first AirBNB guests this weekend- $100 a night, easy money. They were kind and clean, it worked out very well.
Then, I was trolling craigslist and found a few things we needed...for free.
1 x cord of seasoned firewood - Guy had the wood, but then switched to a gas fireplace. Nice enough to just give it away, and even helped me load it up (though it took me a while to stack it once I got home). Worth about $200-$250.
1 x Literally about a ton of river rock - again someone giving away for free. I had to load it up myself, but hey, great exercise. Amazed the truck could handle the weight (probably was overloaded). Used it around our detached garage for drainage and landscaping after ripping out all the weeds. Worth at least $150+
3 x new low flow toilets installed - Probably saved at least $500 by installing myself.
Used cardboard from the toilet boxes as a weed barrier rather than purchase landscape fabric. Great way to recycle, and was enough to cover our small garden area. Then, cleaned the old toilets, removed any parts, and then smashed them up to use the porcelain as drainage in the garden beds I just built. Better than paying to dispose of them at the dump.
1 x pressure washed driveway and walkways. Not sure value, but I got the pressure washer (a small electric one) for free.
BONUS - awesome exercise!
We bought a 100 year old house a couple months ago, and so there's a lot of work to be done...so anytime I think "I should go to the gym" I instead try to spend an hour around the house doing something physical and productive. Working out well so far.
