Dumpster Diving

[Beekissed]

I was drooling through a farm supply catalog the other day and saw a wheel, that when fastened onto your gate, supports the gate as you open and close it. It costs $38!

A while back I had dumpster dived at the local nursing home and spotted a pvc-type, heavy duty shower chair with huge, sturdy wheels on it. At the time I was building some very large wooden gates and the light bulb went on! I pulled those wheels and took them home and now have one fastened to my largest gate. I thought I had invented a handy apparatus!

Anyway, I hadn't even realized they had such things for sale and had imagined I had hatched a clever idea..... I wish I had come up with it first and patented it....I'd be selling it for $38 a piece right now!!!

 

[Bettacreek]

My mother and I used to go on "trips" during trash days, even had the various neighborhoods' trash days figured out. Unfortunately, Penn State started this "trash to treasure" garbunk, so they snatch up ANYTHING that can be salvaged, repair it, then sell it and make a freaking fortune. I remember all of the goodies we used to get, now you have to pay for it at the sale. *Rolleyes* Granted, in the big picture, it's great, but for individuals, they're like leeches.

 

[mjdtexan]

I have started to make my own wine. I needed some smaller food grade buckets for the smaller one gallon batch primaries. I went to "Shipleys" donuts yesterday and got one 1 gallon bucket and two 2 gallon buckets out of their dumpster. I did ask for permission though.

 

[Home Maker]

We don't have any "good" dumpsters around here, but I have found things when I was searching for boxes behind CVS.

 

[Beekissed]

Made a great dumpster dive today! Two nice shower doors of the opaque glass....to use with the ones I already have to use on my future green house or cold frames.

Then, I found some heavy-duty, food grade, white plastic jugs with nice wide openings and screw on plastic lids that once held cooking oil. They have nice, sturdy handles and everything...possibly 2 or 3 gal. size.

I've been wracking my brain about what to place my homemade ACV in when I make it. I now have 4 real nice jugs that I will sterilize and air out, in preparation for this fall.

God provides....and I happily take it!

 

[TTs Chicks]

Nice score I pass by a set of dumpsters twice a day and I always look to see if I should stop or not

 

[Beekissed]

Me too! This used to embarass the boys but now they look also!

 

[Iceblink]

We live in Military Housing and people are conatantly moving in and out. They leave all kinds of stuff out by the curb. DH hisses and whines and hates me for it, but I always stop and look through it. We have actually aquired the vast majority of our furniture and household appliances off the curb.

Considering the movers are going to trash our stuff in the next move anyway, I can't justify paying for hardly anything.

The one time DH did help me was when we had just moved into a HUGE echoing empty house and we were sleeping on the wood floor until our stuff arrived. The neighbor 2 streets over put out a really nice couch, we drove over to get it, but it wouldn't fit in the back of my (subcompact) car.
SO... we wedged a corner of it in, and DH walked behind the car holding one end while I drove slowly. Good thing it was only a few blocks. Just thinking about it makes me laugh. Good thing it was dark out!

 

[freemotion]

Wow, and my dh thinks I'm bad and he whines and objects when I insist he pull over so I can snag a pumpkin or a tobacco leaf (for aphids, not for us!) that fell off a farm wagon!

 

[Mackay]

My my! Now I know I'm with my kind of people!

I have not even mentioned it to my husband how I use to dumpster dive back in the old days....we would go to Alberstons as they were the most picky on how their produce looked on the shelves... lots of good veggie finds there.

BeKissed...please be very careful dumpster diving at a nursing homes. Those bins are filled with the most foul diseases!