The Quest for Rain Barrels

Many of us have probably seen rain barrels at our local hardware store, but these probably represent the most expensive option out there:

Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?storeId=10051&N=531673+90401&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&cm_sp=c3cc8e7f-b971-405e-be30-05235d8dffdf

Lowes:

http://www.lowes.com/SearchCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&N=0&newSearch=true&Ntt=rain+barrel&x=0&y=0

Another option would be to search your local paper or Craigslist for rain barrels people have made from 50-60 gallon plastic food/cleaning supply barrels, which usually run from $45-$60.

Sometimes you can also purchase 50-60 gallon barrels that you can make into a rain barrel yourself, which is the option I chose. Unfinished barrels will usually run between $15-$25. Don't forget to haggle for a discount if you are buying multiple barrels. Cola bottling plants and car washes used to give barrels away for free, or for a small fee. Many are not doing this any more, because they have starting reusing them themselves. With the supplies needed to make a rain barrel you will probably end up paying about $25-$35 per barrel, so unless you are making a few it may be worth it to buy a premade barrel.

Here is a great place near Richmond, VA that sells finished and unfinished rain barrels, and will even deliver for free locally! http://barrelresources.com/Barrels.html

Let me know about rain barrels for sale in your area, and I will post them on my blog!