Do you or Don't you..Dumpsterdive!

**Thevail** · 03-19-2009, 02:47 AM

If you do, what's your strategy?

What's your best find?

If you don't, would you pick up something near a dumpster? Something set out with a free sign?

I do depending on the time of year, and so far my best find is one of those expensive egg shaped green barbecues. The handle on the lid was missing.

$5 fix..$400 barbecue!

**phoeny_moonstar** · 03-19-2009, 03:39 AM

I have never had a problem with dumpster diving. I like going with a small group of people though. I also love picking up stuff from the curb.

Best thing I ever found : Brand new gazing balls for the garden.

**thefrug** · 03-19-2009, 04:58 AM

Hubby could be a professional dumpster diver LOL His best find: brand new window air conditioner. It had a small dent on one corner.
He also found me one of those 3 shelf professional plant stands that they use at like Lowes or Home depot. It was bent, but he straightened it and it's fine now. I put my herbs on it, out on the deck in the summer.

I wish I could find new gazing balls! I like the ones that look like they have scales on them. Have you seen those? Pretty!

vail, I'm not sure I know what kind of bbq you're talking about. Is it a table top grill? or a full size stand up model?

**rachelMcK** · 03-19-2009, 06:32 AM

I would if I could. I even would for food (if it wasn't spoiled at all)!

**TheRootedNomad** · 03-19-2009, 06:41 AM

I've been known to, although I haven't been in a long time as its just one of the things that got pushed to the side due to lack of time.

If you do, what's your strategy? When I went out to actually "dive", not just pick something up that I had run across, I would go with my father and we'd hit the dumpsters behind stores that were remodeling or closing. We also frequented office park dumpsters as they were less likely to tell you to leave as the property is usually owned by a corporation and not the individual companies there.

What's your best find? I actually wasn't with him but I would have to say Dad's best find far surpasses any of mine. The best probably would have been when a large chain drugstore closed down and they dumped CASES of sunglasses, frisbies, T-shirts, and haircare products. We yardsaled it over the coarse of a summer and made a tidy sum.

If you don't, would you pick up something near a dumpster? Something set out with a free sign? I've been known to pick individual items up but since I'm really not a "stuff" person I tend to look for things that can be turned into cash by either being recycled, or refinished and yardsaled.

**ladytoysdream** · 03-19-2009, 06:55 AM

If you mean physically climbing into a dumpster.....then no.
But I have picked things out of them in the past by standing on the
ground next to them. One needs to be careful if physically climbing into them.....could be something sharp or dangerous in them.
And it would be good to have a partner along just in case.

Used to be years ago, one could take stuff to a town or a county dump to get rid of, and then be able to bring a few things back home. One time I went, I brought home a pickup truck full of rugs. At the time we lived in a old farm house, and those rugs came in handy.
I also brought home a sewing machine stand that I still have to this day.....fits my singer real well

My son the other day brought me in a present......a box that had 11 wide month canning jars that he picked off at the dump he goes to. There is a area near the dumpster that people can set things that someone else might want. Jars look pretty clean. I am going to wash them and put them in a clean box with my other jars.

Selective picking stuff thrown away is always a good thing

**frugalwarrior** · 03-19-2009, 07:03 AM

Define "diving". I am definately a curb side shopper of many years and the recycle paper bin and I have an excellent relationship. My best find would probably be about 30 coupons for cascade tabs free (except tax.) My husband grabbed a jvc 27" tv for parts and found that it worked. Another time my son got a sharper image mini fridge that my husband fixed. People around here are moving out due to our economic situation and many times leave nice things on or around the garbage cans. My mom and dad used to pay me to get stuff from the neighbors.

**Must-Stash** · 03-19-2009, 07:04 AM

I picked up a very large oil painting in an ornate frame. It was leaning against the dumpster on pickup day.

**ladykemma2** · 03-19-2009, 07:05 AM

in my neighborhood it is customary that if you don't want something, and it is still nice, you put it on the front curb. it will be gone in 20 minutes.

i got a nice full length mirror this month, from a family that were moving.

you have to be careful, because a man was mowing his yard, went inside for a break, came outside and his mower was gone. he left it on the curb....

**Denvergirlie** · 03-19-2009, 08:44 AM

We do.

Both curb crawling or as we call it alley shopping in residential areas, but also do more traditional dumpster diving both res and commercial.

Best find... hmmm.. hard to pick... $50 bill, Keen Shoes new in box ($150 retail), Columbia boots ($220 retail) new with tags, stainless steel grill ($1800 new), antique collectable tin press toys (selling on eBay for $400 each), Silk handknotted rugs (retail... thousands) and a ton of other stuff.

We've found food, and have eaten some of it. Crackers, granola bars, bread, chips and snacks, cranberry juice, Clamshell bakery items, khosher hot dogs, veggies, lots of gum and candy. Of course we find other food, but if it's even a hint of being questionable we leave it alone. Once found cases and cases of shelf stable milk, but we are not much of milk drinkers so didn't take it.

A lot of other stuff, tables, dishes, Tv's, VCR's, steros, dressers, pretty much anything and everything we've found. Last summer I had a list of things I wanted to find... was thrilled when my under the counter light was found and installed over my stove (new in box to boot).

Like TheRootedNomad we collect a lot of stuff for either personal use or we sell it in a yard sale or if it's larger on Craigslist. We've made more than some pocket cash doing just this.

That being said we haven't gone dumpster diving or even alley shopping in some time.. just got sidetracked of late and don't need much of anything at this time, but summer is our biggest season of doing this. We did go alley shopping for some wood to finish off a project a few weekends ago and were able to find what we needed in maybe 20 minutes.

**thesightofoneself** · 03-19-2009, 08:47 AM

.... nope.

**onencgirl** · 03-19-2009, 08:55 AM

I've never dumpster dived but have taken items off of curb. Once I got a birdcage from on top of a dumpster.

**onencgirl** · 03-19-2009, 08:56 AM

Oh, but I do go to construction sites and get some things that are thrown out. Be sure to ask first.

**Denvergirlie** · 03-19-2009, 09:42 AM

Here are some very few photos of stuff we have found in commercial dumpsters, they are rather old photos, haven't added any in at least a year or so and certainly do not show off our best finds.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1421215...7603884031586/