Comments on: Our $400 Shower Head… For FREE!!

By: peg

peg — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:35:51 +0000

I live on an island and we only have large dumpsters for everyone to put their trash into. Since its a transient place people are always putting really great stuff into the dumpsters. I recently got a nice hand me down table and got rid of my other free one….took it to the dumpster and barely got into the car before someone was putting it into their truck. It made me feel good that it would be put to use right away!

By: Heather R

Heather R — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:27:39 +0000

My parents live in an apartment complex and like someone in the college town mentioned earlier – there is lots of good stuff there. I have gotten a desk, christmas wrap, plastic trash can, iron chairs and table for the patio, and other things that I am forgetting now. My friends husband used to be a trash collector and they were always getting the most amazing things from the garbage he collected (the front was usually as full as the back of the truck!). I wish I could find someone to dumpster dive with me at the grocery stores – I know that there is a lot there. I am not too proud to do so, I would just be careful because my kids are in jr. high and would be mortified if that got out.

By: Maranda

Maranda — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:40:44 +0000

My husband got a 17″ flat screen tv out of someone’s garbage while coming home from work one day. It even had the remote with it. The people put it with their trash because it had a line thru the middle of it. We popped it open and reset the cable. It works perfect! Incidentally, as a teenager, my mom and I and a few neighbors would go dumpster diving behind a local grocery store. There was always stuff that was still good. Mostly the prepackaged goods, but occasionally there would be other stuff in there. I always stayed away from the perishable stuff tho. You really would be amazed what goes into those dumpsters.

By: Lanna

Lanna — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:07:40 +0000

Dented cans of food would kind of worry me though… I’ve heard too many stories of people getting sick from the goods in those before. But I’m a wuss when it comes to botulism and the like – not everybody is as picky about that as I am.

Just make sure the dumpster isn’t on what’s classified as private property. Could be my area, but trespassing is pretty serious stuff if you’re actually taking things off the property (and people in my area do like their firearms for protection).

By: Nancy M.

Nancy M. — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:49:23 +0000

My husband does things like that too! The best thing he got was a stove that was brand new. It is crazy how people throw away perfectly good things. Congratulations on the shower head! Way cool!

By: verna

verna — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:21:51 +0000

hi i work at a laundermat there are always people throwing away clothes that are just fine also my boss nows that we have three yard sales a year and they bring me things for my yard sale. were you work at or your family and friends tell them that you save alumiun cans i have two people bringing me in alumiun cans and now i am starting to make a rug from bread bags i had told a few people now they bring me bread bags i love my job.

By: tarena

tarena — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:38:23 +0000

Nearly everything in our house is from thrift stores, craigslist or handmedowns!
I did go “bin-diving” recently, which is through the Goodwill company…it is where like all the stuff that was in there store for over a month goes (like a large warehouse) and you sort through things…I found TONS and TONS of stuff!! You pay by the pound too, so it is super cheap!
In fact the whole outfit I’m wearing right now came from bin-diving! =)
Have you ever tried looking in the free section on craigslist, or freecycle.org?
There are more…go to frugalgranola.blogspot.com and scroll down to the very bottom of her blog she has a section titled “Or not at all” (meaning not paying for things at all) and she has some good ideas!
Keep posting great finds…I love it!
tarena

By: Becca

Becca — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:52:43 +0000

I totally have taken ‘trash’ from the curb! I live in a college town, and it was much more useful when I was living in an apartment complex. Every semester or so, people move out. They take some things, and leave others. There was a point in our marriage when we could name the 3 items in the living room we had paid for. Even now, the majority of our things were repaired, or just cleaned, and added to our home. Here is a small list: 5 drawer solid wood dresser (missing a pull, but all the pulls were ugly anyway), 2 drawer dresser/end table (literally looked brand new), our vacuum (needed about a pound of carpet fibers and dirt cleaned out, but a very powerful vacuum).

That’s not all. But these were all found by me years ago when I lived in a small apartment complex close to campus. So, if you have very minor handyman skills you can find great deals like the daybed that was missing some bolts (cost us less than $2 to replace them).

By: Kendra at New Life On A Homestead

Kendra at New Life On A Homestead — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:47:31 +0000

Sandra-

I should have mentioned this… I asked an officer I know if dumpster diving is legal, and he said yes, as long as there are no signs telling you to keep out!

By: sandra

sandra — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:58:40 +0000

boy, do I wish I had a neighbor like you! I never considered that there was such a thing as a 400.00 shower head (poor me) !! Ive heard of freegans, but I would be afraid of getting caught and getting in trouble. some people have more nerve and better luck than me, I guess.