Do you remember my story about my swing set? Last year thanks to Kalissa’s quick fingers, she scored me a swing set for $300 on Marketplace. My boys, Buck and Karl along with Craig and one of my childcare dads, put it together for me.
Today I’m going to tell you a recap about the swing set and then tell you a funny story about it. First, the recap. You can read the original post HERE.
The set from Marketplace had been damaged in a wind storm so it took a little finagling to get it up working and I wanted it modified so that I could have an extra swing put on it. Here is what it looked like when I bought it.
Buck and Karl borrowed a trainer from a friend of ours.
Then they put it together. It took a full day with all of the guys working.
The kids have loved the swing set. I love it…I don’t love mowing around it and the weed eating but the rest, I like.
When I bought it, the owner kept one of the slides. There is one that is supposed to go off the back. It’s 14′ long and needs to work on a 10′ deck. I priced one out and it was $800 if I could find one in stock. Shucks. That was too much.
Over the last year, I looked and looked at swing sets on Marketplace trying to find a slide for it but never found one. It’s really fine without it but part of me wanted that slide.
This is what the original set is supposed to look like…
Can you believe this set lists at $5579?? See that big slide to the left in the picture? That’s what is missing.
The kids played on the play set without the slide. Buck boarded up that area so kids couldn’t fall out that hole. It was really okay without the slide. BUT…
That was the recap…now for the funny part of the story…The guy that we bought the swing set from lives right along the highway where we often travel. He has a pond near his home and he kept the slide and used it with his pond. Swimmers could go down the slide and splash into the pond.
Every time we drove by on the highway, we could see the slide. I had told Carver the story and he would say, “That guy still has the slide”.  It was somewhat of an ongoing joke in the family with us commenting about the slide as we drove by.
Well, a couple of weeks ago Kalissa and I were in the car together when we drove by the pond and the slide…but wait. The slide wasn’t there. What?? What happened to “our” slide?
Kalissa and I started talking. Where was the slide? What happened to the slide? Kalissa said I think I still have his contact info. I’m going to contact him and see if he still has it and wants to sell it. I said no…we’d seem like stalkers. Kalissa laughed and said, “Well, aren’t we? We look at that slide every time we go by.”
So Kalissa looked in her contacts and she did still have his number. She messaged him and guess what??
Here is what she wrote:
“Hello! Long time no talk, we purchased the play set from you last year. This is a strange question, but we noticed the slide at your pond was taken down, are you still using it? Or would you be willing to sell it so we could reunite it with the play set? I hope you don’t think we are stalking your slide, but we drive by your beautiful average often and couldn’t help but notice its absence.”
He would sell us the slide for $75. OH HAPPY DAY!!
I’m such a nerd. I don’t need a fancy car or vacation. I get just as excited about a slide I’ve been stalking for over a year. HA!!
So…the next problem…I have to get the boys on board. Oh my. I can’t pick up the slide and attach it all myself.
You all know my boys are good about doing stuff for me, but these weird odd jobs take a little convincing on my part.
They put it together on the weekend I was away at the retreat. I’m so excited.
Everyone is pretty tired of working on the swing set. I’m thankful they had one last push in them to complete the last piece of constructing it.
Ta-da!! The slide!! I just love it.
Lucy was the first one to try it out…
She wasn’t sure at first. She thought the slide was pretty tall.
But, she did it. Scotty was then brave enough to give it a try too.
So fun!!
The kiddos are just going to love playing on this in the years to come!!
So the cost of the swing set for me is…
$300 for the pieces I originally bought
$39 for tic tac toe
$70 for accessories
$50 for glider brackets
$300 for wood/screw/Buck bought
AND $75 FOR THE SLIDE…I’m so happy.
I’ll have about $900 into it after everything is said and done…that’s a steal compared to the $5579 it would cost new!! YAHOO!! I love a deal.
I feel like it’s complete now…except for one thing. I still haven’t gotten it all restained. Kalissa and I are splitting the cost of a power washer and she’s getting that next week. So…then I’ll power wash it and then let it dry and then…time to stain.
I’m gonna have that swing set just like new. WHOOT! WHOOT!!
I’m so glad my swing set got reunited with the slide. I can’t help but think of the old song by Peaches and Herb.
Hope you have a great day and can be happy about something as simple as a slide and a playset!! What a great day!
Ahhh!!! The little things that delight us!
It’s a huge thing when you know how much fun the grandchildren will have with it. What a deal you got!! And made possible by your family and friends. That’s awesome!
This is such a good story with a happy ending. I’m really pleased for you to finally have your set completed :-)
Our story is about lights. We drove to an auction and stayed to see who bought the house and if they would sell us the ceiling lights. They still wanted them so we left a business card. 2 YEARS later they called and sold us the lights. I was thrilled.
Your swing/slide set looks like a lot of fun.
We played croquet with our grandsons when they were visiting. We are going to visit our daughter and asked her to order a set to play while we are there. It’s a little easier then playing soccer or football. We’re not as young as we used to be so need to find things that don’t require running.
What a wonderful grandmother you are! You delight in giving your grandchildren a great play space and as added bonus you satisfied your thrifty nature!! Win, win!!
Great story! I am known for feeling the same way about so many things—incomplete stuff (that I like) drives me to want to reunite the missing items. Last week I showed my husband a small ring I found in my late mother’s jewelry box. A favorite of hers, it is nothing fancy but it was missing a teeny seed pearl. Next thing I know, he’s taken it to the local jeweler and had it replaced as a surprise for me. Happy dance!
I totally relate to your joy. I recently started restaining some outdoor chairs that we picked up on clearance a few years ago. Seeing them looking nice again makes me happy!
Not only do you & your family get joy from the set- you’ve treated the environment by finding purpose in what would have been a huge heap in a junkyard or landfill. Good on you!
What a great post, Jo!! I read it out loud to my hubby as we had coffee this morning. We were both laughing so hard. I love a good deal, too. That play structure looks like a TON of fun. So happy for you and all the kiddos who get to enjoy it.
Oh happy day!! So exciting! I am so thankful you have such loving, willing helpers who bring joy to you in the little (or big) things. As you know they are keepers!!
LOL!! What a great story, Jo. Congratulations on reuniting the play set with its big slide!
Slide stalkers.
Congrats on the acquisition.
What about adding a deep layer of mulch around the playset? It would be soft landing for the kids and you would not have to cut the grass around the structure.
Well, I want to know WHY he took down the slide and was willing to sell it to you. It’s The Rest Of The Story that I want to know about!
I’m so glad your slide is reunited with the swingset. I love to get a bargain too. When I saw Scotty positioning himself to slide down, I thought of what my sister and I did with our metal slide. We would get a piece of wax paper and sit on it to do down. It makes you go faster.
Great story – and yes, the kids will enjoy it for years to come!
Love the reference to Peaches and Herb… :)
With your tribe of grandchildren as well as the occasional childcare/neighbor kiddo, your mileage per $$ is extremely low. $1000 in plane tickets goes by really fast. You’re set! The life of your grands and great-grands will bring it down to pennies a day :-)
Happy Wednesday Jo!
Thanks for the ear worm!!! It just keeps playing on a revolving chain! HaHa. Congrats on the completed playset. Hugs,
Great story. Kalissa deserves a lot of credit for the great note she sent to the slide owner. How could he refuse to sell it after that!