Marty buys a new stove. It’s one of those fancy ones with the ceramic top that covers all the burners. This stove is top of the line, but it’s also fairly expensive.

Now the old stove has got to go. Marty calls the trash people and they tell him they’ll pick it up on Thursday, but it’ll cost him 50 extra dollars. So Marty digs his old hand truck out of the attic and wheels the old stove out to the end of the driveway. The stove still works, and he hopes somebody will just take it.

The stove sits there for five days and nothing happens. What to do? One of Marty’s friends suggests that people won’t pick up the stove for fear of being accused of stealing it.

So Marty cranks up his computer and prints a sign: "Will donate to a good home." Marty thinks that’s pretty cute. Nobody else does. Five days later the stove is still out there. Marty makes another sign: "Take me — I’m yours." Days go by and there’s zero response.

Now Marty is ready to ignore all of the advice he’s been getting. He’s ready to try something different — something daring.

Back to the computer he goes to make another sign. He takes the new sign, and attaches it to the old stove with masking tape. "We’ll see what kinda results this gets," Marty muses. The sign says: "Used electric stove in good condition. Must sell — $95."

Around midnight Marty turns off David Letterman and is headed for bed. He glances out the front window and looks toward the driveway. The stove is gone! Somebody stole it.

As Marty figures it, he just saved 50 bucks. That’s what he’d have to pay the trash guy to come pick it up.

"Maybe I should have sold it on e-Bay," he tells a friend. "That wouldn’t work either," says the friend. "The shipping charges would eat you alive."