Welcome to Trashy Tuesday, where we talk trash, literally.
Let me tell you, the trash is starting to take over my house. The garage is bursting, my driveway is beginning to look like Sanford and Sons and yet I still can’t stop!!!!!
Dumpster Diving is an addiction.
There, I said it. They say this is the first step in admitting you have a problem. I literally cannot begin my day, if I haven’t peaked in at least one dumpster. I have forced myself to give up Wednesdays, and I wouldn’t consider Sundays. (Wednesdays because this is trash day for my favorite dumpster, so I have made it a dumpster free day…..but sometimes I might go peak Wednesday afternoon).
My problem is spreading to other bloggers. I got a phone call from Shelly at A Little Bit o’ Shizzle yesterday that she and her husband had just experienced their first dumpster dive. She had to share as it was exhilarating, yet disgusting. Yep, it can be a gross business. I used to not actually “enter” the dumpster, but I crossed that line a few months ago. Karin from Art is Beauty proudly displays her “Dumpster Diving Team” badge on her blog. She is on my team, and we are winning. If we want something bad enough, in we go.
I found this ladder, you know how I LOVE ladders. You can see one of my favorites HERE.
Yes, there is a lot of junk around it…..My junk likes company
What in the heck is this? I don’t know, but I found it behind a furniture store and I had to bring it home. I can imagine some fun color from CeCe Caldwell’s paints and something funky done with those branches shoved in there. No wonder they put it out back, it is pretty awful in its current state.
I also found this way cool GIANT canvas. The picture is cool, but I am thinking of painting over it with a primer and doing something graphic, like our family last’s name. I am still looking around my house where I can shove this thing. (I mean hang)
Two weeks ago I went to a garage sale and saw this little sideboard. It was in sad condition. Painted with a really high gloss white, there was so much paint on it, the drawers didn’t even open. They were asking $40 for it. I considered going back at the end of the day and offering $5 to take it off their hands. I knew no one was going to pay $40 for something that needed so much work. I forgot all about it until last week with I was taking a walk through my neighborhood. There was the dresser, on the side of the driveway, amongst a bunch of trash!!!! Apparently the residents had hastily moved and left what they didn’t want. Well, if I didn’t high tail it back to my car and load that up! Emma spent some time trying to strip it last week, but we discovered this piece has very deep roots. Getting back to it soon…..
Recently, I encountered an amazing cache of drawers at my favorite dumpster. Usually I can skim the surface well enough to get the goods I want. I thought I had collected all of them when I spotted another drawer, DEEP into the dumpster. I had to do some quick calculating, was it worth it for me to actually climb in for this one s0-so drawer? Then it came to me, I need a fishing spear for items in the dumpster. Quick look around, and I found this!
Just a little clever maneuvering, and this drawer was quickly pulled to the top where I grabbed it. I didn’t really want to lug this thing home, so I hid it in the back of the dumpster, where everyone seems to think their cardboard boxes go. (even though there is a legit cardboard dump in my town, people are lazy).
Good thing people like to throw out whatever, because I like working for my junque! No “l’être paresseux” for moi!
Anytime we find something like the big canvas it is good to get it and paint (or something else) over it. Wish I had a canvas that large. Love your blog!
I carry a garden “claw” (it looks like a cross between a hoe and a rake with 5 downward bent tines) in the back of my truck. It extends my reach for many things… for pulling stuff out of the truck that have slide up to the cab, for pulling out river driftwood where there might be snakes, for pulling stuff out of a pile or dumpster, and so on. It’s great!
Quick question, Is dumpster driving illegal? I live in Pennsylvania and would love to try it but am afraid I could get in trouble for doing it. Love your redoux!
See Below!
🙂 fun post to read! I’ve gone ‘trashing’ as we called it, once. It was fun and there is quite a high to be gotten from finding cool stuff for free! I really must hook up with some ladies I know around here and go with them sometime! If they will let me of course!
I like working for my junque… hahaha. My, you have some nice junk in your trunk. 😉
I have not made the move to dumpsters yet, might be because I don’t live in a city where good s$!t is tossed out. However I do like the big bold obvious FREE sign in front of someones home.
~Bliss~
Now that you’re officially diving into the dumpsters, your biceps have probably never looked better. Forget crunches, squats and curls, dumpster diving is the new Zumba!
Kelly
Being an attorney and not really wanting to spend money bailing my sweetheart
out of jail, I actually checked out the legality of dumpster diving, and remember a bit
from law school which applies. The general gist is so long as there is no expectation of privacy attaching to the dumpster, it is yours to delve in to (so to speak). In other words, if it is accessible it is yours. You can even (generally) go into your neighbors garbage if it is on the curb- but not if it is in their side yard. Obviously some dumpsters have signs saying no diving, which have to be abided. A few municipalities have no dumpster diving ordinances- I am currently petitioning Brentwood so as to reclaim my house and garage, but so far no luck. If no city ordinance and the dumpster is publicly accessible, have at it (in my opinion)
I love that you work for your junque. It just means every piece has an even better story to tell. Thanks for sharing your dumpster diving stories every week. You crack me up!
Keep on divin’!
XOXO,
Rachel
Keeping the landfills lighter… one piece at a time 😉
And… only you would skip a tag sale, to later find it for free! You have the le’ junque touch. I can’t wait to get a better look at that dresser =)
I am so intrigued, but also a little scared! I have picked things up from the curb of course, but never actually ventured into a dumpster. I guess I’m not officially a part of the team just yet, but I’m working up my courage!
My husband actually beat me to dumpster diving…while we were on vacation no less! He brought me a chair that will probably end up restyled for my garden and a ten speed he is bizarrely proud of! Now I’m thinking, maybe I’ll just drive and he can be “dive in” buddy!
Karen you are killing me…this is hilarious and btw..can I get a badge and display it on my fb wall? why you ask? because I’m not sure if it’s consider officially “dumpster diving” but “trash snatching” (if that is even a word) lol, I snatched my first piece of furniture from my neighbors trash…drove by it and when I came by still was there so I walked to it and now sits on my garage…to my husband’s despise…and being experimented on with also my first time use of CeCe’s paint!…so how about that for inspiration, contagion of addiction via blog and plain good ol’ trashing!!! :=) Big Hugs! Lizy
Oh-Oh, that’s where it all starts ~ there’s no turning back now lol!! Shelly Andrade
Oh Karen you are too funny! I’ve never dumpster dived (yet) but I cannot drive past a goodwill with out going in. And if I can’t stop to go in and I get super anxious about something I might have missed. Someone needs to make a anti anxiety pill for DIY thrifters. 🙂