Free Weekend Recap

The City of Winnipeg is calling the recent “Free Weekend” a complete success. I couldn’t agree more.(Ok, that’s not entirely true, but more about that later…)

First of all, I should say that I scored big time. Huge. I came out of the 2-day scavenging free-for-all with an antique radio cabinet, 2 lime green and black 50s kitchen chairs, 2 teal and chrome 50s kitchen chairs, a set of brand new cork-backed placemats, and a sweet vintage bread bin. Pictures to follow!

I didn't have much to give away, as I spent Saturday de-stashing craft supplies in a separate event. I did, however, manage to get rid of a big box o' plastic hangers that were left over from my closet makeover.

The thing that I found very weird about the Free Weekend was that despite the positive eco-message that it was supposed to send, it actually seemed to have the opposite effect. Sure we were recycling/reusing/repurposing…but neighbourhoods throughout the city were swarming with people in cars looking for freebies. On our way to the grocery store on Saturday morning, we drove down several streets that were literally clogged with numerous slow-moving and idling vehicles. And, it seemed that most people were out “trolling” neighbourhoods other than their own. (God forbid the guy next door should catch you scamming his old toaster!)

Our landfills may have seen a little bit of relief (for now), but at what expense?! Oh, people are funny.