r/ChoosingBeggars

https://preview.redd.it/xzi4o1e7kckh1.png?width=508&format=png&auto=webp&s=0b8d72f24f0b4e33398181b907e8bfcd724fa4a4

Being so skint you can't afford to eat is not a position I wish on anybody.

Wanting free money to have coffee and a 'nice sandwich' at work is not a hardship.

Hilarious.

Cleared out the garage last weekend, weve been in this house 9 years and half of it hadnt been touched since we moved in. Put a folding table at the end of the driveway with the stuff that was still fine, some kitchen bits, a couple of lamps, a box of kids books, an old toolbox with a few odds and ends in it. Woman turns up before Id even finished setting it out and starts loading her car. Fine, thats what its there for, thats the whole point of it. Takes two full trips and basically clears the table, barely says a word to me the whole time.

Then she walks up the driveway to the pile sat by the garage door which is broken stuff waiting to go to the dump. A chair with a snapped leg, a weed trimmer that hasnt run in years, half a bag of cement gone solid. She starts going through it. I told her that pile wasnt part of it and its going to the dump on Saturday and she said well its all in the same place isnt it, how am I meant to know. Then asked if there was any more tools in the garage because I "clearly have a LOT of stuff".

I said no. She got in her car and said something about people hoarding things they dont even use, which is a hell of a thing to say with my entire free table in her trunk. Still annoyed about it honestly

I posted about 25 moving boxes for free after unpacking my apartment. Most were in good shape, just normal cardboard boxes with some tape and labels still on them.

A woman messaged asking if I could reserve all of them until the next evening. Sure.

Then she asked if I could remove every piece of tape because she "didn't want to waste time doing that." Fine, whatever, I wasn't going to do it but she could take them as-is.

Then she asked whether any had writing on them. I said yes, a few had things like "kitchen" or "books" written in marker.

She said she only wanted clean boxes because labeled ones would "look messy during the move."

I told her she could just take the ones she liked.

Her final message was asking if I could deliver the acceptable ones to her because she didn't have a car, and preferably bring at least 20 since "it's not really worth arranging pickup for less."

They're free cardboard boxes.

Someone else collected all 25 an hour later and somehow survived the presence of handwriting.

I had this old gas lawn mower sitting in my shed for years. It still works fine but I finally upgraded to a battery one so I posted it for free on a local community group. I specificaly said "must pick up" and "as is" because I just wanted it gone without any hassle and I didnt want to spend my Saturday dealing with it. A guy messaged me almost immediately asking if it was still available and when I said yes he started asking a million questions about the blade sharpness and the oil type like he was buying a Ferrari.

He then asked if I can bring it to his house which is about forty miles away because he only has a small sedan and it wont fit. I told him no sorry I dont have a truck and the post clearly says pick up only. He starts huffing over text saying how unfair it is that I am making it difficult for people who actually need help with their yard. Then he has the nerve to ask if I can at least fill the tank with gas so he can "test it properly" whenever he finds a friend with a truck to come get it. I told him it has enough gas for a five minute test but I am not going to the gas station for a free item.

I thought he was done but a few hours later he messages me again saying he found a ride but only if I can meet them halfway at a grocery store parking lot. I told him again that the mower is free and I am not spending my afternoon driving a piece of heavy equipment around for a stranger.  He then asks if I can include the "matching" weed whacker he saw in the background of the photo for free because it would be a "waste of a trip" to just get the mower. I honestly didnt even know what to say to that so I just stopped responding.

He sent one last message calling me a gatekeeper of lawn care and said I should be ashamed for not supporting my local community. Its just so wild to me that people think they can demand delivery and extra tools for something that costs zero dollars. I ended up giving it to a nice kid down the street who just walked over and dragged it to his house with a big smile. Some people realy have no shame when it comes to free stuff and it makes me want to never post anything for free again.

My friend, who let's call Nancy, has always wanted a surprise party for her birthday. The actual day of her birthday was pretty rough, so we decided to throw her a surprise party this year to fulfill her wish. We came together as a friend group to decorate my house with birthday decor we knew she would like. Made it fancy as she's into fancy things. I'm an amatuer baker, and have been baking for a non-profit who serves at-risk youth, family, & friends for years now. Nancy mentioned a month ago that she wanted a cake from me, but I wasn't sure if that was still what she wanted as she never said a flavor. Apparantly, she was dissapointed on her actual birthday that I didn't make her cake. So I decided to make her one for the surprise party. Nancy has really been into a specific book lately, so I thought I would make the cake in the colors of the book. The party took place at my house, and we picked up some food from a restaurant to be ready for when she came. Nancy's sister was in charge of bringing her to my house. They ended up being two hours late. Nancy complained about just about everything. The ingredients for her favorite alcoholic drink were wrong (even though every recipe we found online said the ingredients that we bought), complained that the cake did not look like it went with the book enough, complained that she wasn't dressed fancy, blamed me for ruining the surprise an hour before she came which was really just a misunderstanding with her sister, and didn't even want to take pictures with the photo op we made. She seemed genuinely dissapointed, and didn't thank a single person. You can't beg for a surprise party for years, and then complain the whole time when you get one!

A parent from my daughter’s science club asked to borrow a telescope for a week. I have a beginner model, so I offered it. It shows the moon nicely and, on a clear night, Jupiter’s brighter moons.

Her first reply was, ‘Can it see Saturn’s rings properly?’ I said yes, but they look small. She asked for sample images, the exact magnifcation, and whether it tracks objects automatically. Mine doesn’t. Then she said her son would be disappointed by ‘a white dot’ and asked whether I knew someone with a more advanced telescope.

She also wanted the owner to set it up because she didnt want responsibility if anything went wrong. I withdrew the offer. Her response was that people shouldn’t offer educational equipment unless it gives children ‘the full experience.’

Two days later she asked to borrow my binoculars as a backup, but only if they came with a tripod.

I live in a college town. This post showed up on a local Facebook group. I responded that it sounds like a scam, OP claims not. I still think so. Help?

"Maybe this sounds crazy, I dunno? Just wracking my brain of possibilities….

We are flying into (college town) from ID this Tuesday (18th) morning for my son to attend local college. Plan is to be in town late afternoon/early evening till Saturday night. Long story short there are some things I’d really like my son to have in his dorm like a specific desk fan, a small shelving unit over his mini fridge and a desk organizer thing. Maybe some odds and ends. Obviously I can’t fly with them and if I ship them it’ll take a while to get to the mail room, sorted etc & I’d love to have the dorm room complete or near there by when I leave.

If I purchased these items on Amazon is there anyone that would be willing to let me have them delivered to their home for me to pick up so they will be there in or at the time we will be getting there? We are staying at Days Inn, we have orientation Wed/Thurs & he moves into the (the dorm) Friday. This would be a huge weight off my shoulders and I would greatly appreciate it."