Free For The Taking

[Wayne Goodwin]

Ever Dumpster Dived ?

Ever Picked something up the people set out for trash with intent to fix it up ?

[Wayne Goodwin]

When i was smaller i used to go to land field when it was closed with my Ex's family to look for things of value . It was hard to crawl over or under that fence . We really found some good stuff we could use .

[P.A.]

I have a small bedside table in Caleb's room that I picked up beside the dumpster over 40 years ago. I would not have gotten it if it was inside the dumpster.

[Lifesighs]

I've found some very nice things at garage sales, never been to a dump or picked up anything from a curb.

[flippr 2.0]

i go to garage sales and flea markets.

[Shadowman]

Back in about 1985 I was living in Madison, WI and someone put a push lawnmower out by their trash and I took it. The engine appeared to be frozen up but it really just had a wire or a lot of twine or something wound up between the shaft and frame.  After I took it apart and took that out it worked fine.  In fact I have used it all these years besides my other mowers and this forenoon I was using it and the handle broke off. Luckily I had a spare that I also salvaged from a junk mower. Maybe I will get back and talk more trash later.   :-)

[T2Friends]

A very long time ago I found a perfectly good adirondack chair in the alley one night and brought it home with me.  Painted it and had the thing for years.  A couple of weeks ago I was driving through a neighborhood in RI that I had never been through before.  Just looking around and exploring.  Some really beautiful homes.  There was a headboard and footboard to a beautiful turned wood bed, looked like full or queen on the side of the road.  I had no need for it, but it would have been a great find for someone, it was lovely.  I wasn't sure if it was trash or not, but I suspect it was one of those "take it away for free kind of things.  Living in the City you need to be aware of what you are bringing in the house, bed bugs are rampant these days  and that is a sure fire way to introduce them to your house.     

[crestofwaves]

Once I passed a house and saw a really tall dog gate at the trash.  I picked it up.  I guess their dog died and I had two at the time, so the gate came in very handy.

[blithe spirit]

I have a beautiful dining table my Grandmother found on the side of the road in a ditch. It's been refurbished  and it's just beautiful, and sits in my dining room.

[Kim]

My son when he was still in his teens was given permission to dumpster dive LITERALLY at a computer place. They gave him the inside scoop that there was brand new mother boards, towers, etc. TODAY, he BUILDS computers as a a "side" job...he taught himself and he has a roomful of free supplies to do it with. He is highly organized so its not a trash heap.

Our city every since I was little has a weekly..."set your crap on the curb" day (NOT really what they call it...LOL!!) and it was the highlight of our week because back then, if people didn't want it, they TOSSED it!! NO ONE ever really had garage sales and Salvation Army was the only ones you could donate to I guess and you had to HAUL it there. NO PICK UP!! ANYWAY, the most AWESOME thing I found was about 20 BRAND NEW/LIKE NEW Dr. Seuss Books and some other books over the years.

Every Thursday when my grandfather was alive, my dad used to go around looking for appliances, vacuums, stereos, and TVs for my grandfather/his dad who would in turn, CUT the cords,  strip the wire, and sell the copper. He did it as a hobby and was excited at how much money he received though he always gave the money to someone who needed it or to a charity. I don't recall a time he ever kept it.

The one thing I could think of that ME, myself got was when my daughter moved in, she was set up in my craft room and I had given her some Rubbermaid boxes for her clothes when I saw my neighbor had set a large dresser on the curb. I asked if he minded me taking it and he not only didn't MIND< he carried it across the street to me!! Of course it was nicked up a bit but nothing REALLY wrong with it. And I did NOT care what it looked like!!