Costs? These materials are easily found roadside or elsewhere. The blocks have chunks missing or are uneven, so a matchbook or folded cardboard helps level out the wobble for the weather-soaked grey plank.
Also a lot of construction sites are kind enough to leave a pile of free construction materials somewhere on the site, like they are saying, “we have extra so help yourself! 😁” I try to only help myself at night, because I’m considerate enough to avoid getting in the way of the actual construction.
Valid point. So I guess it just matters what you find. Make use of anything available.
I really like this philosophy and it sticks with me even today as I try to use whatever I have at hand. I am reluctant to toss anything with some modicum of useful value. I am told this makes me a packrat. I don’t mind.
You should get rid of things with a “modicum” (tiny amount) of useful value. Your space and mental energy is used up just having it there.
You have to keep track of it or it’s not useful at all. That takes energy that you could use for something else. Restfully relaxing in a clean room is worth a lot.
I don’t agree with everything you’ve said, but I hear you. Old habits die hard. I grew up with very little available to me. It ingrained this model I have now which is more difficult to shed. It is a constant battle to reduce what I have around, but then that nag of “I might need that” speaks up and it forces the internal struggle.
I have made headway there, as I now have a decision tree I push through to keep or rid myself of stuff, but the struggle continues.
I too create my own furniture out of mostly-empty pizza boxes
(kinda-related story time: I used to live in an apartment with 4 other gay furries [the sitcom writes itself] and we very often ordered in from dominos. Like so much so our delivery guy seemed to take a genuine interest in how we are doing. But after I spent a day making the kitchen spotless, and the next day it looked as awful as before I touched it, I stopped giving a shit. Of many factors, it was silently decided that the one taking out the trash was the one who lost the game of jenga with the garbage. So skill and precision were needed whenever you were adding to the stack that was as high as an adult (or more), as the actual garbage bin for the apartment complex was like 500 feet away and 4 stories below us. Multiple trips were necessary, even if you bothered to use trash bags to simplify the excursion. I wish I’d have taken photos, this was a challenge where boys became men.)
I’m not sure you realize how much heavy lifting I’m making the quotations around “coffee table” do.
Two cinder blocks and a rough sawn plank.
That’ll do.
I think you underestimate how much construction materials cost. Ikea is cheaper.
Costs? These materials are easily found roadside or elsewhere. The blocks have chunks missing or are uneven, so a matchbook or folded cardboard helps level out the wobble for the weather-soaked grey plank.
I know as I’ve done just that.
Also a lot of construction sites are kind enough to leave a pile of free construction materials somewhere on the site, like they are saying, “we have extra so help yourself! 😁” I try to only help myself at night, because I’m considerate enough to avoid getting in the way of the actual construction.
Ikea furniture is easily found roadside too…
Valid point. So I guess it just matters what you find. Make use of anything available.
I really like this philosophy and it sticks with me even today as I try to use whatever I have at hand. I am reluctant to toss anything with some modicum of useful value. I am told this makes me a packrat. I don’t mind.
You should get rid of things with a “modicum” (tiny amount) of useful value. Your space and mental energy is used up just having it there.
You have to keep track of it or it’s not useful at all. That takes energy that you could use for something else. Restfully relaxing in a clean room is worth a lot.
I don’t agree with everything you’ve said, but I hear you. Old habits die hard. I grew up with very little available to me. It ingrained this model I have now which is more difficult to shed. It is a constant battle to reduce what I have around, but then that nag of “I might need that” speaks up and it forces the internal struggle.
I have made headway there, as I now have a decision tree I push through to keep or rid myself of stuff, but the struggle continues.
In my first apartment I did that with stolen milk crates and found planks.
I too create my own furniture out of mostly-empty pizza boxes
(kinda-related story time: I used to live in an apartment with 4 other gay furries [the sitcom writes itself] and we very often ordered in from dominos. Like so much so our delivery guy seemed to take a genuine interest in how we are doing. But after I spent a day making the kitchen spotless, and the next day it looked as awful as before I touched it, I stopped giving a shit. Of many factors, it was silently decided that the one taking out the trash was the one who lost the game of jenga with the garbage. So skill and precision were needed whenever you were adding to the stack that was as high as an adult (or more), as the actual garbage bin for the apartment complex was like 500 feet away and 4 stories below us. Multiple trips were necessary, even if you bothered to use trash bags to simplify the excursion. I wish I’d have taken photos, this was a challenge where boys became men.)
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