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Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
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 Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 1:20 pm Post subject: Garage sale find of all time? |
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Ok, so it's not quite in the class of finding a Rembrandt hidden in the back of an old frame, but I'm pretty pleased with today's purchase. I was out for a run around the neighborhood and saw a garage sale at the top of a sizeable hill I was climbing. I crossed over the street to see if there was anything of interest and noticed they had what looked like a pretty nice 10 mph treadmill. No price was on it, so I asked how much and was told $30. Plugged it in and tried it out (didn't need to change into running clothes  ), and it works perfectly! I guess they got a new eliptical trainer and didn't want the treadmill any more, but sheesh, $30?? They also had a free standing, break-away basketball hoop in excellent condition for $28, but it was already sold.
I obviously don't have too much need for the treadmill this time of year, but it should be quite nice come the dreary winter months...
Dan
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Conway
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Joined: 25 Aug 2001
Posts: 3570
Location: Northen California
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| Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 2:25 pm Post subject: |
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$30 for treadmill is awesome any time of the year !!!!
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Conway
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Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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I sure thought so. I'd have expected a non-working heap for that price, but it appears to be as good as new, other than some dust.
Dan
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Paul
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Joined: 28 Apr 2002
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Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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That's the way it is with used fitness equipment, though $30 is a great bargain. Only slightly used?? Keep track of that house. What do you want to bet a year from now you'll be able to pick up a slightly used eliptical trainer for the same price!!  
Paul |
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Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2003 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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Good call. They could be my used fitness equipment dealers...
| Quote: | | Only slightly used?? |
No hint of wear that I can see. Not even the slightest bit rickety; none of that hollow thud you get when they start wearing out.
Next time you come down for a run, you can warm up on the treadmill before we go instead of before you leave your place.
Dan
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Indeurr
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Joined: 08 Aug 2001
Posts: 1558
Location: Elizabeth, NJ, 07202
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RangerG
Junior Varsity
Joined: 05 Dec 2002
Posts: 132
Location: Chester County, PA
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| Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 4:25 am Post subject: |
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Great Deal!
I have picked up used equipment like that before. People buy it with good intentions, and use it only once or twice.
I watch yard sales around my area all the time just for that reasion.
G
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Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 6:55 am Post subject: |
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It reminds me of the Play it Again Sports commercial, where you see the guy sitting in the recliner. The camera slowly pans to the left, and you see he's holding a leash, then you see the dog and it's running on the treadmill. The narrator says something like, "not using your sports equipment like you had planned? bring it to..."
Most garage sales I see are pure junk, but this one was shocking in that they had only a few things, but they were all good quality and ridiculously cheap.
Dan
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RangerG
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Joined: 05 Dec 2002
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Location: Chester County, PA
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| Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 7:15 am Post subject: |
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I'm waiting for that garage sale where someone has an almost new snow blower with a $10.00 tag on it 
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Paul
Olympic Medalist
Joined: 28 Apr 2002
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Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2003 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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One of the keys for my remaining injury free this past year has been my warmup routine. I generally spend 6-7 minutes pedaling at an easy pace (65-75 rpm's) at home. Then I spend some time stretching out with my various foot toys. Pro-Stretch for my calves, FootLog for my fascia, rubber tubing for my ankle rolls, and The Stick for my calf massage. Then some general hamstring, quad, and hip stretching. I have spent 15-20 min now, before I have even left the house. When I reach the destination for my workout of the day, I will do a specific running warmup for that workout. It will generally be much less than someone else's warmup, but I will be ready to go.
This is one of the things I have discovered, that there can be a differentiation between the general body warmup and the specific workout warmup. When you are very young, there is little difference between the two. As you get older, the difference can be quite apparent.
Its hard to justify spending hundred's of dollars, if not more, for items you are only using as a warmup. But when you look at the amount of down time you have not been suffering, then that brings the whole situation into a different perspective.
Then when you look at the kind of deals that are occasionally available out there, it makes it even more attractive.
Dan spent less then ten dollars more for that treadmill than I spent for each of my foot toys. That indicates to me how great a deal it was, plus how useful that treadmill can be in the future. And that's not even taking into consideration what it was originally designed for!!
Paul |
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Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2003 9:48 pm Post subject: |
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I can vouch for the impressiveness of Paul's warmup routine. Coolest of all is that we have pretty much all the same stretching toys.
Too bad you don't see used ProStretch's on the market for $0.12...
Running is one of the least expensive sports/fitness activities, so it's generally well worth spending whatever is necessary to keep the body healthy. A few hundred dollars is still only half a year or less of gym membership dues for a lot of people. 
Dan
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Indeurr
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Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2003 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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I doubt you'll find anything good in the garage sale listings. Anything that'll catch your eye will also catch the eye of hundreds or thousands of people that have nothing better to do than be the first person there at opening time... All my good finds have been just stumbling across something local.
Dan
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Dan
Chief Pontificator
Joined: 22 Mar 1999
Posts: 9334
Location: Salem, OR
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| Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2003 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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Another good find today, although this one has no running tie-in. One of the house projects I've been wanting to do is upgrade my remaining single pane windows, especially the ridiculous unframed glass sliders in the office and guest bedroom. I had a supposedly discounted estimate done and the office window was over $800, including installation. As I was leaving for my run today, I saw the neighbors on the corner had a couple windows sitting out front with a "FREE" sign by them. One looked very close to the size of my office window, so when I got back from the run I grabbed a tape measure and checked it out. Exact same size (96" x 29.5", not your most typical of sizes, I would think). I figured it'd be a decent chance of being a match, coming from one of the other houses in the neighborhood, many of which share one of two common floor plans. It's a double pane aluminum, with one screen that could use fixing or replacing. I guess they wanted to upgrade to newer vinyl. Considering just the window would probably cost me $200-300, I think I can live with it being aluminum... I've got a friend who might be able to help me install it, too.
Dan
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Paul
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Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2003 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Excellent call. You are exactly right about houses built in the same neighborhood. Happens today, even more. Even if the floor plans differ, many window treatments will be standardized for the development. The only drawback I see is, if the window loses its seal, it will cloud up in the future. But these sound like they should last awhile. |
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