Dumpster Diving=Skip Raiding

**rua** · 07-12-2005, 04:18 PM

This is wonderful! I`m in Scotland and we share a common bond..
Over here the dumpster is called a skip, and rummaging in the skip for `treasures` is known as `skip raiding`. It`s practically a national pastime among us working classes, students, alternative lifestylers and those who are just plain sensible and hate to see anything go to waste.
We`ve had some fabulous stuff from skips/dumpsters over the past few years. Luckily we`re not too far from Edinburgh and some skips are absolute treasure troves. We`ve found Edwardian furniture, someones coin collection from the 1800`s, an oil painting by Tam Ming (collectable), a fully functioning metal lathe, and much much more... Infact I think our entire home has had all it`s fixtures and fittings from skips, thrift shops, and objects disgarded at the roadside!
Come to think of it, I believe that`s how I met my husband....

**Mom23boys** · 07-12-2005, 04:48 PM

Sounds like you found some great items through skip raiding. I love it that you found your DH this way!

**ScrapMama** · 07-15-2005, 08:59 PM

How cool!

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 07-16-2005, 12:33 AM

Was your hubby in the dumpster? LOL

**Darlene** · 07-16-2005, 07:17 AM

Some people throw out the best stuff, good for you on going & getting it. Wow on that coin collection, why would anyone throw that out?!?
How smart of you to pick such a like minded, sensible man to share your loot with.

**kaykwilts** · 07-16-2005, 08:14 AM

I will love to hear your skip stories particularly the one involving your husband!

**PrairieRose** · 07-16-2005, 11:17 AM

Sounds like you have found lots of great treasures. I love reading about what people find in the dumpsters. We don't have any stores to speak of here and Gripey would die off if I got caught diving in our small town.

**Michelle** · 07-16-2005, 06:35 PM

How cool, and even cooler that you met your dh that way

I've always wanted to go to Scotland. My dh visited Edinburgh briefly about 15 yrs ago. Someday he will go back, and this time I'll be with him

**eileen** · 07-18-2005, 12:36 PM

I got a kick out of your story. My mom and I once visited Natchez, which is a small town in the south full of giant pre-civil war mansions. Only one was in the same family for over 100 plus years, and the tour guide said they were Scottish and "knew how to manage their money."

. This was out of almost 30 of these old mansions. It was a good lesson in frugality

.

**patches** · 07-18-2005, 03:22 PM

I am a dumpster diver from wayyyy back. I got trained for it by my mother.

Last night I got two and a half boxes of nice old Christian books somebody threw out, a canning kettle, coat hangers, a tool box, and some nice plasticware.

The night before, got a hubby a huge tool box and some boxes full of screws and stuff and a nice denim jacket that fit him.

**poppyseed** · 07-24-2005, 07:09 AM

Wow... some amazing finds

**patches** · 08-06-2005, 05:36 AM

Great finds this week!

Nice clothes, shoes, and a ton of partylite still brand new in the boxes! I'm going to be able to decorate my new home in style when we get it built.

**UPSyours2** · 09-10-2005, 02:08 PM

Wow! That is soo kewl how you met your husband !

I find lots of stuff basically curbside & sometimes people wait until after the trash is collected to put out really good stuff because they want somebody to find them who may need them. I've come across lots of these & sometimes actually ask the people just to make sure it is out for taking, etc.

This 1 house had a bunch of baby things sitting @ the edge of there yard, had no signs out for a yard/garage/tag sale & the stuff was sitting next to the garbage cans I took the baby infant car seat & as I'm bringing it to my SUV a guy is behind me saying he wants $5 for it. I said OK this is out for trash I thought. I said well I didn't really need it, told him one of my friend's was having a baby I was going to give it to her as a spare. I didn't have any money w/me since I just went grocery shopping & used my cans return money to buy some items & gave it back to him to sell. He told me to take it! Then started breaking up all the other stuff. I guess he didn't want anyone just taking it then the garbage men. There 2 cribs (not that I would want that)

Some people leave signs on the items or boxes that say FREE.

I have never done dumpster diving but my brother & I went to an eyeglass factory dumpster bin by our house when we were younger & found a bunch of goodies they threw away office supplies & fancy display boxes for the glasses, parts of glasses, some clothes (I guess a worker tossed in there)

I found this website while trying to check if my CYBIKO email account is still there & found this link for dumpster diving.

http://www.streettech.com/archives_D...psterTech.html

DUMSTER TECH

~ANDREA~

**UPSyours2** · 09-30-2005, 01:39 PM

On my way to 7-11 the other dayto buy Ma's bread & DH beer. I think it was Wednesday I saw a small TV @ the curbside (it was on the otherside of the road so I said to myself I'll get it on my way back since it would be easier & if it's not there it wasn't meant for me)

Luckily I stopped to pick it up w/o knowing if it still works & the people also left the remote w/it (back battery cover was missing)

So before I told DH I found the TV. I decided to check to see if it works?

Plugged it in & it worked, not that I got a great pic since it's gotta get hooked into cable, they're was no rabbit ears on it!

It has a VCR too but I wasn't about to put a good VHS tape in it that I had recorded one of my TV shows on it & maybe it'll get stuck in it, eat up my tape, etc. (this could be why they got rid of it

) It also has a radio.

So anyway here I am trying to figure out how to see if it works

then I noticed it has the video/audio plug on the front

luv that I use it for my digital camera to view pics on the TV in the kitchen. So now I've got to find the cables to attach my DVD player to & maybe get a pic. Umm I have never hooked up my travel size player to use on my kitchen TV so I'll figure it out there first as I unwrap the cables. Figured it out hooked up the DVD player then started watching the DVD of my friends The Alessi Bros. (I really like one there new songs called "Just Like That" & I didn't hook up the cables elsewhere just yet because now the battery was dying in the player, so I had to keep the charger plugged in too!

DH walks into the kitchen & I told him about the TV & sure enough he says "it probably doesn't work" I said it does! So he picks it up places it on the table & tells me to plug it in. In the meantime I put batteries in the remote, push the power button & show him it works...he's convinced now so he puts it back on the floor & says he'll look @ it tomorrow. Well I'm not sure when he took it outta the kitchen but noticed he put it in the garage & replaced the smaller tv I bought @ the thrift shop awhile ago w/this one. The pic is sooo clear! That's all I know for now!

Sometimes it's worth checking stuff out (depending on the neigborhood it's in) because if I didn't stop & get it I'd of never known it's still good. I don't really know the people but they have a business, since a few commercial type trucks are parked there a few hours a day I think they're just upgrading maybe to a DVD TV.

I guess I can just take my chances since I can always toss it to the curb too

~ANDREA~