Well-crafted wood furniture never goes out of style, especially the classic cedarwood chest often passed down as an heirloom. So, it's no surprise that one Reddit user proudly posted how they didn't hesitate to take home one they found on the curbside.
Two photos in the r/upcycling subreddit show a discarded wood chest that would make a gorgeous addition to any home. It appears clean, crack-free, and still smells like cedar, prompting the original poster to write: "It must've just sat somewhere dusty for a long while."
The find also creates nostalgia. Your grandmother may have had a cedar chest, which peaked in popularity in the mid-20th century. A solid ad campaign led to World War II soldiers purchasing chests for their fiancées and wives.
Also called "hope chests," in which young women stored linens and personal items for marriage, they became beloved for naturally protecting from mildew, mold, and insects, along with their beauty, scent, and longevity.
A chest still smelling like cedar is a perfect example that everything placed curbside isn't necessarily junk for trash day. Your neighborhood sidewalk or local dumpster may have home goods and antiques in mint condition that may simply require some cleaning to revamp.
As people have done with houses, you can flip those free items at a profit if they normally
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retail for a high price. For example, a quick Google search shows that a cedar chest can retail for several hundred to thousands of dollars. One cedar chest on the Rustic Red Door costs $1,499.
Get started with thrifting right in your closet by exchanging clothes, shoes, and home goods for store rebates at Trashie and GotSneakers.
Not only will you reduce your home overheads, but you'll have a positive impact on overflowing landfills. As more people recycle, pluck good items from dumpsters, and make exchanges in buy-nothing groups, the human carbon footprint declines. That results in less harmful heat-trapping pollution, which causes unpredictable weather events such as more intense and longer droughts and wildfires.
Luckily, you can save a dollar and the planet with a good buy or find. Thrifters can save $1,700 on average annually.
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Under $1K 😎 The dumped cedar chest was a hit in the comments. "What an incredible find!!!," one Redditor exclaimed.
Another advised: "If you want to restore it to its full glory, sand down the outside and finish the outside with a nice poly to preserve it."
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