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It’s an unseasonably cold day in Seattle, and Rebecca is standing in her kitchen, preparing for her regular Sunday afternoon outing. As she gathers her backpack and grocery bags, her dog sniffs around excitedly, anticipating the long walk and treats that await.
In the course of their errands, Rebecca and her dog will visit several stores and coffee shops, a bakery and a chocolate factory. But instead of walking in the front door, she plans to head out back and go Dumpster diving.
Rebecca, 51, owns a small duplex and has a job running an art program for a health care organization. She’s also an artist in her own right whose accomplishments include a piece that hangs in the Seattle Art Museum.
And she gets 99 percent of her food from the Dumpster.
“It’s so easy to eat for free,” she says. “The only things I buy are butter and milk.”
It’s no secret that American culture is a consumer culture. We like big cars, big houses and big bags of things bought at big malls and big-box retailers. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the few people who call themselves anti-consumerists, freegans, frugalists or just plain Dumpster divers. Whatever the moniker, these people delight in drastically reducing their consumer spending, finding life’s essentials at bargain prices or paying nothing at all.
“I like getting stuff free. It’s like a treasure hunt,” says Ran Prieur, 40, who lives in Washington state and whose extremely frugal life includes occasional Dumpster diving. “It’s kind of similar to what you get from gambling.”
It’s hard to say how many people are trying to live this way, but frugal communities say they are seeing more interest. A couple years ago, a group of friends in San Francisco made a compact to try not to buy anything new for a year; now there are “Compactors” all over the world. The Freecycle Network, through which people give away stuff they no longer need rather than trashing it, boasts thousands of participants.
Freegans — whose efforts to live outside the conventional economic system may include hitchhiking, foraging for food and eschewing regular jobs — say there is growing interest in adopting at least parts of their philosophy.
“A lot of people are recognizing that there are a lot of ways that people can provide for their needs,” said Adam Weissman, a spokesman for the main freegan Web site.
Being thrifty
Rebecca, who asked that her real name not be used because she worries she could lose her job if her employer knew about her Dumpster diving, doesn’t need to get food for free.
She says she likes the thrill of the chase, and the surprising bounty of good food she finds. And despite holding a steady job and having grown up in an affluent family, she says she sometimes worries she won’t have enough money. She also likes to “save a little here, save a little there,” so she can afford splurges like a laptop computer and keep funding her art.
For Rebecca, browsing Dumpsters also is a way to protest the country’s rampant consumer culture. She has salvaged furniture, clothes, art supplies and even appliances. Still, even she isn’t totally immune to the culture she avoids — feeling blue recently, she went in for a little retail therapy and bought a new pair of sneakers.
Rebecca grew up in Greenwich, Conn., the daughter of an ad man. As early as high school, she remembers searching through garbage while walking the streets of New York City. Her mother would walk ahead, pretending not to know her. Nobody else bothered her.
“That’s when I really started liking things cheap,” she says.
After high school, Rebecca went to art school, but in 1979, she decided to drop out and head to Seattle. Her artwork includes materials she’s found in the garbage or on the street.
To many first-time Dumpster divers, the most surprising thing is how much good stuff is out there.
Prieur, for example, says his trash bin excursions have netted him smoked salmon, high-end bacon, olive oil, plenty of produce and other goodies. Prieur, who owns a piece of land but has no permanent home, estimates that when he’s staying with his sister in Seattle, he gets 20 to 30 percent of his groceries from garbage bins.
His habit elicits mixed responses. A favorite item at his sister’s house is “Dumpstered” apple pie. But he’ll sometimes invite people over for dinner and get the cautionary response: “Just promise not to put any Dumpster food in it.”
Says Prieur: “There’s a big emotional thing attached to not eating out of the garbage.”
Baby squash, popcorn and granola
When Rebecca reaches the grocery store, she moves with purpose across the parking lot to a fenced-in Dumpster. With practiced nonchalance, she opens the gate and walks in, closing it behind her. On the ground, she immediately finds a bag of baby squashes. They go in the backpack to be steamed up for dinner.
Next, she hikes herself up and peers in the Dumpster itself. Out comes a bag of popcorn, a bag of granola and a package of rice. All are torn, but the contents appear clean.
“Aw darn,” she calls from within. “A box of chocolates — but they’re empty.”
Rebecca passes up pasta and a few other items, explaining that she prefers ready-made food because she doesn’t like to cook.
The granola isn’t her taste, either — she’s a self-described picky eater — but she can give it to her boyfriend.
She also passes up a bag of flavored potato chips, explaining, “I don’t like salt and vinegar.”
Climbing out of the Dumpster, Rebecca opens the gate again and heads out.
In 10 years of serious Dumpster diving, Rebecca says she’s never gotten sick eating food from the trash.
She has only occasionally been hassled by a store manager, but she will usually talk her way out of it by spinning a story that she recently lost her job. People sometimes lecture her, telling her eating out of a Dumpster isn’t good for her. She generally plays along with the spiel, “because most people assume that’s who you are — either homeless or mentally ill,” she says.
‘I hope that Starbucks has some decaf’
As she heads further into Seattle’s University District, Rebecca’s on the lookout for coffee.
“I hope that Starbucks has some decaf because I’m out of decaf,” she says.
But after rifling through several garbage bags, she only comes up with a pile of breakfast sandwiches. She feeds one to her dog.
In her escapades, Rebecca has found CDs, a $100 bill, an answering machine and a five-pound bag of coffee. It often amazes her to come across perfectly good things in the trash, and she will find herself speculating about what personal decision — a fight with a boyfriend, maybe? — would cause someone to throw out something like a CD.
Around the end of the school year, Rebecca will spend more time in the neighborhood near Seattle’s University of Washington to forage for things that people throw out when they move — art supplies, coffee makers, that sort of thing. She also likes to hit the fraternity houses.
“Good God,” she says, “they’ll throw out everything.”
251 million tons of trash
The same could be said for Americans in general. Americans produce about 4.6 pounds of waste per person per day — or nearly a ton a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
For many who get their essentials secondhand or for free, one motivation is that they are disgusted by such waste. But their lifestyle is dependent on the consumer culture that they reject.
If Americans didn’t demand pristine produce and bread baked fresh daily, there would be little for Dumpster divers to find. And if we didn’t lust for new couches long before the old springs had gone soft, and new jeans months before their current ones had developed holes, there would be little for thrift store aficionados and garage sale lovers to buy.
Frugalists say they there are plenty of places to find stuff, if you know where to look. They get things on the sidewalk, through Internet posts and at organized giveaway events.
Laura Thompson, 57, does most of her “shopping” in the bathtub, with a stack of catalogs that she never orders from. When she really needs something, she either goes to a thrift store or tries to find it for free. Recently she lamented that she needed a raincoat, and a friend who likes secondhand shopping gave Thompson the one she was wearing.
Thompson is most meticulous about one thing: paper towels. She’s had the same roll of Costco paper towels since March 2006, and she estimates that there’s still about an inch left. If a houseguest asks for a paper towel, they most likely will be turned down.
Thompson only uses paper towels for “icky” jobs, like getting oil off anchovies. She relies on rags and cloth napkins for most other needs. She does have a little bit of a cheat, though: If she goes to a restaurant and is given a stack of paper napkins, she will take those home and use them.
Thompson, who also lives in Seattle, has been trying to conserve paper towels for about 10 years, motivated by a combination of environmental activism and lifelong frugality.
‘Down to the underwear’
Jacqueline Blix and David Heitmiller once held high-powered telecommunications jobs and were self-professed yuppies. Then in the mid-1990s, they read a book called “Your Money or Your Life” and had a revelation: They could just stop working.
Since then, they have lived on investments, occasional sales of Blix’s crafts and, in recent years, Heitmiller’s part-time work as a handyman. They are so enamored of their simple lifestyle that the Seattle couple even wrote their own book about it: “Getting a Life.”
One day in early spring, Blix was dressed in a pink sweater, turquoise turtleneck, khaki pants and knit socks. Everything she was wearing had come from a secondhand shop, “down to the underwear,” she noted — except the socks, which were knit by a friend.
When Heitmiller asked his wife whether everything he was wearing had come from a secondhand shop, too, she looked him over quizzically and said she didn’t know what underwear he was wearing.
Blix and Heitmiller started their post-regular work life living on about $30,000 a year. Lately, their budget has crept up to about $45,000, largely because of rising costs for health insurance and a decision to eat more organic food. They also travel more often to California now to visit their grandchildren.
To maintain their lifestyle in a comfortable three-bedroom, two-bathroom duplex, the two have become avid secondhand shoppers, as well as what Blix calls “curbside shoppers.” That means that they find things, like their coffee table, sitting outside with a “free” sign on it. Other items, including a television and kitchen table, were inherited.
The hardwood floor in their house was salvaged from another house, and Heitmiller bartered his handyman skills in exchange for some leftover carpeting they used elsewhere in the house.
Blix keeps a list of things that they would like to have, and she says she’s often surprised at how things fall in her lap. Recently they were considering buying some items for their front yard when a friend called with some mulch to give away.
“If you put a need out there in the universe, you’ll be surprised,” she said.
Blix doesn’t think she spends more time shopping than most Americans spend at the mall — the very mention of which makes her physically shudder. The couple goes out for a meal about once a month, and they’ll occasionally visit a coffee shop. Heitmiller has a cell phone for his handyman business; Blix does not want one.
‘A leftover from previous thinking’
Blix, 58, and Heitmiller, 62, say that, in deciding to live simply, they also are forced to talk honestly about money, something many couples don’t do. Still, like any couple, they have the occasional financial disagreement. The difference is that their most memorable disagreement is one that most couples wouldn’t remember at all.
What happened is this: Blix took a Costco gift card she’d received and bought a new set of flatware, to replace the set Heitmiller had had since his first marriage in 1968, without so much as a word of discussion beforehand. To Heitmiller, it was an “oddity” that she would buy something new to replace something that worked just fine. To Blix, it was her money and she wanted new flatware.
On the rare occasions Blix has spent money like that, she calls it “a leftover from previous thinking,” when she was more beholden to money.
The idea of not working sounds great to a lot of people, but there are downsides. Health care costs have risen substantially, and without an employer the couple is left to foot the bill themselves until Medicare kicks in. They have a high-deductible policy that doesn’t cover prescription medication.
Over the years, the couple also has noticed that they have grown away from many of their old friends, although now they have a new group of friends who think more like them, including those active in what is called the Voluntary Simplicity movement.
Blix says another problem she has is “time management,” meaning what to do with all the time she has because she doesn’t work. “You really are faced with, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’ ” she says. “It’s something that I definitely work on.”
Three Dumpsters of bread
It’s looking more and more like rain as Rebecca walks along the water and through a park, pausing briefly to admire the view of Seattle’s downtown. The aroma of rosemary and yeast fills the air. She is nearing one of Seattle’s favorite artisan bakeries.
Behind the bakery sit three tan Dumpsters, each filled with nothing but bread — every type you can think of, bagged and looking as mouth-watering as they do on the shelves at Whole Foods. It doesn’t even smell bad here — the store’s other Dumpsters, containing actual trash, are around the front of the store.
Rebecca pulls out a loaf of ciabatta for herself, and then roots around for a whole-grain loaf for her boyfriend of 18 years. He’s not much of a Dumpster diver himself, but he will eat some things she finds.
A white hatchback pulls up and three young guys get out and head for the Dumpsters. Methodically, they begin gathering bread for themselves and their friends. They pause, arms and mouths full of bread, to discuss the merits of ciabatta vs. olive bread. No one comes out of the bakery to bother them.
Next, Rebecca heads toward an outpost of the local food co-op. Behind the shiny new building are two large Dumpsters, and next to those someone has set aside produce boxes. Rebecca says the good fresh fruits and vegetables are usually in there, but today they are empty. No matter; hiking herself up on the large Dumpster, she finds the mother lode — a breakfast burrito, samosas, pulled pork sandwiches and vegetarian burgers, all individually wrapped in tinfoil and some still warm. They aren’t set to expire until the next day.
“This is a nice catch today,” she says.
It’s raining as she begins the long uphill trek back to her house, her backpack filled with enough food to last a couple of days, until her next trip through the city’s Dumpsters.
“I’m a working girl,” she says. “I have a job. I own my own house. And I Dumpster dive. So there you go.”
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{"commentId":1884585,"authorDomain":"UUUnicorn"}
For those who acquire used items, whether at garage sales, tag sales, thrift shops or even garbage picking:
PLEASE be careful to closely inspect and clean whatever it is you're bringing home, as bedbugs are epidemic now, and infestations are HORRIBLE. You may wind up not only getting a lot of bites which are way itchier than those from mosquitoes, PLUS hives, but you'll wind up having to throw so much of your stuff away and/or having to dryclean ($$$) it.
This is SERIOUS, people.
{"commentId":1884585,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"UUUnicorn"}
- 1 vote
#51 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 4:35 PM EDT{"commentId":1886205,"authorDomain":"rdxx"}
Good point! No joking, bedbugs are out of control in some cities this year. I've avoided used upholstered furniture for years anyway, but now I carry thrift store clothing in the trunk, not the passenger compartment of the car, and put it in the washing machine immediately when we get home!
{"commentId":1886205,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"rdxx"}
{"commentId":1884903,"authorDomain":"bluebayou24"}
I have to wonder... are ya'll reading the opinions of other people or just reacting and ignoring what every one is writing? Responding to a situation means taking in to account the opinion of others and also using that information to react to the event.
{"commentId":1884903,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"bluebayou24"}
#52 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 5:15 PM EDT{"commentId":1889030,"authorDomain":"nannerlh"}
I wondered that, too, Cracker. The trolls here are pretty obvious. Those that have a problem with it are simply voicing their right to disagree. I do take exception, however, to those who spout 'get a job' - when they haven't a clue. Perhaps they're among the boss types I had in the 80's - the ones who voiced the "Dress One Admin Level Up" while paying their non-salaried grunt workers less than 10k per year (most of whom lost their retirement savings due to actions by similar minded fiscal managers) Due to frugal living, I no longer have to worry about retirement expenses, nor do I depend upon pinheads in suits to decide where my hard earned dollars go. Now that I do have surplus funds I could easily waste, I find it more rewarding to thwart the system by taking better care of myself, family and community than any paternalistic corporation ever did. ENRON anyone? Since when is controlling your own life in a manner calculated to save you and your economy selfish? If you happen to be one of the still determindly un-enlightened corporate horde who are (rightly) becoming scared of what's going to happen to the summer home, winter home, matching jet-skis and $100k budget for your daughter's wedding, now that the 'end workers' have figured it out, I suggest another martini and make it a double while you can still get decent Tuscan olives for under $10. You're pissed as hell, which I understand entirely - but no, you can't have my money anymore. I consume less, save more and donate surplus to my community both fiscally and materially (and this is something just about anyone can do, no matter their income level! I've known people who live well, despite a low income, utilizing these same strategies as well as friends who make well into six figures, recycling, reusing and donating time, funds and materials such as vehicles in good working order, to those who cannot afford them) - I'm glad to see most comments regarding this article are like-minded. Hmmmm....conserving is selfish? Well, for the past (how many decades?) America has been rolling Full-Tilt-Boogie along on the More is Better Boulevard - If some cannot honestly see where that path has taken us, then by all means, keep dancing on with the conga line as you chutzpah yourself right off the cliff. I'll wave as you go by. Leave your lawnchair, though - I'm sure someone could use it. :)
{"commentId":1889030,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"nannerlh"}
{"commentId":1884930,"authorDomain":"stewartshome"}
I think this is extreemism to its furthest extent. It is nothing more than glorified vagrancy and I think it's disgusting. You'll pick up more than garbage my friend. If you have the time to go garbage picking, you have the time to go get a job and buy things that are inexpensive but clean. I've heard this "trend" or whatever you call it, is called being a "freegan". It's plain disgusting and filthy! They ought to fine people for what you do! You're nothing more than grubs. Go get a job and EARN your living like the rest of us! Ugh!
{"commentId":1884930,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"stewartshome"}
#53 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 5:19 PM EDT{"commentId":1885739,"authorDomain":"cswharton2001"}
These people have jobs............good paying jobs at that! They don't seem to understand that what they're doing is actually in part FEEDING THE DOWNFALL OF THE ECONOMY AND HELPING TO FEED INFLATION.
{"commentId":1885739,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"cswharton2001"}
{"commentId":1900654,"authorDomain":"waltonmountain"}
Yeah, wild rampant greed and unrestrained consumerism is so much better. If you haven't signed over your soul for more credit, your just a unpatriotic piece of trash.
While I'm not eating out of the dumpster, reusing/recycling things out of the trash are economically and environmentally healthy. The rampant inflation and downfall of the economy are caused by unrestrained spending, massive national and personal debt, individual's ignorance of personal finance, tying our economy too closely with those of other nations, and the idiotic constant dropping of the interest rates.
{"commentId":1900654,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"waltonmountain"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1902488,"authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}
and the idiotic constant dropping of the interest rates.
This is the thing that pisses me way off. I am one of those few Americans who saves and invests (at least 10% of my income). When interest rates are cut, it affects the interest that people who are trying to be fiscally responsible are earning in safer investments such as money market funds. It's utter BS.
- J
{"commentId":1902488,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1902672,"authorDomain":"Andimia"}
I agree Josh. I remember when I used to make a boatload on my money market account way back before interest rates started getting slashed. I think that was 1999
{"commentId":1902672,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"Andimia"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1885195,"authorDomain":"takinggrades"}
Somebody has to work to buy the food, furniture, etc. before these freeloaders get their hands on it. Come on! Nothing is free!
{"commentId":1885195,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"takinggrades"}
#54 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 6:01 PM EDT{"commentId":1902521,"authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}
By that logic, can I assume you would not pick up a $20 you saw lying on the street? After all, you weren't the one who worked for it.
- J
{"commentId":1902521,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1885733,"authorDomain":"catjolie46"}
While I don't dumpster dive I have been living frugally for the last several years. I belong to free-cycle, which is wonderful if you are able to snag what it is you need. I also have signed up for various free sites on line. I haven't paid for a magazine subscription in eight years. No, you don't always get the magazines you want but free is free. Another thing that works for me is church sales. The prices are cheap and most of them have a bag sale. I have gotten curtains, bedding, clothing, kitchen appliances, dishes, etc. for a dollar a bag. Also, I visit the salvation army on half price day, which happens to be Wednesday in our area. Another suggestion is Angel Ministries. They sell a box of food for 30.00, pretty good deal. I don't believe it's in every date but check it out on line and see. Food pantries are another to get some food. Also, I recently found a good used bike for short trips, near home. Saves gas. I happen to live in an area where there is limited bus service but if that were an option, I would use it. Another good option for free entertainment is book sales at local libraries. I have gotten boxes of books, at less than three dollars a box. I also borrow movies there as well, not to mention books. One last suggestion is sharing. Get together with friends or family and share in big ticket items. Borrow his or her lawn mower, they borrow your snow blower. You both save.
{"commentId":1885733,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"catjolie46"}
#55 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 7:37 PM EDT{"commentId":1885812,"authorDomain":"cswharton2001"}
I find this VERY SELFISH of these people. They have very well paying jobs and prefer to get FREEBIES and horde their paychecks. These people ARE FEEDING RECESSIONS AND DEPRESSIONS in this country. When people don't BUY PRODUCTS, the people who work in companies that make these products lose their jobs! Those people in turn have to start living the same way as the dumpster divers and soon, the whole country is out of work...........at that point there won't be anything in those dumpsters to dive for! But don't worry the current dumpster divers will have full savings accounts! Do America a favor divers...........move to another country and pick their dumpsters!
{"commentId":1885812,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"cswharton2001"}
#56 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 7:51 PM EDT{"commentId":1885956,"authorDomain":"comycgyrl"}
I thank everyone for all the wonderful advice, both pro and con, I ran across this while reading an MSN NEWS comment, I think the whole recycle, freecycle movement is wonderful, I grow most of my own vegetables, but still rely on farmers for fruits and most meats, I do get venison and fish from family members who hunt, so that helps save, I do have a tip, if you live around the ocean you dont need a fishing license to fish, so essentially you could dust off the old rod and get out there and catch your dinner.
Here is wishing all of us a more liberating future.
{"commentId":1885956,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"comycgyrl"}
#57 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 8:14 PM EDT{"commentId":1886062,"authorDomain":"rdxx"}
We've renovated and redecorated our three-bedroom house for about $5,000, and expect about $2,000 in expenses before we're done. It takes a keen eye and patience...we found the bathroom cabinets on a curb, but kitchen cabinets are proving hard to find as most people keep those until they're falling apart.
We pick up everything but food off the curb... furniture, construction materials, books, tools and hardware, live plants, one time we found two bags full of clean, good condition, famous-label men's clothing outside a recently vacated rental. We end up using about half of what we find. The rest we store in the garage in case someone else will need it, put it on Freecycle, donate it to a thrift store, add it to the annual neighborhood yard sale, or...you guessed it... we put it back on the curb for someone else to find.
As a result our house is totally cute, we are a closer couple for having shared adventures together, and we seem to have fewer money worries than other couples. In fact, we've found so much great stuff, we're considering buying a truck for use on our outings.
We prefer to do our curb-shopping in two upscale neighborhoods near where we live, and "trash night" is a treat, we have a great time at it. We've never been bothered by the police, but to be on the safe side we carry I.D., I carry my member card from a prestigious professional association, and we keep the headlights on when we leave the car, so we won't look like burglars. We line the back seat and the trunk with old blankets to protect the leather, and carry a tool kit with screwdrivers, twine, and socket wrenches to disassemble larger items so they'll fit in the car, and carry small plastic ziplock bags to keep screws and hardware together for easy reassembly. In the front seat we keep gloves, flashlights, and hand sanitizer, ready for a quick "look-see" if we spot something promising. Then we pop in a CD and go hunting!
Getting your consumer goods this way takes longer than shopping, but browsing in a thrift store or driving around in search of curb treasure creates valuable opportunities for quality time.
{"commentId":1886062,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"rdxx"}
#58 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 8:33 PM EDT{"commentId":1886182,"authorDomain":"papersuprus"}
My favorite things for cost cutting are:
Adjusting the thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer
Garage sales-find almost anything you need for next to nothing
Craigslist-there are free things and also really good bargains on many things
Turn off the lights and agree with earlier poster about hot water tank-you really don't need to leave it on all the time.
Turn the car off when idling
Complain when you don't get good service or product-if you have legit issue companies will often replace or give you freebie-in the last month I have gotten 2 free meals for my family of 4
Lastly, patience-you don't need to see the movie when it first comes out, you don't need the hottest item, you don't need to buy clothes at the beginning of the season. I NEVER pay full price for clothing-has to be at least 50% off.
None of these are extreme but it all adds up. The closer to retirement I get (still another 15 years) the more I pinch the penny.
{"commentId":1886182,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"papersuprus"}
#59 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 8:52 PM EDT{"commentId":1887153,"authorDomain":"dkyllo1625"}
The thrift stores in the area where I live are getting almost as "pricey" as retail stores. I needed a set of sheets for my bed and the price they had for a very worn set was very close to the price of a new set at WalMart or Target. From now on I am going to donate my extra clothing and funriture to the local shelters. I think it is very sad that these thrift stores are becoming a farce!
{"commentId":1887153,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"dkyllo1625"}
#60 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 11:26 PM EDT{"commentId":1887255,"authorDomain":"bernardfeltzer"}
I used to have problems with people and rats going into my dumpster behind my shop. I solved the problem by urinating into it and dumping used kitty litter on top of waste daily.
{"commentId":1887255,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"bernardfeltzer"}
#61 - Tue Jun 3, 2008 11:37 PM EDT{"commentId":1888192,"authorDomain":"goldfishrox"}
I imagine the rats were probably already urinating in there, but well solved, Friend.
{"commentId":1888192,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"goldfishrox"}
{"commentId":1888127,"authorDomain":"goldfishrox"}
Every food chain has its parasites. Ours are the "Dumpster Divers."
{"commentId":1888127,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"goldfishrox"}
#62 - Wed Jun 4, 2008 1:27 AM EDT{"commentId":1888227,"authorDomain":"goldfishrox"}
Ok, duh, if you want to save money, don't spend money. I get it. Thanks for all the useful tips, there, Captain Obvious.
{"commentId":1888227,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"goldfishrox"}
- 1 vote
#63 - Wed Jun 4, 2008 1:41 AM EDT{"commentId":1888234,"authorDomain":"nannerlh"}
I'll always believe Lars Eighner wrote the watershed, definitive essay on this topic, appropriately titled, "On Dumpster Diving" in his biographical "Travels with Lizbeth; Two Years on the Road and on the Streets". To anyone for whom this article was an eye-opener, the book is a must-read.
While living in St. Louis' chic, pricey Central West End back in the 80's, I was appalled at the "Rich Enough to Waste It" mentality I seemed to be surrounded by.
Renting absurdly cheap digs in the now gone (sniffle) but grand Argyle Apartments (six square blocks of once elegantly appointed suites built in the 1920's, in a still chic shopping/restaurant district), 'The Argyle' had become a residential gathering place for local actors, writer, poets, artists and those who loved the shabbily grand (think marble floors, glassed in atelier-sunrooms and butler's pantries but no air conditioning, holes in floors, rats, finicky plumbing and the occasional body found in a dumpster) for less than $350 per month in a neighborhood of million-dollar homes.
It was an amazing community and a goldmine for observing waste and want, the out and out homeless, the frugally getting by on foodstamps and odd jobs, the upn'coming yuppie wanna be's in their Audi convertibles zipping down Maryland Avenue, the class-conscious "Uppers" and the true "Old Monied" denizens of Hortense and Waterman place - who sometimes dressed/behaved more like those of us in the Argyle, lending perhaps some credence to the saying, "The truly rich and the truly poor have more in common than many care to think about."
It was one of the 'Old Money" residents of the CWE who turned me on to the joys of dumpster-diving, as she excitedly pointed out two huge boxes of books left in an alley. Getting out of my car, I'd nodded to the eccentrically dressed, elegant older woman I always saw early in the mornings as she walked her dog. We'd never really spoken but today, she'd gestured as she saw me and I went over for a peek. Treasure indeed. Between the two of us we managed to add a good twenty books to our respective libraries and begin a friendship that ended only with her passing in 1997. Her family was apalled at her 'trash grabbing' but I admired her savvy and even more importantly, began to find myself challenged by her irritation at waste.
Understand, she was no compulsive collector of paper scraps, tinfoil and paper cups but something like a torn but obviously repairable (and originally expensive) down comforter, a barely stained winter sweater or a pair of still well-soled shoes in the trash would send her into fits. Food, too, was a frequent cause for colorful language, when she found unopened tins of food (still good; not 'bulgy'), shrink wrapped boxes of expensive teas or specialty food items. By degrees, I got over my "Horrors! It's Trash!" phobia and began to rethink my own habits of spending/waste/recycling. Her friendship/views have since proved to have been a gift beyond measure.
While - gratefully - I've never been so impoverished that I've had to sustain myself on dumpster foodstuffs, I've come to challenge my belief system regarding new vs 'used' items. The $75 silver-plated Revere vase the same one at Goodwill two weeks ago for $5, the Abercrombie shirt that retails for $60 is $2.50 on the 1st Saturday of each month at Value Village. Once you've bought the $60 shirt and washed it, isn't it already used? If a friend gave it to you because it didn't fit/suit him/her, wouldnt it still be 'used'? If you didn't tell anyone, who would know? Our culture's rabid determination to have everything we want in every style, color, design made, the very nano-second we want it, is, I feel is part and parcel of why our country is facing the economic crises we find ourselves mucked in, and a huge contributor to the World's environmental woes. I actually once had the HR Director of one of the Midwest's largest employee motivation research companies tell me that I was not to reveal the fact that most of my clothes were second-hand. I was working as a Project Assistant (read 'Buttboy/girl") for less than $12K per year but we were routinely admonished to "Dress One Administrative Level Up" in order to make the 'proper impression' for possible advancement. To this day, I shake my head at the concept and wonder how those around me with children to feed and families to support made it through. I'd made the mistake of answering a compliment on a Liz Claiborne suit with the comment, "Oh, I got it at Goodwill". I was actually told NEVER to let that information 'get around the company".
As of today, I purchase roughly 90% of my clothing through sources NOT in the mainstream. I can't tell you the last time I purchased a major clothing item in a mall; or most any item for that matter. I rely on "Freecycle" "Craigslist" and Ebay for the majority of my clothing, household items and furniture. I buy brand-new lots of brand-name toilet paper, toiletries, and etc at flea market malls. I still grab items on "Big Trash Day" - my latest foray at an internationally recognized university near my home netted me two gorgeous, orignial oil-paintings done by some art student for a project, half a dozen huge, lidded storage units on wheels, a huge clay flower pot and a 5' German Christmas Tree that came from an extremely expensive home furnishings dealer in NYC. I draw the 'line' at shoes and delicate 'underthings' but nearly every item in my home is from salvage/consignment - and you'd never know if you weren't told.
Rethink your wants! Understand the concept of 'need'! Raise a toast to the bold, bodacious and unafraid Dumpster Divas, Salvage Sultans and Treasure Seekers among us. There's bounty out there! ARGGGGHHHHH!
{"commentId":1888234,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"nannerlh"}
- 1 vote
#64 - Wed Jun 4, 2008 1:42 AM EDT{"commentId":1900833,"authorDomain":"knuchly2"}
write these experiences in a book, I'd love t read it, fantastic story and writing
{"commentId":1900833,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"knuchly2"}
{"commentId":1901809,"authorDomain":"bluebayou24"}
StJulian
As interesting and informative as your comments are I have to admit I only read the 1st couple lines, the middle "meat" and your closing line. Don't mean to be rude I just wanted to share my opinion on reading comments.
{"commentId":1901809,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"bluebayou24"}
{"commentId":1890831,"authorDomain":"vanpacking"}
I would dumpster dive for food only if I was hungry. This is because I don't eat processed food and I prefer to live a minimalist lifestyle, not a frugal or free lifestyle. Minimalist means stepping away from the dumpster, not greedily searching it for "more stuff". Less stuff is my personal goal.
{"commentId":1890831,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"vanpacking"}
#65 - Wed Jun 4, 2008 10:55 AM EDT{"commentId":1891831,"authorDomain":"jdanise"}
What I find amazing is that those who belittle what we do just do not get it. I have a job in the IT arena and make what would be considered a pretty good salary. I suppose I am tired of supporting greed in this country. We buy houses that are huge and then fill them with stuff so we have to buy bigger houses to hold our new stuff. These people are idiots having bought into corporate america's you must buy all these things to make your life complete. Go to Europe and you will see how taxes and prices have forced all but the rich to live frugaly. I find it funny that most of the world wants to be like us and for me they can have it. All these things have not made me happier. As for supporting the economy, screw the economy. I am not the one who turned this country into a debtor nation nor am I the one who decided the way to run the economy was to get a bunch of idiots to put themselves into debt to own stuff. If you want to do it, then by God spend away and I do not care. I do not dumpster dive but given the right set of circumstances would if I needed to. Keep living you life the way you are and I wish you well, but it will catch up with you. Sure going to be hard to sell that house so you have room for you new stuff now that the housing market has collapsed.
{"commentId":1891831,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"jdanise"}
#66 - Wed Jun 4, 2008 12:36 PM EDT{"commentId":1898781,"authorDomain":"nannerlh"}
A Final Thought on Conserving/Recycling... Think you're truly serious about recycling and living green? How's about dying green...
Check out Ideal Bite's site for Eco Funerals...
I won't be shutting off my internet, bicycling to work or utilizing corn cobs for privy paper anytime in the near future but this IS one pathway I've chosen.
My interest in this topic began shortly after reading Jessica Mitford's "The American Way of Death" (recently reissued as "The American Way of Death Revisited"). Innumerable outside forces influence just about every nuance of our lives - we really have no choice over how/where we're born, the quality of care we receive at that time, and for the rest of our lives, many of struggle with the balance of how to keep from losing ourselves to what I refer to as the 'outside': employment, familial and personal responsibilities.
There are three, wholly, all-encompassing physical acts that we all share; two of them deeply entwined with the presence of another (no, I'm not counting solitary 'romantic' encounters here, sorry) and both of them usually with some pre-meditation; our Moms probably had some idea of when each of us was going to make our debut, and with regard to sex, it takes two to tango (five to play Twister) and at some point between steamy glances over the menu, and foggy rear windshields, we likewise have some control over where/when.
Not so with Dying. Yes, we may have a serious illness and some sort of prognosis/timeline but often the accuracy of same can't be depended upon. Aside from that, none of us truly know when what I call "The Great Piano in the Sky" will hurtle down much like Monty Python's "Foot" and ring down our collective curtains. That occasion is still at the mercy of the luck of the draw, His Master Plan, or knowing not to order oysters out of season at an establishment named "Fred's Fine Dining and Tackle".
As a matter of fact, no, I don't enjoy thinking about it and these aren't plans I expect to put into play anytime before 2035. I need a few more decades to perfect my Italian, smooch on my sweet patootie and pester my brother into letting me drive his Porsche. Mitford's book was required reading for a psych class and while repelled initially, I found myself greatly disturbed in finding out exactly what was going to happen to me, specifically and in great detail, once the toe-tag was in place - and apalled at how relatively few people take informed action as to how or if those procedures take place. If you've never given a thought to the processes which WILL take place if you or a loved one opt for a 'traditional' funeral, I urge you to arm yourself with Mitford's book in one hand and a hefty shot of Crown Royal in t'other (or several for that matter)and make some decisions for yourself.
So, there we are - the one remaining Life Event that cannot be booked online, TicketMaster or no, however, we do have some control over once the toe tag is in place, and I was shocked to learn at just how environmentally unfriendly and wasteful the whole mortuary process is in this country. Think of just how many folks die in a given day here in the US - the chemicals, the materials used in casketry and the space taken up by a vault that is NOT going to keep you from eventually looking like ...er....well, a corpse and you'll see a major contributor to pollution, dwindling space and excessive financial waste. Cremation - my family's preferred idea - is still a viable option; financially responsible, requires little treatment or mortuary involvement and takes up far less room than vaults but still contributes pollutants to the atmosphere. Donating one's body to science is an immensely noble and worthy choice - probably the most worthy (to my mind) but again, how the remains of the ...er...remains are disposed of, should still be questioned.
I won't go into it at length but in the past hundred years or so, we've gone from a society able to embrace, accept and grieve the transition into death, with simplicity to - again - a consumerist mentality where we consider designer fashions and highly-priced crates, "all the better to decompose in, my dear..." I've known families who have taken on years of debt they could ill afford to give their loved one a 'proper' sendoff (usually at the behest of of the family members or friends NOT involved in paying for it) Funnily enough, we seem to have freed ourselves from the fridid sexual mores of Queen Victoria's day, only to have shifted that reluctant, frigid mentality to the facts of Death. Television talk shows abound with details for kicking up your sex lives a notch or two, perfect strangers on public transportation will loudly and at length, broadcast the most intimate details of their sexual proclivities via bluetooth, while those inclined to do so, can post their 'special' fondness for latex, jello, sheep or Earnest Borgnine at Myspace - BUT, ask one of these folks, out of the clear blue, about how they plan to dispose of their remains, or their personal feelings about formaldehyde and the hot topic of conversation turns frigid, minds and mouths slamming shut like an iron chastity belt. I realized I'd spent decades planning my life's events but not so much as an hour in thinking about how I'd be treated after I shed this mortal coil - and I found it was worth thinking about. From the practical point of view, there's the money - I cannot imagine burdening my loved ones with demands for thousands of dollars to be shoveled into the ground with me. I'd far rather they take the cost of a 'good' funeral and throw a helluva shindig in my name, take a trip to some amazing, far-away place and take me in spirit, or donate that amount to a good cause. The Eco funeral appeals to me on just about every level; I won't be burdening my family with the added stress of funeral debt and funeral planning - My brother and I buried our Mom just this past January and I can attest that even though our Funeral Director and staff were absolutely the most compassionate, considerate and helpful folks in the world, the stress of phone calls, meetings, time-frames and other umpty-dozen decisions were draining beyond belief; and our Mom had pre-planned nearly everything. The million details that suddenly jump up out of nowhere when you're numbly trying to function through tears, is staggering. I won't be needed the services of a cosmetician, fashion consultant, casket maker or using up the hours spent 'prepping', nor will I be poked, prodded, prepped and pumped with enough preservative chemicals to keep me in good company with Lenin. Remember me as I was - hopefully prior to 1985, and during that ten-minute time frame when I actually wore a size 7. I could care less about being dressed up, made up, caked up and faked up like a Todd Browning feature player,
"But what about the living?" "They need the funeral - they need the solace, release, closure..." Of course they do, and they WILL get it - in time; which wounds all heels (thank you Ms. Parker) as it always has and will. Healing in the sound of wind-tossed boughs, rain patter on an autumn mosaic of leaves, a solitary fern or laughter of a child picking buttercups by my feet. I want to be saved from the all-eternal clatter and chatter of a concrete city sprawl, a vast metropolis of mausoleums, stone citizenry crowding together, jockeying and jostling for space in death as in life.
Solace? Release? Closure? Again, I say, let revels commence and healing begin not in tears but in laughter, fond company and good spirits (preferably 100 proof).
And yes, it was hard not to give in to the tempation to use the following words/phrases:
skullduggery
Espirit d' Corpse
Body of work
Make no bones about it.....
{"commentId":1898781,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"nannerlh"}
#67 - Thu Jun 5, 2008 4:35 AM EDT{"commentId":1900896,"authorDomain":"Andimia"}
How's about dying green...
Just wait. At the end of this year the government is banning CFC propelled asthma inhalers. The new ones are more expensive and do not get the medication into the lungs of the asthmatic as well. The CFC ones are "putting a hole in the earth's atmosphere." so they have to be banned. You will soon see an increase of asthmatics dying green. It is inevitable.
{"commentId":1900896,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"Andimia"}
{"commentId":1900000,"authorDomain":"katrinka13"}
My husband and I have found lots of free areas in DFW. On Saturday's if we want coffee, we go to a furniture store that has free coffee, go to Sam's/Costco for free samples and we even found a free internet website to watch first run movies!
{"commentId":1900000,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"katrinka13"}
#68 - Thu Jun 5, 2008 10:09 AM EDT{"commentId":1902048,"authorDomain":"ashburyweb"}
I'm all in favor of supporting the economy but not at the expense of the environment and the health of my children and future grandchildren
Sure, it's nice to save money but it is more important to me to minimize waste. We are poisoning the earth with mountains of garbage leaking toxic chemicals into our air and water. So we now buy water in bottles and add the bottles to our landfills. Will we soon be buying cylinders of air because we have polluted that so much that it is not safe to breathe? The visual pollution is even worse. America the Beautiful is rapidly becoming past tense. It used to be a crime to be a "Litter Bug" but now drivers throw cigarette butts out their car windows onto streets already littered with beer cans, fast food wrappers, grocery bags and worse. Sure we can support the economy and buy more grocery bags and plastic water bottles that are made from ever decreasing oil supplies. And people wonder why the price of gas is increasing? Go figure!
{"commentId":1902048,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"ashburyweb"}
- 1 vote
#69 - Thu Jun 5, 2008 1:47 PM EDT{"commentId":1902147,"authorDomain":"bluebayou24"}
Katrina's Dad,
I don't know how old you are hoever I just wanted to share...My favorite T.V. commercial of all time is the Native American Indian coming over the hill with a tear rolling down his face and seeing the liter of the land...Not like me to get off subject but I wonder if anyone else remembers that commercial.
{"commentId":1902147,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"bluebayou24"}
{"commentId":1902688,"authorDomain":"Andimia"}
Will we soon be buying cylinders of air because we have polluted that so much that it is not safe to breathe?
We're called asthmatics.
{"commentId":1902688,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"Andimia"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1902808,"authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}
Or bar patrons
{"commentId":1902808,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1903291,"authorDomain":"Andimia"}
I wish we had a bar like that where I live. Some of them are so smoke filled that you could cut the air with a knife.
{"commentId":1903291,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"Andimia"}
{"commentId":1903695,"authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}
Some of them are so smoke filled that you could cut the air with a knife.
At the risk of pissing a bunch of people off with this, one of the best things that happened here in AZ in the last few years was making smoking in all vars and restaurants illegal. I am once again able to get smashed ion a public place instead of all alone at home.
- J
{"commentId":1903695,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"josh-of-arc"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1902545,"authorDomain":"skoolgrll"}
Wow alot of extremists here!! Well Here are my $$ saving tips
1. freecycle.com
2. paperbackswap.com
3. dvdswap.com
4. costco for gas and ONLY the items you use daily dont buy in bulk what will sit for months!
5. thrift stores often have coupons and special "sale "days
6. hand-me-down from friends/family
7. you can ebay good clothes you or your kids wont used anymore, and buy other ebayed clothes or itmes you need with your $$
8. keep you $$ in paypal from what you have sold on line and when a good deal arises on ebay use that $$ to by it, that way you dont cut into budget or spend on CC.
9. The park is a great outdoor trip the kids would rather spend a day there than a 2hour drive each way to an amusment park with high cost food and long waiting lines
10. Drive-in-theatures! Kids are usually free, adult pay $5-7 pp for 2-3 movies bring your own dinner/snacks/drinks and if the kids are noisy rolling up the windows wont disturb the neighbors!
11. yard sales are always best on Sunday when people just want to "get rid of" what left!!
12. plan a fruit tree=shade+food!!! You can sell or donate surplus, people are always happy to pick if you have too much!!
13. Farmers markets for veggies is the way to go/plus local=healthier and fresher and helping your neighborhood growers!!
14. always look online for coupons codes or best prices when you plan to buy things, you can often take a printed ad to a store and they will even match.
15. look at your local ymca, and local tv channels for neighborhood activities. classes are offered much cheaper!!
16. go to your city/towns webpage for deals/discounts and rebates. (our town has grant $ posted for free to qualified houses to make upgrades) called city beautification funds!! = freeremodeling!!
17. always have AAA it's not expensive but saves a ton of $ on flattires/jumps/lock outs, and discounts to practically everywhere, plus free maps and travel books for the asking.
18. If you go out shopping ask if they have AAA discount/senior/student (Im a 28y old college lifer)/ local/ or ANY discount it pays to just ask!!
19. Don't ever be ashamed or afraid to hit the clearence mark down bin!!
ALWAY CHECK ITEM CAREFULLY trash/free/thrift/yard/dents what ever can harbor alot more than just spiders think safety first, STAYING HEALTHY saves $$ too!!
{"commentId":1902545,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"skoolgrll"}
- 1 vote
#70 - Thu Jun 5, 2008 2:38 PM EDT{"commentId":1903242,"authorDomain":"bluebayou24"}
We have all read this...it is the most commented on of the interests I subsribe to. Our government sends billions over seas yet we here in the States still have food stamps and homeless and church organizations feeding our populations. Why are you so discusted at "dumpster diving" when you are aware of this???
{"commentId":1903242,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"bluebayou24"}
#71 - Thu Jun 5, 2008 4:02 PM EDT{"commentId":1908201,"authorDomain":"zxeb"}
For over 30 yrs, I have been going to thrift shops. I am always looking for ideas to save, & have found some good ways on msg boards. In the summer months, I don't turn on the hot water tank, water is warm enough for showers. I boil a pan of water on the stove for dishes.
{"commentId":1908201,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"zxeb"}
#72 - Fri Jun 6, 2008 9:56 AM EDT{"commentId":1937470,"authorDomain":"mattnewby08"}
This was a very interesting article. I used to live in Seattle University District and almost all the furniture I had was picked from college students' discards. I'm talking leather sofas, Lay-Z-Boy recliners, espresso machines and the like. People will throw out anything that doesn't suit their taste. What a consumerist society we live in! I am all about saving money by using what other people don't want anymore and looking for bargains. The one thing we have to be careful of is shopping at stores (when we do buy things new) that are not Fair-trade or have been known to exploit unfair labor or child labor. People would be surprised at how many corporations unfairly produce goods and exploit the workers that make them overseas. WE CANNOT SUPPORT THIS. Other goods may be a bit more expensive, but at least it can be bought with good conscience. Companies like Nike, Nestle, and other corporations should lose business because of their crimes against humanity.
{"commentId":1937470,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"mattnewby08"}
- 1 vote
#73 - Wed Jun 11, 2008 6:42 AM EDT{"commentId":1985741,"authorDomain":"chris-14"}
This seems like Charles Darwin at work to me. One of these half-wit bums will eat a tainted piece of food or stab themselves with a needle infected with something bad and the free-cycling cause will be down by one participant.
We elevate these people to heights they simply don't deserve. 20 years ago we would have called them what they are, vagrants
{"commentId":1985741,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"chris-14"}
#74 - Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:24 AM EDT{"commentId":1990063,"authorDomain":"amb2745"}
I do agree with some of the posters here about dumpster diving for food. You can get sick from it, and then you may need a doctor, thus spending money for office visit, drugs, etc. when you could have avoided this by not getting food from a dumpster in the first place. Many of the ideas here about buying food on sale, clipping coupons, dollar store shopping, etc. make the most sense, and have been utilized moreso when times are getting tight like they are now. Cable TV, you could probably do without, the internet however is more trickier because you can do more things online such as find websites like CouponBug that provide printable coupons for money off food items. Also other frugal websites with how to save money. I myself do have one great savings"ace in the hole", and that's my wife's job at CVS. I am entitled to her employee discount privleges, so I can buy items at CVS at 20% off regular price, 30% off if it's a CVS store brand item. And their store brand items are just as good as name brands. Sometimes they will discount end of season items at large markdown, and with her discount, I can get stuff even less than the markdown. The only drawback are sale items marked "with card" meaning CVS extra care card. Unfortunately, the employee discount acts as the extra care card for items on sale with extra care card, so I only get the sale price for an item.
{"commentId":1990063,"threadId":"276542","contentId":"1532808","authorDomain":"amb2745"}
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