free!

yes, i miss working over in Sun City, a retirement community here that has the very rich are only allowed to live, i should say only people over 55yrs, but the houses are so expensive that only the very rich live there and i was always finding good things laying out near the curb for trash.

Every year, the town my brother lives in has free pick up for spring cleaning. every year he gets something. A couch, chair, a lamp, something. I keep telling my friend to tell me when college gets out so we can go to the city and get the free stuff the college students leave behind but she keeps forgetting. We can do more now because we have a truck.

While I've never done the curbside in rich neighborhoods thing (I would be a bit embarrassed to be seen to tell you the truth) I have been known to show up at an "eviction party" or two. This is where a person is evicted from their apartment, and they've abandoned things that are still useful to another person. I actually furnished my first apartment at such a party lol. I didn't feel embarrassed there because it was a large building, and several other tenants were waiting for the bailiff to finish as well, so they could pick up some items. Another place that I've gotten free stuff is Freecycle. This is a website where people post things they want to get rid of in their home, and others claim the items for their own. There is a group set up for virtually any area you can think of. I have gotten dishes from freecycle groups, and if you join there is always something good that you can find for absolutely free! You just have to pick it up.

The sad thing is now I seem to know someone wherever I go so I am worried about someone knowing me when I pick things up. But I have picked up a few kitchen chairs and I used them to make plant holders. I also found someone who put out tons of kids clothes and toys I grabbed as much as I could that looked useful. Some of it I tried selling at a rummage sale that was too small for my kids but I didn't make anything off of it so I just donated alot of it. I think the only thing I really have left from that is a little people garage.

Hee hee - yah, I used to be a dumpster diver!! This was before kids (I can't lug them around driving through alleys!!). That used to be one of my sort of hobbies! And not even in rich neighborhoods (although that's a great idea) . . . people throw out all sorts of stuff - and if you're lucky the stuff is in great condition!! Let's see . . . I've found a "new" box just perfect as a sewing box (still have it), a ratan screen divider (perfect for creating privacy at the front of our apartment), a box of super old childrens books (which I happen to collect), a whole encyclopedia set about photography, a big cable spool to use as a table, a play kitchen, a dresser for hubby, a small table for my son, a stepping stool for me . . . oh lots of things!!! We live in a college town too - but they usually don't leave behind the good stuff - ha ha!!

Hi there cher, Never done dumpster diving before, and i don't think in my country you can get the things that you've gotten. My countrymen are pretty frugal even the rich ones, and that and in one incidence as written here by another lotter a dumpster diver was arrested for selling jewelry he found in the trash ( those cops are stupid what will they charge the poor man if he just found it.) anyway i guess if i was abroad maybe I'll get some goodies from the trash.

The first time I went dumpster diving was years ago with my sister. We found a dumpster behind a local store that was similar to Walmart and back then, no one chainlocked dumpsters or crushed the contents. We found shampoo, shaving cream, after shave, lotion and tons of other things like that. We didn't buy any shampoo for years, even after we gave away a lot of it. Some of it had loose lids or dented sides so they couldn't sell it but it was perfectly good otherwise. That kind of turned me on to it and we kept going, with lots of great finds. I don't do the big furniture because I don't have any way to haul it and I can't handle it by myself anyway. Maybe the biggest score was a trash bag full of nice clothes. Not all of it fit me or anyone I knew, but I was able to rework or use the material from most of it. It sure saves money!

Personally there is nothing wrong with picking up stuff that people leave behind and using it yourself, or actually picking it up and selling it and making a Few extra bucks even. It is better than seeing it left behind to get rained on or end up in a garbage pile somewhere. I know many people who have dumpster dived and actually have been able to pay house payments, etc. from what they have earned from doing so. It really just depends on what a person really wants.

Oh yes, as a person who can not stand waste I have often picked up things from what we call hard ruccish days, when everyone puts their so called unwanted items out on the curb, I have a friend who has decorated her whole house from throe away furniture...

I have partaken of the free goodies. I have gotten a small refrigerator that I sold for $35. I also have gotten calculators (some worth over $200), dressers, televisions, computers, and so much more. I pass a lot of the stuff on to friends or will sell the stuff. I hate to see the waste from students when they are finished with college, so I cruise the areas that the student's live in and collect the stuff and resell it or keep it for myself. I also dumpster dive too. I have recently scored a picture that is worth several thousand dollars. People don't think of value when they throw stuff out, they just want it out of their way so they throw it out. There is a couple of people that have collected the furniture from students and now have businesses where they rent the furniture to students to use during their time in school. All of the furniture that they rent out is from their dumpster diving. Pretty smart isn't it? I have supported myself at times from selling stuff that I have rescued from the dumpsters. It is very profitable.

My hubby is always bringing something home. It is true that you can find lots of great items on the curb in rich neighborhoods and in college towns too. His most recent find was a large coffee table. It is 3X4, leather on the outside with a world map stamped on it. There is a drawer inside that we store things in. The only thing wrong with it was that one of the feet was messed up. He replaced that easily. It was a great find.

Most places in the UK have Freecycle running, so the dumpster diving and so on is pretty limited but when I was in Paris I was astounded at the stuff that got chucked out. They have a VERY early morning rubbish collection that picks up large objects once or twice a week, so all sorts of stuff can be found outside. I left tons of stuff like that when I moved back to the UK (and most of it was gone long before the rubbish people came by). I remember picking up a sofa for my apartment over there from outside a shop: ex-demonstration model they'd put out on the pavement. I was coming home with my lady and her brother, so we grabbed it!

Our family's weakness is computers that have been discarded. Yes, they don't work most of the time, but there are still parts in them that are able to be used and there is also gold scrap in them that is valuable. Also, a couple years ago there was a neighbor whose house was foreclosed and when they cleared out everything in his house that he had left behind, we scored a new dining room set. I don't think that there is anything wrong with rescuing things that are still useful instead of letting those things end up in the dump.

I've never done that before myself but it seems like a ncie idea. Why let good finds go in the garbage when you can make good use of them...

I have gotten a dog house and a bicycle off of the curb that was actually out for the trashmen to take.It is amazing what people will throw away and I can only imagine if you went into rich neighborhoods. It is nice to know that people do take items like this.

I haven't....my nephew that lives in the city and is a college student has furnished his apartment all with things he has picked up for free....he loves dumpster diving. My son and his wife got a dumpster a week ago. They would put things out there and minutes later someone was driving off with it....maybe more now with the economy...who knows. It's fun to watch though as it's a waste of something good sometimes.

I picked up a dresser from in front of the dorms last year and I was curious about it. I went over to the antique dealer around the corner and was amazed when he said it was worth $500. Sold it to him for $300 and was quite pleased with myself. I always look for stuff.

I have looked at furniture that other people have thrown away and then I bring it home and repaint it. I have never tried dumpster diving and am not sure if I would ever try that. I also shop in thrift stores and buy things cheaply and then redecorate them as well. I will have to read that blog myself and see if I can find anything else to help me save money.

What some people throwing away as garbage is something that other people can't even afford. In my city, twice a year, people can leave big things they want to throw away, out on some spots near the streets, where garbage collecting trucks coming to pick it up. I was amazed to see kind of things people are throwing away. But, at those places, there are families of Gypsies (Roma people), which staying there 24 hrs, and collecting anything valuable, so not much chance for "regular people" to find something. Anyway, there is flea market each Sunday, so we can buy some of that stuff for almost nothing. About dumpster diving, because of hard economic situation, lot of people collecting bottles and cans, and get some money for it. Some people do regularly visiting dumpsters and trash cans, looking for it. And on green markets, people will pick up some fruits and vegies, that are not for sale, but still can be used.

About a year ago our neightbor threw out an old apple computer, a chair and a plastic tub About two days later she came by and told my kids she wanted her stuff back Yes, we should have asked first but she didn't have to be so mean I wanted to ask her if whe wanted the dried leaves and twigs that we dumped out of the plastic bin but held my tongue