Swing set with slide, $75

Swing sets are an ebay perennial. After all, children are forever outgrowing them and they’re not the sort of thing you want to lug from house to house. On my first attempt at securing one I bid a ridiculous $270. Luckily I lost out, and a week later purchased one for $75. I was still congratulating myself on my internet savvy when I saw one at a garage sale for $25. Then I saw one on a hard rubbish pile that would have cost zilch - the owner even came rushing out of the house to offer to help me shift it. “Just looking,” I smiled wanly. Then my brother-in-law moved into his new home and found one stored under the decking. Ah, bargain hunting. You win some, you lose some, then the children don’t even want to play on it.