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A dumpster diving tale

February 24th, 2008 at 05:33 pm

I'm not a dumpster diver, though I've dug through one or two full bins in my adult life. I'm also not a curb crawler, though I've found a few good things on curbs. However, I don't set out to locate items using either of those methods. I just kind of happen upon them now and then. Like this morning.

DH took the trash out at his office and seemed to be gone a long time. When he returned he came into the room where I was resting (I have the flu..ugh!) with a new plastic rolling cart loaded with boxes. Apparently, someone had dumped a lot, and I do mean a lot, of good office supplies in the dumpster. In addition to the cart itself, there were 25 expanding file folders, a case or two of perfectly good, still in the wrapper paper, both letter and legal sizes, 5 desk top organizers, several hole punchers of various sizes, a brand new AT&T phone, 35 new and unused 3 ring notebooks, 3 steno pads, and more pens, highliters, markers, sticky notes and flags, rubber bands and plastic paper clips than you can imagine.

He told me there was more and asked me to go along with him. So I did. On that second run, we got two easel pads (but no easel) a very large roll of butcher paper, a clothes hanging bag, more expanding file folders, desktop organizers, notebooks, pens, highlighters, markers, sticky notes and flags, rubber bands, and plastic paper clips. Oh, and we found change in the organizers, .44 to be exact. That goes to my $20 challenge fund. There's more but my brain isn't operating too well thanks to the virus and that's all I can remember right now.

When I feel up to it, we'll go through it all and decide what to keep and will Freecycle the rest of it. My thought through all this was, "Why would someone throw all this out??" For the life of me, I can't imagine the reason for such waste. This stuff is perfectly good and all of it is almost new. What silliness...

Posted in $20 Challenge, Just Life | 11 Comments »

11 Responses to “A dumpster diving tale”

  1. thriftorama Says:
    February 24th, 2008 at 06:23 pm 1203877391
    1203877391

    I'm glad you rescued all that stuff. I hate it when people throw away perfectly good stuff when they could have donated it or freecycled...

  2. Maismom Says:
    February 24th, 2008 at 08:29 pm 1203884978
    1203884978

    Great find! Expense for office supplies can add up quickly. Good for you!

  3. creditcardfree Says:
    February 24th, 2008 at 08:57 pm 1203886627
    1203886627

    You may be able to sell that phone on ebay...put the money towards debt payoff!

  4. James Says:
    February 25th, 2008 at 12:01 am 1203897715
    1203897715

    That is very good, I wished I could find those things. About the organizers you found, could you send one to me. I have made my own organizer but I still would like a proper one.

    This is my current organizer.
    http://www.makingbysaving.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=988

    I hope to hear from you soon.

  5. Carolina Bound Says:
    February 25th, 2008 at 02:55 pm 1203951347
    1203951347

    That's how some people clean up -- they just toss it! Crazy!

  6. Aleta Says:
    February 25th, 2008 at 04:17 pm 1203956232
    1203956232

    I also hate to see perfectly good items thrown away. I tried a FLyLady trick in putting an item on the curb of my property with a sign that said Free. In 5 minutes it was picked up, no kidding. Even, if it's lumber, someone could use it for small projects. Don't throw it away. Good job on rescuing those supplies. You probably have no idea of how much money you saved yourself by doing that.

  7. ceejay74 Says:
    February 25th, 2008 at 06:18 pm 1203963514
    1203963514

    My condo has an unofficial "free table" by the recycle bins and garbage. It's great; no matter what we put on there gets picked up within half an hour (from the time we drop it off on our way to the gym to when we come back after our workout). I put this really ugly but perfectly servicable coat there just the other day and it got picked up. And I'm sure some people would think we're crazy for the things we take from it, but one man's trash is another's treasure, for sure!

  8. Lux Living Frugalis Says:
    February 25th, 2008 at 06:25 pm 1203963918
    1203963918

    Excellent haul! Woot!!!

    Yeah, why don't people call the Disabled American Veterans, Salvation Army or Goodwill or some other local charity that will come by and pickup that stuff for free??

    So wasteful otherwise!!

  9. Aleta Says:
    February 25th, 2008 at 06:47 pm 1203965235
    1203965235

    Problem with these organizations is that they want the stuff to be in pretty good shape or they don't want to pick it up. I know that there are a lot of homeless areas where the items would really be welcomed.

  10. carol Says:
    February 26th, 2008 at 09:12 am 1204017178
    1204017178

    wow great find how exiting,lucky you im sure you will make great use of it,i can,t believe how wasteful some people can be.

  11. DeniseNTexas Says:
    February 26th, 2008 at 10:42 pm 1204065736
    1204065736

    I just love a good free haul like that one! And get this, when we took trash out last night, there was more! We were on our way somewhere so we didn't stop to get it all and then it rained so it got ruined. But I think we'll see more there as that's the second time we've found really good stuff in that dumpster. The last time it was an Oreck rechargeable vacuum cleaner!

    And James, they aren't those kinds of organizers. They're desk trays/organizers. Smile

    Yep, it was a great find and we're happily sharing the bounty with a friend of ours right now as I type. lol

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