The Best Money Tip
Whether being financially savvy is old hat or you are still learning about it, you have picked up a few tips along the way that have helped you immensely in getting on the right track and staying there. Perhaps you have one tip that you go back to when money gets tight or you have a standard operating tip you use in everyday life; either way. Let us know your best money tip.
Ok, My Best Money Saving Tip
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Go Dumpster Diving for Furniture and other items to fix up and use, saving you loads of money.
If you aren’t in a hurry and have some patience, keep your eyes peeled when driving by apartment complexes or dorm area or trash day in the suburbs. You would be amazed to find what you need if you wait and watch. Recently my roommate and I fixed up a dresser that we found at the dumpster. And it’s one of those older, better made ones as well.
Not only do dumpsters and trashcans have furniture but I have also found the following items in my history of diving:
Comic books
Many pennies
Much wood
Chairs
Useable computer equipment
Televisions
Microwaves
Exercise equipment
Clothes
Fishing stuff
Tools
Picnic basket with eating utensils
And the list goes on and on and on and on…
Dumpster diving is our fav pastime! But we call it “garbage picking” since no actual dumpsters are on our route.
We live in a college neighborhood- so every spring, you can make over the house if you’d want! It’s sad how much stuff gets tossed away. Then of course in the fall, students have to buy all the stuff over again! We’ve always had a garage sale the first weekend the students come back to weed out our house of stuff no longer needed. However, last year, we decided to use our garage as storage for the summer and gather whatever we could garbage picking when the students left for summer break. It got to be a joke- how many kitchen tables, chairs, dishes, pots & pans, shoe racks, desks, shelves, etc we had! Some lame soul actually tossed all their dishes and pans- probably too much effort to actually wash them! One cycle in our dishwasher and we had a whole set of dishes, glasses, and everything needed for a starter kitchen. Once we had everything cleaned up & labelled for our sale- our whole front yard, driveway, & garage were full of “merchandise.”
The punchline of this was- we made well over $2000 on selling “garbage”- and saving the landfill.
Once you find the rhythm of the ebb and flow of those around you when you garbage pick, you can almost plan for what you’ll be getting. This year, our kids wanted dorm size carpets in their rooms- who would ever believe we could even pick what *color* they wanted out of all the rugs we saw. Sissie got the pink one for her princess suite and of course Bud wanted a blue and green carpet for his room. Unbelieveable!
In SF, the trick was finding “Big Trash Night”. This is where the city does large trash pick ups twice a year in the neighborhoods. It’s basically a secret until the week before the pickups. If you can find out when it is, you can beat the dump trucks and get discarded furniture.
I got a free coffee table from one of my neighbors. They just left it in the laundry room with a sign that said “Free”. I would do Freecycling, but I am always slow to respond and someone else has snapped it up. However, they frown upon folks to turn around and sell the stuff since the point is to take only what you can use.
DivaJean
Wooohooo, that is great! Are you going to do that every year? Picking your own rug color is pretty amazing, I agree.
mapgirl
Yeah I’m a little too slow for freecycle as well. I think I’m still signed up for one or two groups but haven’t checked them lately. I usually pick what I can from curbs/dumpsters and give away my clutter to the goodwill nearby.
I’ve found a “19 tv, tv stand and bamboo shelf at different times. I wish I had more time and a pick up for doing more.
Yep- we’ll be doing it every year. A true funny story about garbage picking- I have a guy pal I chat with on the bus to work everyday. He whispered very quietly to me to ask”What good things have you all found this year?” then proceeded to tell me how he & his partner snagged a gorgeous old oak desk that needed one drawer to be fixed- plus a microwave & a t.v. I really question how this next batch of young’uns is going to make it- when they throw so dang much stuff out (I sound like the wacky old coot neighbor from some bad sitcom!)
But its not just about what’s in in it for us. We also set up a clothing drive with all the dorms for end of the year. Any clothes they don’t want anymore go into bulk bins on every floor of the dorm. The clothes are rounded up by my church- who gives them away as needed. We had 4 huge truckloads (over 2 tons) of clothes to sort thru and give away- our church is in a neighborhood with many different refugee populations and the clothes are much needed and appreciated by them
While not as exciting or colorful as dumpster diving — I’d say shop around. While the cheapest isn’t always the best, sometimes you can find the same quality, same exact item for less in the strangest places (eBay, a bargain store, the dollar store, etc.). And in the end a dollar saved is a good thing.
Paula- I would agree that shopping around is the best way to save money. I have found some interesting things for great prices at second -hand stores and garage sales.
DivaJean- Nah, you don’t sound like an wacky coot, I’ve noticed it as well. Maybe the “y” generation will figure it out before long.
Zest- That is awsome that you found those, Bambo items are very “in” now as well.