I believe the easiest way to get compost to the bin is via 4 children, but I understand there are drawbacks that come with that particular solution. ;-) We generate an enormous amount of compost. Husband loves cooking. He loves buying vegetables more than he loves to cook them, unfortunately. He is more of a meat guy, but based on his shopping I believe he wishes he ate more vegetables. Between the food we do eat and the food that goes bad before we eat it, it's a pile. Our compost pile has been overflowing for a long time, despite being able to use much of the good product this summer. This fall I bought two of these geobins for composting, and so far am happy. I would think they would make a good temporary bin to keep closer by in winter if somebody didn't want to use a plastic garbage bin. I bought them because I truly didn't have time to build anything myself, and by the time I bought supplies I figured I wouldn't be too far off the $32 cost for the geobin. It is easily adjusted from a small to large radius so I didn't have to think about sizing. Geobin composter I used to "do" composting better. Kept it wet, turned, and hot/warm, etc. Our chickens we used to have were a huge help. Now I don't have the time. I'm into cold composting, which is a nicer way to say "dump it and leave it."

Don't forget to journal your photos also. Just pictures don't always tell the complete story. Do you need a family calendar on each page? or just at the beginning? homemade items from the children are always a special touch

Discarded old furniture is a great source for repair wood. That's likely the only source you will find if you need to match a CITES listed species of mahogany. Second hand shops and furniture repair shops are good bets. Old piano cases often were made from very high quality wood, so a piano restorer may also be a good source (the large flat panels are typically veneered, but smaller components are often a matching solid wood).

Free containers---especially ones already trash bound---are my favorite, but pretty is nice, too. Your fruitflies depend on large, infrequently emptied, compost containers. I agree with Flora. You don't want to have more than a gallon of scraps at a time in your house. While I can see someone with physical limitations using an expensive, energy using, plastic gadget for producing something that can be produced naturally outdoors, I can't see a serious composter with acreage being able to keep up using one. May I recommend an outdoor compost bin for you as a housewarming gift before you start seeing all the fancy cedar ones available? I love my hardware cloth (Hardware cloth is a stiff wire mesh, much stiffer than chicken wire.) freestanding, bottomless, stake-free compost cylinders. If you decide to be a compost flipper, they're lovely for that, but they're also very easy to harvest from if you're a cold composter. I can't wait to get my hands on you.