Second hand living

As the youngest child of five, I was actually quite lucky in terms of hand-me-downs.  Clothes that were the height of fashion when my sister wore them were outdated enough when I grew into them that I was rarely subjected to unique horror that is previously used clothing.

However, when I divorced and needed to set up my own household, gently used furniture became a staple.  This time, thanks to my sister and parents' generosity, I was handed down nearly every piece of furniture I currently own.

Now as I plan my move North, I am finding myself furnishing a new home sight unseen in a place where shipping is a definite concern.  Not only in terms of cost but also in regard to the logistics of getting everything from the post office to my apartment with no car or ATV to my name.  So it came as a pleasant surprise to find out that part of the teacher culture up there is for teachers to routinely sell off their used items at great discount.  For example, the teacher I am replacing didn't want to haul many of her household items back to Indiana and offered them to me.  For minimal cash, I bought from her:
a 12" cast iron skillet
a crock pot
a vacuum sealer (for all those salmon I plan to catch)
a Kurig coffee maker (since there is already a coffee maker in my apartment, I am going to use this in the classroom as a tea station)
the contents of her pantry and deep freezer.

This last one is major since there is only one grocery-type store in town with appropriately elevated prices.  At this point, with the dry goods boxes I mailed last week, I should be fed at least until my first paycheck comes in.

And today, I agreed to buy another teacher's tv/dvd combo, again at a greatly reduced price.  $80 for a 32" flat screen that retails for $325 seems like a good deal to me.  This teacher is working toward her Master's degree in math (ugh) so she decided to eliminate as many distractions as possible.  I am more than happy to do my part in helping her out.  Since I am part of a "Dish family", one contract shared by 5 people brings that cost way down also.

I gots tv.  I gots food.  I gots two ways to make coffee.  I think I'll survive.