Dumpster Diving-Garage Sale-Goodwill-Thrift Store & Craigslist Finds

[deerman]

Wal -mart i though i had hit the jack pot , their dumpster was full of plants in the fall, no leaves , but still alive. Nooooo sign said if you removed anything from the dumpster, they would charge you.

what they're going to the landfill.....oh well.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

What a waste! Our Alco store in town throws all their potting soil and mulch away in the fall. I was taking my dog for a walk one day and saw all that good stuff overflowing out of there. That evening after they closed I brought the truck and loaded up. I was bent down grabbing a bag of mulch when a cop car pulled up. He rolled down his window and said "what are you doing?"And my reply was "look at all this mulch they're just tossing in the garbage. I can't see it going to waste. Then he says "I wasn't here" and drives away! I seriously got like 20 bags of each. They could have clearanced them out. It seems kind of stupid to me.
We have plenty of money to buy these goodies I've found in the dumpster. With our planet's limited resources I think it's very irresponsible to waste things the way we do.

 

[Zephyr Farms]

Quote:
Good for you!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Good for you!

X2.

 

[Whispering Winds]

I just got 250 ft. (well, maybe 240, I think I lost a small piece on the way home, dang Illinois wind!) of chicken wire for free. He had used it around the garden, and had folded most of it flat, but we can work that out, and I can use it for more security around the base of the chicken run . . .

A friend of ours one year (I think they have stopped this now, because they consider it stealing, which is stupid, because if its in a dumpster, in my opinion, its free pickings . . .) was sort of lost in the big shopping area we all go too for big stores and came out behind a Lowe's or something . . . found a HUGE green wreath in the dumpster not a thing wrong with it, and brought it home and to this day they hang it on their house outside every year. . .It was at least 20' across . . .plain, but they wove lights in it and those big plastic ornaments you can get at the $1 stores and its wonderful!!! We think it was one the store used in their own decorations, because we have never seen one that big for sale on the floor. . .I was so jealous!!!

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
Good for you!

X2.

Another thing you can try, a guy I worked with could always get the best deals on this stuff, was at the end of the gardening/landscaping season and they have maybe 50 blocks left for landscaping, offer them $xx for all of them and see if they will take it. A lot of the time they will because they don't want to have to move them for the next inventory. A nice cop too . . .

I think this is another reason this country is in the shape its in economically . . .even 50cents a bag would have made them something back . . .WM use to cut their clothes with scissors before putting them in the dumpster . . .how crazy is that!!!

 

[Whispering Winds]

Quote:
I LOVE that room . . .you have a talent for that for sure. . . .and what a deal on that table . . .and the chairs!!!! I am going to have to start looking along the road. BUT, be careful taking in upholstered furniture, no matter how good it looks. BedBugs are taking over the country, and there is a chance they might have set it out because of that . . .I read more and more about them and how horrible they are to get rid of, because the usual pesticides do not work on them.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Oh I am jealous to the 10th power with the chicken wire. Great score! Good job.

 

[Dar]

I USED to do this kind of stuff all the time.. I was known for my abilities of finding rare and weird things... when I was first starting out after college I was able to set up my first appointment for free!

but then with the increase of BED BUGS and COCKROACHES I refuse to buy anything used or get anything used again...and its not because I have snuffed my nose at it, its just the cost of getting rid of unwanted pests can far out way the savings of getting it for a good deal or free

my oldest sons dorm had a BAD bed bug problem last spring... it started in the west wing and by September they were all the way through the building... he left rez at easter because of the problem. We took his clothes to the laundry mat and washed everything there and called a local pest control company and they put his computer and other electrical things in a box and fumigated the box...waited a few days and they said it was clear and they did not see signs of anything... phew....


the story on campus is that someone (or a few) ppl picked up a chair and a futon from the side of the road and they were infested .... BUT an unconfirmed report said it was from exchange students that came in on the exchange program and brought them in at the beginning of the spring semester.. (february)

 

[they'reHISchickens]

Love Craig'sList!! Yesterday we picked up a 12 hole chicken nest, 2 wall hanging metal feeders and a 5 gallon waterer AND 2 chicken catchers for $25! The nests had the setup to roll the eggs out to prevent egg eating. Never saw that kind in a hanging hole feeder before.
Took it to my DD's. She's been looking for a small hanging nest set. She has access to all sorts of tools so we decided to use the 12-nest and cut into a 6 nest and 4 nest. ( You lose one in the process.) Neither of us need a full 12 nest set. Left her with one of the feeders too!
But that wasn't my best score... not by a long shot!
18 months ago there was a Free listing for dog kennels. Went to see the lady. They were selling their house and wanted their 20x20 dog kennel with plastic wood flooring and 6 ft fencing with 3 doors and 2 large doghouses removed. Free. Wow. Mom has a plan!
Called my DS and SIL. They are thinking mom is crazy but they go with me and DH. Take everything apart, load it on the flatbed. Haul it home. Still thinking mom is crazy but they love me. Good boys and I have them trained well.
1. Fencing and 2 large doghouses go to DD. She needs a chicken fence and additional coop. Fence is put up and first doghouse is awesome second coop. SIL is happy. Second doghouse stays and waits for use... 18 months later she turned it into an awesome 2-broody house.
2. plastic wood flooring is in 8x10 sections and laying on flatbed whilst DS and SIL start thinking. I figured DS could replace the flooring on his aged porch.May have been a dog kennel but Plastic wood is impervious to everything and very expensive!
SIL checks out the foundation of the summer kitchen just removed from the back of the farmhouse because it was literally falling down. Do you suppose? They start measuring. Turns out the flooring sections fit perfectly inside the foundation and make one super awesome patio right outside the farmhouse back door. DS and SIL no longer thinking mom is crazy and DIL quite happy with new patio too!
3.I claimed one section of fencing with door because we needed one to separate sections of our run.

Every piece of the load was repurposed and is very useful, made 3 families happy, and it was FREEEEE!