Missing Game Board Pieces? Here's What You Can Do About It

We all like to think we take good care of our stuff... but boxes get spilled, children get involved, and one day we realize that we're missing some key playing pieces to our favorite board games.

Here are some inexpensive ideas of what you can do if you're missing game board pieces.

Contact the manufacturer of the game. For example, Hasbro, which now owns numerous companies, including Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers, sells replacement parts online. For a couple of bucks and shipping, you can be back in the game in no time. The Hasbro website also has free downloadable instructions for thousands of games.

Ask on Freecycle. Someone somewhere may just have that same game and not want it anymore. You may be able to replace the entire game for free. You could check on Craigslist, too.

Scope out garage sales and thrift shops. Obviously this will take some time, but if you're the type of frugal person who likes to go to these places already, then just add it to your shopping list.

Borrow game pieces from another game. When I was a kid I played my mom's Monopoly Game from when she was a kid. Since she had three siblings and lots of friends and cousins who played the game with them, they used pieces from the game Clue to serve as tokens in Monopoly. I was a teenager before I realized that you can't be the knife, the rope or the lead pipe in Monopoly!

Make your own pieces. Maybe you can sculpt something out of an oven-baked clay, or design something on your computer. Look around your local craft shop or hobby store for inexpensive alternatives. Get creative.

Just because you're missing a piece to a board game, doesn't mean the whole game should be headed for the trash. If you don't want to take the time to find the missing pieces, then list it on Freecycle or even eBay. Be sure to let people know which parts are missing. I bet someone will take you up on your offer.

Photo credit: flem007_uk