[SallyintNorth]

When I lived in North Devon there were a lot of recycling centres with shops where you could buy reclaimed items and materials.  I spent a lot of time there and bought a lot of things though didn't have to spend much money as everything was very cheap.

Now I'm up North and there's nothing like that so I have to call into charity shops for that kind of bargain - but any individual charity shop only has a very limited selection of that kind of thing.  And a lot of my bargains were things that were no longer suited to their original purpose but could be adapted to something else - and since they only cost pennies, you never minded taking them to bits to get at the element you wanted to reuse.

I did used to wonder whether the reclamation shops affected the charity shops - but in those parts the charity shops seemed to have a lot of slightly better quality stuff which they could sell for a little bit more, so it seemed as though it worked for all parties.

[Sandy]

Reclamation shops sound ideal, I often see stuff at the tip but no longer ask if I can take them as they sometimes get a bit???,   however, I used to.

 I often took old draws for the hens to nest in, then, when they were too dirty, i dropped my old draws off back at the tip!!!

We also picked up a huge roll of fabric for furnishing and cut bits off to make dog bedding!

Even had some nice garden tools and some furniture.

I always think if your a bit handy you can get stuff to use and make some thing out of them...I used things around the garage to create a pen for the chickens when we first moved and I love "mackeling things up"

[Penninehillbilly]

Buckets - I would like red ones for down the field, easier to see in grass, but you can't seem to get the builders type in red. can't have too any buckets, but OH frowns at me when I look at them, says we've got some, why do I want another.
(tip - I put red electricians tape on the handles of tools etc so I can see them easily, spent ages one year looking for the pitchfork when haymaking, it had fallen down onto the hay and I couldn't see it, now has red tape on th handle- easy to see at a distance).
plastic boxes (about40ltr?) I would have a major colourful collection of these but again OH frowns at me when I look at them, tho he has managed to snaffle a few for his tools.
Mesh-any sort -  collected sometimes from transfer station where someone put it in metal recycling, all sizes come in useful.
Tubs - managed to get a lot of old plastic dustbins when Council went on to wheelie bins, stores water, feed, upside down over plants, problem weeds. but any size tub is welcome.
Pink wellies - never
ROXY- Clitheroe would be our 'local' auction, forgot there was anything on, was it fur'n'feather? sometimes get there Wednesday evenings (fur'n'nfeather) when there are also penfulls of things people would 'collect'. .

[feldar]

I'm soo sorry i am going to let you all down now because i'm obsessed with shoes and bags, luv em, got so many hubby has threatened to set fire to them; i'm such a girl.
Failing that i am addicted to rabbit hutches and poultry houses , just can't walk by without having a look in them and poking about especially at farm sales. Got loads of guinea pigs so like to give them nice houses

[Sandy]

Leghorn has a Turkey house you would love, I do understand the shoe and bag thing, been there myself, now more like scarfs, floaty ones not wooly although I like them too!!  I think I have noticed, some times I have bought the same theng twice buy accident and forgetting I already had one like it, this applies to long cardies, I have always loved them, especialy with pockets...on that note, I also love aprons but thats due to my job in this B&B, I walk around with alsorts in my pockets then put the lot in the wash!!!!

[Corrie Dhu]

I really have a fondness for tub trugs, especially purple or pink ones    My cows all had a nice brightly coloured one for their feed last winter until some  stole them!  They had to do with crystalyx buckets after that!

I find the 80kg crystalyx tubs are sooo handy for fostering lambs on at lambing time or as water troughs, I try and buy them now instead of the smaller ones.

[SallyintNorth]

I find the 80kg crystalyx tubs are sooo handy for fostering lambs on at lambing time or as water troughs, I try and buy them now instead of the smaller ones.

When I listed the ways in which these tubs get used here, I forgot to mention collie cooler :

[hexhammeasure]

I get buckets and bucket handles from the local farm ... buckets are for every job and the dogs drinking bowl and the handles I bend into monkeys 's' to hang baskets or even as climbing frames for the cucumber/tomatoes/vine

[Sandy]

Now I have a pink and a lime green bucket!!

[feldar]

I find the 80kg crystalyx tubs are sooo handy for fostering lambs on at lambing time or as water troughs, I try and buy them now instead of the smaller ones.

When I listed the ways in which these tubs get used here, I forgot to mention collie cooler :
My collie does that too the smallest bucket will do or the muddiest puddle she can find, failing that the water trough!