Day 18

A few days ago, I noticed someone had put a mirror out for trash pick-up at my apartments. I approached it wearily....visually inspecting it's glass surface. No cracks. I gazed around the perimeter, scanning the cheap plastic frame for any variances. No nicks. I stood to the side and moved the mirror, leaning it away from the wall to balance on my hand as I checked the back for anything unfavorable. I was expecting at least a spider or two. No webs.

I promptly scooped my new found bartering tool under my arm and headed home to post it on-line. I was at work on my lunch break on the 18th day of my project, when I got an e-mail from a man regarding the mirror. He said he would give me $10 in gas or food for it. Wow. This completely free item I had salvaged was about to allow me to earn a 1/4 tank of gas. I thought $10 was too much though, considering its origins (near the dumpster), so I offered to take it for $8 worth of gas. After work I went home to clean the mirror and loaded it up in the back of my car.

I parked next to a car that fit the description he had given me. A man came out of the gas station and waved. He was tall and in his 40's, wearing glasses and business casual clothing. He shook my hand and then gave me $8 dollars paper clipped together with what looked like a printout of the e-mail he had sent. I said "thank you, but I can't actually use this". I suggested I would start pumping the gas while he went in and paid for it. He offered to buy me a hot dog so we went inside and I grabbed a warm bun from the bottom tray and began building my dinner. I added chili and cheese for extra protein and dairy. He grabbed himself one too, and we ate at the counter, chatting a bit about the project. His wife had mentioned wanting the windows washed at their home, and he was going to check with her if she would like me to do it in exchange for more gas or food. He grabbed a cookie for dessert, offered 1/2 to me, and paid at the front. The total was a little over $11. We then went outside to pump the gas. We chatted a little more over the cookie and I thanked him for the barter.

As far as meeting anyone at their home, I am weary. Even if they seem nice, as this man did, It is a risky thing to do. For now I will stick to bartering during the day...and in public places. I learned that the saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure" can be true. I don't know if the mirror could classify as a legitimate treasure, but you could say "one man's old mirror is another man's new mirror" or in this case, "one man's trash is another girl's transportation". While we're on the topic of switching up long standing sayings, I would even go as far to claim that "one man's kindness is another girl's chili cheese dog".