Dumpster diving

There's a fine line to be tread between "thrifty" and dumpster diving.

Yesterday a neighbour down the street put out a nice rectangular table (with leaves) and gorgeous press-back chairs. Clearly, they had taken leave of their senses. By the time I plucked up the courage to investigate further, the items were gone.

Last weekend I hit up Value Village and spotted kitchen dishes galore - even bed linens - but how icky is that?

Today I am contemplating a fridge offered up for free on Kijiji. It's at least white, but some of the drawers are broken and I have no idea what condition it's in or how old it is.

The question, however, becomes: "How much does free cost?" If we have to factor in replacing the busted drawers and/or the increased costs of powering the presumably-ancient-and-not-energy-star-compliant behemoth, am I really saving much money on a fridge?

*puzzle*

I'm also starting to wonder if a wee bar fridge wouldn't suffice for our weekend escapades. It would take up a lot less space in the already cramped kitchen, but am I just cheaping out? Caro sposo is the cheapest of the cheap, and wouldn't think twice about jumping at the "free" option.

There's definitely a fine line between thrifty and dumpster-diving, and I'm trying hard not to teeter to the creepy side.