Bartering And Horse Trading (Part Duh)

Hi govcheetos, thanks for the great posts. I think that you are a natural writer as well as an ass kicking barter and horse trader. If you lived in my neighborhood, the competition would be fierce. HaHa (just kidding…. Maybe) .

I have led a rich life while rarely being what some would call wealthy. I grew up with a father in the Navy who came up in the ranks. The military didn’t pay much in those days but we always seemed to get by. We didn’t have a lot of clothes or anything fancy but looking back now I believe that this made us closer and more creative. I have always felt that the struggling years were the best. I made up a quote that has stood me in good stead through the years :

We can own nothing in this world but only have use of it for a time, for we are mortal.

This puts my life in perspective when I sometimes think of all the things I have had in the past. Someday I’ll be gone but these things will still be here.

As for silver and gold being good investments in the short term, here is an article that I’m sure many precious metal investors will take exception to. We are at a juncture in which the precious metals could either take off or fall down. Not for the faint of heart. I have some silver as only part of my preparations for the future. Food, some dollars, a way to protect my family, water storage, and other preps also figure into the whole picture. I sometimes tell Ponce that he is like Noah’s Ark, needing nothing from the outside world. And he is; I’m just trying to get my own Ark outfitted as best and fast as possible.

Gold Market Update
By Clive Maund

http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials...und042213.html

Govcheetos, your post made me recall how fortunate I was to have been able to spend the summers on my grandfather’s cattle ranch. I was a boy then but much of what I saw and learned is still with me. My grandfather was tough to the core and fearless. As A young man, he had had an eye shot out from a hunting accident. My father said that one time he was with his father and a man pulled a gun on him. My grandfather called him every name in the book and stepped forward and took the gun out of this man’s hand wherein this man broke down and cried and apologized and said that my father could have the house. You see, this man had agreed to sell my father a house and then backed out for a higher offer from another buyer. By the way, he was a Baptist minister. Not such a good example for his flock, eh ? We did get that house and it became home base as we traveled to the various Naval duty stations throughout the United States. My grandfather had been the local sheriff at some time in his life; not sure how long before this incident. He didn’t wear a gun but other men respected him for his strength of character. Hw was tough as nails but gentle and patient with us children.

Because my father was in the Navy, we moved every year or two as I was growing up. It was a strange life but filled with new adventures and places to explore. A rich life, you might say. The past has made me much of what I am today. Depending on how we teach our children, especially by example, they will go forth into the world equipped to handle whatever comes their way.

You may have others envious of your possessions in the future. I dispel this by sharing and finding items for family and friends. I’m always on the lookout for things they may want or need; it is as if I am Christmas shopping throughout the year as I go garage sailing. And everything I have is for sale or trade so if someone wants what I have I am willing to deal or help them find what they want. I’m retired but still “working” if you want to call it that. I’m working at having fun; often it pays more in profit than when I had my businesses. And it always pays off in fun; I can’t wait to get out there and see what is up for sale. Sometimes items that I did not know existed.

In fact, I have a couple of friends who are having a garage sale in a couple of weeks and they want me to come over the day before the sale to buy anything I want. I got to know them through the fruits and veggies I distribute (still getting about a ton per week). So you see, one good thing leads to another… and another… and another. My life is so filled with fun things happening that I have to take a day off now and then to catch my breath.

Right now I’m fixing two riding mowers for the grass growing season. I have a couple more that I can’t get to but a new friend is helping me get things in order around the place. He was the fellow who caught my head before it hit the concrete. I was at a garage sale and fell of the tailgate of my truck. I’m 66 and getting a bit slower but can still wear out young men (but only sometimes now).

The point of the above paragraphs is that this bartering and horse trading is so broad that I cannot convey all the things that happen in doing so. Sometimes it is finding new friends.

I just got a Jack LaLanne juicer; it is a heavy monster and the only one with a large opening. Retail price is somewhere between $100 and $130. I got it for $13.50. And if you are looking for a professional juicer, you might look at the Champion juicer. I have one and it is great. I’m buying a second one next week from a friend. Gotta have a backup, behind a backup as Ponce says. By the way, I don’t think anyone on our website knows just how fortunate I am to have Ponce as a friend. He is a riot on the phone and so incredibly knowledgeable. We talk most days, often for over an hour. Invest into your family and friends; that will make you truly rich. Something the government can’t get a percentage of. I especially like that.

Govcheetos, I again had to laugh when you wrote about the Tupperware box full of screwdrivers, pliers, and a small crescent wrench for $4. I had just bought a Tupperware box with several tire gauges, an air nozzle, and several air fittings for $5. I think your deal was better than mine but both were a bargain. And the little things like your propane bottle for a quarter is putting into action the saying that a lot of little things add up to a big deal. Also, remember that if you had to buy these items new, you would pay many times the price AND sales tax to boot (you in the butt). The convenience of having these tools around is hard to calculate but if you had to drive to the hardware store every time you needed a new tool, your wear and tear and gas and time would add up to plenty.

Gotta stop before I embarrass myself; getting’ too giddy with the good times.

Best wishes,

Agnut

Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is.*************
— Oscar Wilde


The Second Amendment is all about goon control
Agnut

Picked up some deals this week.

Tore down a section of fence in a lady's yard an kept most of the usable wood. Built a fence in my neighbor's yard with the wood and made $400 in an afternoon.

A friend moved away to find work in his field and has had to let the bank take his house. He told me to go over and take anything out of the yard and shed that I wanted or thought I could make money on. Ended up with several things: Several pressure treated 2x4's, a few cinder blocks, several pieces of re-bar, a pair of sturdy pressure treated saw horses, a draw tite receiver hitch, removable 55 gallon drum lid and clasp, some chains, a block and tackle set up, some 4 ft wide garage shelving, and $61 of scrap metal. I thought about taking the shed too, but it's not really the size I want, and could probably do better putting my efforts into something I can really use.

Garage sailing this weekend I picked up a large live animal trap for $7. A friend of mine has the same one and had to pay $69 retail. This is good for catching coons (4 legged, not the 2 legged kind) or possums, or feral cats.

Picked up yet ANOTHER dolly/handtruck for $5. Selling one of these for so cheap really makes no sense at all to me.

Bought a pair of the big clamp style vise grips for $1, and a 10' crescent wrench for $1.

Finally helped a good friend clean out his warehouse. American Pickers could do a whole season at his house. For helping him move a bunch of stuff from one ware house to another for a couple hours he gave me just what I needed: an appliance/refrigerator dolly! The strap mechanism is a little shot so I may be able to fix it or just use a large rachet strap.

If anyone wants a dolly/hand truck let me know, I've got 5 LOL!

Hope the rest of ya'll find something for nothing!

Although chilly in the morns still, hunting season (that is- yard sale hunting) is officially opened in CT. So far slim pickins.

On my way home from work on Friday I saw a barn sale in MA. Bought a bucket of old tools: large hand power drill bits, files, lock vice grip pliers, and a bunch of miscellaneous hardware- $10. I asked if they had any solder... not necessarily silver solder as I am looking for electrical solder. He came out with 4 pounds... another $10. I wonder what I missed because I wasn't there first thing in the morning.

I stopped at a yard sale on Saturday... hand tools for 50 cents each.... Craftsman & Snap-On. I got 6 good pieces.

Hi govcheetos, smart dealings there. With the future being what it is, your using all kinds of used material is way ahead of the game. Ponce says to collect everything you can for it will be like Cuba here someday. People ask me why I buy so much stuff and want to know if I have been selling these items. I tell them that I haven’t sold anything yet but will someday. What I do not tell them that I am collecting items that will be in demand in the future. Things like 2x4s, plastic 4 gallon containers, steel 5 gallon containers, power saws and drills, boxes of nails and screws, electrical connectors, copper wiring, extension cords, and a whole lot of other items.

I will be selling some art and furniture and cars and specialty tools that I don’t expect to ever need. These items I believe will fall in price and demand in the future. The money will go into more items that I believe will have a greater demand and value in the future.

Because of the dollar’s demise (collapse if you may), we may become isolated and therefore very little will be coming into the U.S. Therefore, what we have here now will be needed desperately. Just like what has been happening in Cuba for decades. Can you blame the rest of the world if/when this isolation were to happen ? The dollar is the reserve currency for the world and it appears to me that it has been enforced by our military. This doesn’t make friends either. So the rest of the world will probably cheer our downfall. So the potential for isolation; shunning would perhaps be a better description.

I don’t care what you are picking up; it is all good. If you think it has value to you, it also has value to others. This may be a time to take out a notebook and jot down things you have seen in your traveling around. There is stuff laying around all over the place. Some for scrap value, some for personal use, some for future bartering and some for reselling as soon as possible.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The beauty of perceiving a value of an item is that it results in a profit somewhere in the future. I’ll bet that 99% of folks who would look in my barn and storage sheds and house would think I am a hoarder. Good for them; I hope that they keep on thinking that way; it just makes it easier for me to acquire items so cheap.

By the way, the hoarder shows I have seen always have stacks of newspapers and useless junk probably picked up for free; things that have a minimal value at best and a rat’s nest and fire trap at worst. What I am saying is that there is a total difference between what most folks think a hoarder is and what we are doing.

When things do collapse, America will get cleaned out of useable items. But not cleaned up because there may not be a Depression style Conservation Corps but instead a conversation corpse. Lots of talk but not much action. Little strained there but you get the picture.

And the beautiful thing about what you are doing govcheetos is that you will be experienced and well connected for the way things will work in the future. For bartering and horse trading is a special kind of prep; it is renewable on a daily basis. Unlike having a lot of food preps put away; they will be exhausted in time. Nothing wrong there; I just wanted to make that distinction clear. Ben Franklin said to put all your money into education; it’s the one thing they can’t take away from you.

Last Saturday I picked up a small anvil for $10, a nice fishing rod and reel for $5, a vise for $10, three Rigid pipe cutters like new for a total of $14, 15 blue glasses from France for $5 and a few small items for spares. I have been looking for those French glasses for a long time; the right shape and size. I knew that they would turn up if I was patient. My experience is that eventually, most everything I want shows up.

Tomorrow or the day after I have to go to a couple of friends’ garage and estate sale. They are letting me go in a day early and pick out all the things I want. I’ve been waiting for this for about a month. I’ll let you know how it works out; nothing is sure until afterwards.

Gotta go; another truckload of fruits and veggies to pick up. Still getting about a ton a week. I have been kicking myself because I have yet to learn canning and have about 800 Mason jars and all the equipment. Oh well, there aren’t enough hours in the day as it is.

Best wishes,

Agnut

The Second Amendment is all about goon control
Agnut

“A civilization that expects to be ignorant and free, expects what never was and never will be”.
Thomas Jefferson

Hi Spectrism. Your buys touched me deeply (somewhere between admiration and envy; flip a coin) what with my being a career mechanic. Do you know what Snap-On tools cost today ? Might as well be a commodity right along with gold and silver.

The old farm barns sales are often goldmines. Not only are the prices usually great but these old barns can hold a generation or more of antique tools, etc. American Pickers is an interesting show; the guys seem to spend a majority of their time in old barns and sheds that haven’t been molested for decades. And the items that they come up with are fascinating.

And Spectrism, you are so right in that you will never know what you have missed by showing up late. The only thing that is worse is arriving late only to see other buyers walking out with treasures in their hands. I cannot emphasize enough that, especially in today’s financial environment, we need to arrive early rather than when the ad says they will be open. Lately I have been arriving early and the sellers have been only too happy to let me in. Many times I have been the first one there and by the time other are arriving, I am scooting out the door with a load of goodies.

My first stop was at a friend’s garage/estate sale today and I picked up the following items :

A Champion juicer for $50. They are from $235 to $300 new plus shipping. I already have one and this is for a backup. I have read that this juicer can break down the fruits and veggies finer than other types and a greater food value can be derived.

A solar battery charger new in the package for $40. Ponce told me that it wasn’t such a good deal and I agreed; the new price is about $70 but I didn’t want to drive two hours to get one or to order one from the internet.

2 bike hoist kits for $30. I want to hang bikes from the rafters in the barn in order to make more room. More room for more garage sale items, that is.

A mosquito zapper still in the box with extras for $15. The price on the box was $100 new.

8 spring loaded ratcheting woodworking clamps for $8.

A socket set with 20 sockets, a ratchet and extensions for $3. Made in Taiwan but useable for emergency tools in the trunk of a car.

A box of copper fittings and tools for $8.

A pair of speaker stands for $20. I really need them and here they showed up.

A Sears battery charger for $5; it has a 50 amp switch for car starting. I had owned one many years ago and it was always reliable so I bought it. I wonder what the new price would be today.

2 rolls of roofing tarpaper for $10. On the way home I dropped in to a thrift store that specializes in construction materials. The manager is a friend and when I showed him the 2 rolls I had and what I paid, he smiled and took me into a sea container that had 4 rolls of roofing tarpaper and sold all of them to me for a total of $6. While I was there I found a pair of US made fisherman’s hip waders for $5.

After leaving my friend’s garage sale I saw a sign for another garage sale, two sales in fact. I turned off and after a long drive down a winding road I found the place. I had missed the last sign and had resigned myself to heading home. After I turned around I saw the last sign and pulled off. The first seller had a pair of US made rubber boots for $5; they looked like new. Next door another seller had the aforementioned two rolls of roofing tarpaper and a battery charger for $2. This charger didn’t look like much but it worked and was so cheap.

If I hadn’t bought the 2 roofing tarpaper rolls I wouldn’t have ended up with the four rolls later because I wouldn’t have had them to show to my friend. Sometimes one thing leads to another in various ways. This is only part of the wonderful world of bartering and horse trading.

I often mention where the items are made; it is so important what with so much imported items that break almost as soon as you use them. Chinese goods are sometimes a real bargain but items like socket wrenches and electrical tools are inferior in my experience.

Today’s garage sailing was a blast but I’m worn out and rather than chase more deals will spend the weekend with family and friends.

Best wishes,

Agnut

The Second Amendment is all about goon control
Agnut

"guns kill like spoons make you fat".

Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses.
Plato.

“You can have everything in life you want, if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want.” Some people might hear that and focus on the “have” part, but what Zig Ziglar really meant was that when you choose to serve others first, everything else follows from there.

Hey ya'll,

Agnut, the deal you got on the battery charger was a good one. My Northern Tools catalog has a Schumacher brand charger similar to yours listed at 50 dollars plus tax. I keep my 50 amp charger in the diesel truck for the extra amperage needed for the larger high compression engine plus dual battery set up.

Today's sales yielded a few finds.

Picked up a brand new never used pair of 24" bolt cutters for 5 bucks. I keep a set in each truck cause you never know when you might need to cut a bolt, some chain, cable, wire fence etc. For SHTF or just regular everyday reasons.

Bought two heavy duty tie down chains and chain binders for 20 bucks. I've been on the lookout for these for a while to use on a flat bed trailer I have to use for transporting vehicles and other heavy items. I didn't want to buy new because the chains go for about 50 bucks each retail and the binders are about 20 bucks each.

Picked up an authenic Hawaiian dash board Hula girl still in the box for my truck. I asked the lady how much and she said "50 cents, she'll do the hula on your dash." I said tongue in cheek "Hell, last time I paid for that it cost a lot more than 50 cents!" and bought her. It's good to have a little fun and positive in your life you know.

I missed out by 1 minute on a Hi-Lift jack, price : 20 dollars. Pays to be early. Maybe next time.

Forgot to mention a couple weeks ago I picked up everybody's favorite "Blacks' Law Dictionary" for 3 dollars at a thrift store. Hardcover sixth edition unused.

I mentioned this before, but it stands out in my mind how inexpensive some of these things are compared to the current price of gasoline, diesel, or a bottle of budweiser in a bar. I never let my tank go below half for a few reasons. It's good to be prepared, sudden price spikes, plus it just makes me want to cry if I fill anything up that's on empty!

Spending the weekend with family and friends is the best deal you got in my opinion. In the end that's all we ever really have anyway.

Perhaps my biggest problem is organizing too many things in too little space.

That could take much spare time. Still... I procrastinate. I guess my subconscious reasoning is that if I lose my job or some other SHTF scenario develops, organizing may be the new job.

Regardless, as I search for SMALL deals, there are bound to be steals in larger packages. I keep reminding myself of space limits. So far, most pickings are pretty meagher.

A couple weeks ago, on a Monday, I was heading out to a work site. I saw what appeared to be tools in front of a house with a FREE sign. Somehow those 4 letters (even barely visible, badly painted on a plywood board) did not go unnoticed by me. I couldn't stop as I had to get to work. I planned to drive the same way home later on. And I did. Sure enough.... stuff still there. I picked up a couple iron rakes, a square shovel and assorted glass plates and a double layer insulated window. I had visions of using the window for my daughter's tree house- perfect fit and the glass for basement windows.


Today I visited many sales. Mostly junk. I found one neighborhood that was "uppity" and loudly advertised by the residents as jewish. It struck me funny that 5 places had their sale on the same day and they all brazenly made it clear by words and manners of being jewish- in a modern and snobby American sense. Where I am this is very unusual and reminded me of dealings in NYC. No big deal, but an interesting "New Jersey Housewives" kind of environment.

One place was over-priced in what they had tagged so I didn't even ask them about things that were mildly interesting. Next place- same thing. No bargains. Then I saw a place with old tool boxes.... old machinist special tool boxes. The specialty tools were old and neglected in the sense that it was clear nobody had an interest in them... and usually I wouldn't either. But I noticed some good things- many kinds of specialty files, clamps, cutting drills, saw baldes- hack & round, measuring gages.... enough stuff that I saw value.

My approach is to find out if they are trying to make money or just clean out the house and get rid of stuff. I asked the man what the tool boxes were. He said his wife's father was a machinist. Right there, I could read his body language that he couldn't care less about them. He told me he wanted $25 for each box. I offered $40 for both and he took it. He hesitated for a moment. Maybe I could have gotten them for less. The two weigh about 80 pounds. Some of the files in there with their curved and pointed shapes I have never seen before. I have no idea how I will ever use some of this stuff.

Hi Govcheetos. Yeah the battery charger was a good deal. You made me think about how going around to all these sales, the acts of driving to, meeting the sellers, looking at their items, negotiating; these are acts which demand thought of the mind. We too infrequently challenge our minds to awaken and be creative. In my experience, bartering and horse trading contains all the elements to keep one happily occupied for the rest of one’s life. It is a personal search and at the end we find ourselves.

God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.
Voltaire

Who have we bought from ?

What have we bought ?

Where have we bought ?

When have we bought ?

Why have we bought ?

How have we bought ?

The old journalism “who, what, where, when, why, and how” seems to apply in reporting our bartering and horse trading deals.

Your statement, “I mentioned this before, but it stands out in my mind how inexpensive some of these things are compared to the current price of gasoline, diesel, or a bottle of Budweiser in a bar”, was another way of value comparison. Very perceptive. We all too often do not think in such a manner and fritter away our future wealth. While compound interest used to become a fortune in time, that is all dead now with low interest and high risk we face today. I still feel that this garage sale and estate sale business will save a huge amount now, the accumulated items that we do set aside will be worth a fortune in a shtf scenario.

Your bolt cutter deal was smart; I have a couple of pairs myself and had bought them long ago before I needed them. By the way, are you outfitting a country place with acreage ? Sounds like it. A country boy can survive. Wish I could find some chain binders myself for the hay we have to haul. You should see the way we have to bind with rope 100 bales on my trailer. Scary.

And the Hula girl was a rare find; I lived on the channel that led into Pearl Harbor for two years. Good times. By the way, I was born in Key West and have been looking for a set of plastic Flamingoes for years. Don’t know why but they might make a interesting conversation starter. Or… somebody in the mental health industry may become alerted as to my “collecting”.

Best wishes,

Agnut

P.S. I haven’t gone to garage sales last or this weekend. Too many other deals to finish up with folks I have met in the last 6 months. This is a side benefit if you know to collect phone numbers and names and what they have laying around or for sale.

I‘ll answer Spectrism’s meaty post as soon as I have time. Just mowed the lawns and it is 7:30 here.
I’m beat !

Hi Spectrism and thank you for your thoughtful and detailed post. I know, it is hard to accumulate items with little storage room. Perhaps small items such as jewelry or some antiques would fit into your dealings. I have many enamel on copper paintings and some hang on the walls while the rest are boxed up in storage. Some items that you buy could be used as decoration in your home while you are offering them on eBay. This way you can enjoy them while you have them. But I will warn you that you, like me, may become attached to them and will not want to sell them. Now two things come into play here. The advantage is your enjoyment while at the same time pricing them higher due to this attachment. This higher price means more profit while you are in no hurry to sell these items. You see the mindset here and how it can work to your advantage ?

You mentioned organizing your purchases. HaHa. That is my big challenge since I have thousands of items I have accumulated through the last 15 or so years. And most of these items are still stored in the same boxes and buckets as the day I bought them. So when I open a box to find what is inside, it is like Christmas morning again and again. Many items I have forgotten that I bought them. I may have a huge garage sale some day but what holds me back is that I agree with Ponce who often tells me that what we accumulate will someday be like gold. Can you imagine what it would be like if we in America became isolated from the rest of the world like Cuba has for the last several decades ?

The machinist tools sound like a great buy. Their value may surprise you. I also have a chest of machinist tools that I paid $150 for last year, I think. The machinist box they came in alone is worth a good deal of money. If I ever sell the tools I will photograph them individually and put them on Craigslist or eBay. Machinist tools are specialized and we must appeal to the people who appreciate them and their true value.

You also mentioned reading “body language” (there is an excellent short book by that name; I recommend it highly), something that is so important in dealings. The more you communicate, the more you will know how to deal with each individual person. We humans are comprised of many similar traits sprinkled with idiosyncratic ones. Our sharpened ability to listen to what the other person is saying in body and word will increase the success of our dealings. A upbeat attitude and a sense of humor go a long way but must be honest and heartfelt. There is nothing phony here but is merely the unleashing of what is inside of you. Genuineness.

Recently I bought a couple of boxes of copper pipe fittings and tools. I didn’t need them but just looking in the boxes I knew that they were worth far more than $10 each. I didn’t even haggle; the seller and I have been dealing for a while and he finds good deals quite often.

A couple of years ago I met a man working in a non profit thrift store and he is now manager of the new branch store which specializes in building materials. The stuff comes in and goes out really fast, so I need to be vigilant. I got 4 rolls of roofing paper for $1.50 each, a 8 foot 4x6 treated post for $2 for the 12-14 foot gate for the fish pond I want to put in. I still haven’t found the gate but it will show up. It costs over $200 at Home Depot; too mucho for me.

My sister had over 350 decorative bricks in her yard and wanted them outta there. I’m picking up the last 100 next week. They cost $1.50 each at Home Depot so that’s about $500 I won’t have to spend when I plow out the circular drive and lay the brick border. Free construction materials can be had if we will keep our eyes and ears open. Last week I picked up 6 double pane sliding windows with frames for free. I need 10 or 15 more sliding doors for the greenhouse I want to build. I’m in no hurry; they will show up.

Oh, I also got 17 cement pyramids for a foundation; they weigh about 40 pounds each. By the way, I paid $2.50 each for them as a result of the seller saying that he was told that they cost $12 each at Home Depot. I checked later and found that they are about $2.50 each. I will tell him the next time I see him and he will adjust the price on the next time I buy some items from him. This way we keep things straight and I don’t have him refunding money to me. Better this way to continue our relationship. I am mentioning this transaction to show what can be done when there are discrepancies in understanding. We should always be cognizant of how we are continually building relationships, for through time, this becomes a larger proportion of our dealings.

Piece by piece I am gathering the materials I figure I will need. Some items are hard to find and must either be purchased new or requested in a wanted advertisement, either in the local papers or on the bulletin board of the local feed store. For instance, I’m looking for a couple hundred T posts for fencing around the acreage. I haven’t been able to find them except a few at a time at sales. Now this method can be used for most anything you are looking for.

Last year I bought a 24 foot double axle trailer for hauling hay for our cattle. I also thought it could be used if I were to place an ad in the papers offering to buy whole estates or business inventories. Just something I thought I’d throw out there for you entrepreneurs’ consideration.

Gotta go; lots of weed whacking to be done to feed the cattle.

Best wishes,

Agnut

Hey ya'll,

Agnut I don't live on a farm, but did grow up on one. Know all about pitching and stacking those hay bails you mentioned. Since I was young I've always had a problem asking for help from others. I've always strived to be self-sufficeint and able to take care of my business or affairs all on my own. I amassed the large amount of tools, equipment, vehicles, etc. out of a need or a potential need in the future, or they are potential money makers either by owning them or reselling them to a buyer who has a need for them. I've also always had an appreciation for older, ruggedly built items that served a real purpose vs all the disposable crap they sell us now. I know what you mean about the relationship thing. I try to know someone on a first name basis in most career fields. People almost daily sometimes will ask if I know a certain kind of mechanic, plumber, HVAC guy etc. I tell them to tell the person that I sent them. I find that blue collar business owners really appreciate me and the favor gets returned in one way or another. No offense to anyone, but doctor and lawyer types always seem to think they had it coming anyway. Except for one lawyer I know, he's a great guy especially for a lawyer! lol

Spectrism, You can't go wrong with free tools ever. Keep them if the are useful to you, sell them if the aren't and have value, keep and trade them for something you can use, or give them to friends or family that could use them. I like tools, but certain specialty ones that aren't of use to me get traded or sold. Check out ebay or craigslist and see what they are selling for first so you don't give them away.

I decided to not go to sales last week due to so few being advertised, plus needing to catch up on some sleep and a few things around the place. The week before yielded a few finds though. I picked up a brand new galvinized trailer tire and rim for $15. Northern tools sells these for $119 and West Marine sells them for $142 plus tax on both. This tire will be used as a spare on one of my trailers. It is brand new and still has the nipples on the tread. I found a small 1/4 inch drive craftsman socket set with a metal case for $2. I have a ton of sockets, but for the price I'll probably keep it in the shed or somewhere handy where I won't have to trek back to the shop to get one if needed. I cut a friend's grass for a $40 bag of fertilizer he had laying in his garage. I only cut the front and he pays me $20, but now I'm basically $20 ahead and won't have to go to the store. This particular brand and NPK ratio is the one I use on my own yard.

Gonna hit craigslist and see whats advertised for tomorrow and hit the sack.

Hope ya'll find some deals!