Craigslist.org is awesome. Low cost and free stuff appears there all the time. Weird stuff too. How weird? I saw a free skeeball machine once. Looked like it was in good condition too. Washers, dryers, weight equipment, shelves, couches, chairs, pianos.. its crazy. I didn't have a way to haul the skeeball at the time, but since I bought my trailer, I can pick up all kinds of things. Including my latest acquisition, The Catapult. Of course, it uses a spring, not a weight, and it uses a sling head for more distance like a trebuchet. Doesn't matter. It was free.
If he who dies with the most toys wins, then craigslist will help a lot.