Topic: Are you a Dumpster Diver?
Queene123's photo
Fri 07/06/12 10:39 PM
oh geeze
i was just thinking
wouldnt it be way cool
if the goodwill suplus store would have stuff in the back

that would be a awsome dumpster dive

i love going into that place you can find keepers in there

you how you find the stackables one inside the other (cant recall the actuall name)

but my sister and i went to goodwill surplus and i went over to the last bin. and there were 6 of them
and i look there was no stables inside

i went ahead and bought them any how for under a buck
i brought them home and i was looking and i noticed
they were actually pepper shakers.... how cool is that

so i looked them up
and guess what they were worth $45 a pair so they were worth almost $140 for the 6
they rip themselfs off so bad


no photo
Fri 07/06/12 11:47 PM
Almost thought this was about restrooms. Whew! surprised

no photo
Fri 07/06/12 11:51 PM

I am. I live in a college town where the kids have more brains than money.
Isn't that meant to be a GOOD thing? There's enough kids with more money than brains being pretty materialistic. Brains mean nothing these days. shocked

TxsGal3333's photo
Sat 07/07/12 09:54 AM
Haha just went to my ex mother in-laws house this morning.. My ex just recently moved in with her. Seems he feels there is too much in the house so he is going through it all and getting rid of stuff..He had three full trash cans out front full of stuff. He did not take them to the curb this morning for trash pick up. Went through all three got two big cloth grocery bags full of stuff new tupper ware bowls with lids, old plates & bowls from the 50's, vases ect...Yeppiers brought them all home to use..

To many people seem to just throw stuff away instead of sell it or donate it..noway noway so wrong...slaphead

willing2's photo
Sat 07/07/12 10:02 AM
Great score!
I also will put some stuff on ebay.
I have some Plains and Wrangler snap shirts I may bundle and sell there.

TxsGal3333's photo
Sat 07/07/12 10:09 AM
Yeah I thought so too. So I called him and told him next time to call me I will go through the stuff he is throwing away and get out what I want..

Riding_Dubz's photo
Sat 07/07/12 10:13 AM
I never went out of my way,...to jump in a dumpster,..

but when my first real job i rode on the back of a garbage truck. and I've found some some awesome stuff people threw away,..Nitro powered RC cars 60" TV they didn't wanna move washers and dryers that worked fine! all kinds of stuff people just didn't want!

willing2's photo
Sat 07/07/12 10:58 AM
Pulled out 800 pounds of chicken scratch from behind Tractor Supply last year. Chickens ate good for a long time.
Could have gotten a couple tons of salt fot water softener systems. Passed on that one.
50 pound ripped bags of dog food. I get run off once in a while.
Once, a guy was in one of my favorites. I told him I worked for the store and the public wasn't allowed to be in the dumpsters.
When he left, I went to diving.
I know it was a tricky thing to do. But, all's fair in hunt and picking.

PacificStar48's photo
Sat 07/07/12 12:14 PM
Edited by PacificStar48 on Sat 07/07/12 12:23 PM
Not so much for pulling anything out of a dumpster because of serious contamination. Businesses often dump bleach, rat poison ect. in their dumpsters and many municipalities are making it a crime because so many people make a mess or surpriseingly try to return inventory for refunds or sue for getting hurt.

I have been a yardsale fan for years. Seems fair to give someone something for their stuff rather than them just be stuck with paying to haul off good stuff. I have avoided some places I figured were just a fence for stolen stuff. My favorite are church sales then I feel like my money is really helping someone.

I have been kind of afraid of the online sites because of crime but have found some good buys on patio furniture.

I have often helped people get moved or various chores and usually they give me things. Some pretty nice stuff. Where I get a lot of my craft supplies to do my free classes.

A friend gave me some fabric yesterday that I will make some pretty pillowcases or quilts out of for humanitarian sewing. A group of us get together weekly and sew and go out for lunch or have potlucks. It is a nice way to do some bigger projects like quilts for kids cancer ward or layettes at one of the mega hospitals. That kind of works for gal pals but we have had a couple of spouses show up when we did bigger projects.

Over the years I have furnished a lot of places for foster kids, disabled, homeless shelters graduates, even Habitat for Humanity homes. Takes some time and elbow grease sometimes but it is really cool when someone gets a place that feels like home that they can be proud of. Really cool when you see them just light up to find out they are not just being handed a key to an empty house. It can be a great way to meet nice singles.

And over the years I have had some real pigs ears turned into a silk purse for my own place. lol I am working on my bedroom now and just scored a nice hardwood dresser painted black. Sounds kind of gruesome but when I get it done it will just fit in my cheerful "Mary Englebrite" theme and give me great storage.

I love the "oops" paint department in mega home improvement stores. Have done a lot of my accent pieces and stenciling art furniture over the years with it. This summer I will do a painted rug on my balcony.

TxsGal3333's photo
Wed 07/11/12 07:03 AM
Ya know it is always a good feeling to find something someone else is throwing away or even at a garage sale. And it ends up being just that item you needed at almost no cost.:thumbsup:

Jtevans's photo
Wed 07/11/12 07:25 AM
oh yeah,i met one of my ex gf's in a dumpster smokin

jaded72's photo
Wed 07/11/12 03:26 PM
I started when I was about 8 years old. Walking hoe from school, down the alley, and there's a perfectly good set of stuffed toy rabbits sitting on top of a garbage can. I couldn't pass them up!

I've done my share of carry-homes, for sure. :)

mightymoe's photo
Wed 07/11/12 04:55 PM
I was working at at a ***** Sporting goods store not to long ago, and i noticed that they were throwing away a bunch of slat boards with aluminum in the slats for strength. anyway, i took all the boards and pulled out the aluminum and made almost 350 dollars when i took it to the scrap yard. not bad for a half days work...

galendgirl's photo
Wed 07/11/12 04:55 PM

Ya know it is always a good feeling to find something someone else is throwing away or even at a garage sale. And it ends up being just that item you needed at almost no cost.:thumbsup:


Or blessing someone else (and yourself!) by giving up the things you aren't using. Seriously, we all have TOO MUCH STUFF and 'STUFF' isn't what really matters in life. Clean it up, clean it out...recycle, reuse, use up or donate it!

unsure's photo
Wed 07/11/12 05:05 PM
I was going to say...my sister is a manager at a store and she puts a sign up saying do not get in the dumpster WE DUMP BLEACH IN HERE SO STAY OUT!! She said that she has a lot of dumpster divers and then they try to bring back the old food and get new...she gets really crappy with them too. Sorry guys but she would not like you!!
I have never dumpster dived but my brother's gf does all the time. She has bruises from doing it but she loves it! Crazy woman!!!explode

galendgirl's photo
Wed 07/11/12 06:16 PM

I was going to say...my sister is a manager at a store and she puts a sign up saying do not get in the dumpster WE DUMP BLEACH IN HERE SO STAY OUT!! She said that she has a lot of dumpster divers and then they try to bring back the old food and get new...she gets really crappy with them too. Sorry guys but she would not like you!!
I have never dumpster dived but my brother's gf does all the time. She has bruises from doing it but she loves it! Crazy woman!!!explode


My sister has been an onsite manager for a mini storage place in her city for many years. She runs those auctions (like on some TV show now) and has made a bundle on some of those units PLUS she dumpster dives daily. You wouldn't believe the brand new in packages stuff she rescues and either donates, resells, or gives away.

Once she let me choose from some clothing that about 6 others had already gone through...got a GAP denim shirt, washed it, hung it up on the line and put it in the closet. Some months later I put it on and found there was $127 in the pocket that had rolled up as it dried slowly.

Another time we rescued over 2500#s of sealed canned grains. Someone had been developing a cookbook and threw them all out...plus cookbooks and unopened bottles of Tabasco and other seasonings. We gave it to a charity who would actually use it to feed hungry people. During that rescue, I confess to getting an $85 pair of Gingher sheers, still new in the box, as a "reward" of my own.

As a rule, I don't dive but a good yard sale or thrift store rocks!


markc48's photo
Wed 07/18/12 07:04 PM
Edited by markc48 on Wed 07/18/12 07:05 PM
Best find a Raliegh Compitition had a bent rear wheel. After I fixed that I got $350.00 for the bike and he got a good deal. But I like garage sales better too.

ezas123's photo
Wed 07/18/12 07:16 PM
Aaahhh let me think, NOPE..

Riding_Dubz's photo
Sat 08/04/12 01:10 PM

oh yeah,i met one of my ex gf's in a dumpster smokin


i threw one of my x girlfriends in a dumpster laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh


kiddding don't want the feds at my house rant rant rant

Cutiepieforyou's photo
Sat 08/04/12 01:31 PM
I have never dumpster dove before. Sounds like you find some great stuff doing it.