This Old Coffee Maker

“My coffee maker is ancient and I would very much like to have a more modern one.  This one seems very nice and I promise it will get a lot of use here.  I can pick this up at your convenience.  Thank you for your consideration.”

” I would absolutely LOVE to accept your coffee maker !!! I am disabled but my caregiver can pick it up when it is convenient for you.  Can pick up at your house or your work place.”

“I would love to give this a new, permanent home!!!  I can pick up at your convenience.  This would also be very appreciated as I am on a fixed income due to some ongoing health issues, and haven’t had the extra money to buy a new one at the moment myself.”

This is just a small sample of the email responses I received after posting an old coffee maker on Freecycle.  The “free” coffee maker I bought four years ago with a $40 Target gift card I’d received from my grandmother for a birthday present, which she’d gotten from a bank for opening a new account.  The coffee maker I rolled my eyes and wanted to smash in the morning with its incessant I-am-done beeping sound.  The coffee maker I swore burned my coffee no matter what temperature the little burner tray was set to.

That’s how I saw it, at least – right up until I read those Freecycle responses, which literally brought tears to my eyes.  Up until then, I considered myself a grateful person – to the point that said gratitude can annoy Sweet Mans until he says “Stop acting like you’re still poor!”  I was wrong: I’ve still been taking things for granted, and not just my coffee maker, but my not-yet-disabled status, my physical freedom, my good health, and my not-really-fixed income as well.  I think of those things — my health, my independence — in the abstract, but those messages brought the gratitude home.

Tough Money Love recently wrote about building a better mood about your money.  If you need a kick in the pants (and you may not even know you do), I recommend Freecycle.