Do you see things people have put out for garbage and realize it's not garbage?

Do you circle back to check it out?

Do you take it ?

I've made myself aware of stopping and thinking what I can give to Goodwill, SA, etc., rather than toss. I think this makes me notice more what people are tossing vs. what they could give away.

A couple of months ago I got very healthy plants that simply were rootbound, they had even taken the plants out of the pots.

Last week I got 2 fake 7 foot tall trees -not a thing wrong with them! They now look great on my patio.

I don't pick through trash, both of those freebies were in plain sight.

Do you?

dl

My DH does - or did, until I put the kabosh on picking up things that we can't use/don't need just because they're there. He still picks up lawn mowers and repairs and resells them via craigslist and makes some good side money doing so.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Absolutely if it's something I need! I live in an apartment and you'd think these people are made of money by the stuff they throw in the dumpsters. I know they can't afford to be throwing stuff away! I have also taken stuff to the charity thrift shop that I've found in the dumpster.

My best find was a whole set of very nice wooden TV trays. I see dining room chairs in the dumpster ALL THE TIME!

One time I found a whole box of CDs!

It just baffles me because you'd think that everyone was sooo broke right now but they just throw good stuff away...I don't get it?

Where I lived in FL.. We had a neighbor who threw EVERYTHING away.

I was on my way to the Sharing Center. (Woman and child) and drove by and saw a nearly new stroller and exersaucer etc. I did stop and walk to her door and ask if it was okay for me to take them. She said fine... but wait she had clothes. In trash bags that she was getting ready to carry out. I said fine I'll take those too. THey had 1 childs worth of wear. BAby Gap, Carters, hilfiger etc not a single walmart generic in the bags. I was dumbfounded that someone would throw this away. She said she didn't have time. I gave her my # and would take any of it she didn't want to the donation center.

I've done this many times. I got a wonderful kitchen table for my niece, I got a working tv and a loveseat for my dd, my dd found chairs and rugs.

Actually when things were very tough I used to hold regular yard sales from things I had and things I found thrown out.

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Yes, I'll curb crawl if I see something I am interested in. Down in Oklahoma, where I just moved from, it's kind of like a hobby or social activity. Everyone does it. If there's something you no longer need, you just set it out on the curb, and it'll be gone shortly.

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Gina J.

Proud Army Wife and Coast Guard Mom

Are you kidding me? I have picked up some AWESOME stuff that people have put out for trash. My eyes are always on the curb!!!

i got a white toddler bed for my grandaughter and we spray painted it pink it looks great when i am done with it i will pass it on tk someone else.

I don't because I already have too much clutter in my house, but think it's a great idea. I hate it when people are wasteful.
Also a lot of times if I have something that still works or is in nice condition that we don't have use for, I will put it outside our gate with a Free To Good Home sign on it.
We did this with our old chest freezer and two guys came along and one stayed sitting on the freezer while the other ran home for the truck.
I also had two gals that had to be in their sixty's wrestle a love seat into the trunk of a Taurus. And I have to tell you they were good at it.

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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

You know it! My favorites have been a nice bedroom lamp and a cute bench that is now on my porch. One time I came across a trumpet and a violin. I ended up selling them at a garage sale. . .they were good student models. Sometimes it's shocking what people throw out.

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"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

Okay, I am a secret curbcrawler. I am astounded and saddened by what people will throw away (just to get it out of their space). I have a conscience and am such a recycler, I can't do it. Many times, I have picked up stuff just to donate it to the thrift store.

Last December, I went with my daughter to sell Fannie May candy. We went to a wealthy neighborhood, and one woman who wouldn't buy any chocolate, had her very nice, very large Christmas tree with lights and all out next to her garbage. Well, I gladly loaded it in my van!
Just a few days ago, someone was throwing away their planters, dirt and all. Hey, spring is her.....I can use those, so I took them.

Is anyone ever embarrassed to be seen picking stuff up? We kind of live in a snooty community, and I really try not be blatant when I pick stuff up; will still do it though!

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

Yes, yes and yes. I always have my eyes open for "good stuff". I don't mind stopping and picking it up. I also get stuff from the recycling bins (with permission, the guys always tell me I can have whatever I want) things that people leave that aren't supposed to be left there that will get thrown in the trash anyway. Like last week I got a steel trash can from the recycling bins, I love steel trash cans, but wouldn't buy one because they are twice the price of the plastic ones and I'm too cheap to pay the price. From the curb I have gotten dressers, books, Little Tykes table and chairs (which I still use out in the yard), one of those Little Tykes climbing toys with stairs and slides that was like 5' tall that got passed on to someone else after my DD got too big for it, Lady Bug sandbox which I Freecycled after my DD got too big for it. The best stuff comes out during our once a year town spring clean up.

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It sure is nice to notice other people that do this. I coudln't count all the good things I have gotten. I still have WAYYYYY more stuff than I need I have had yard sales, hauled at LEAST ten truck loads to the thrift store, freecycled. I still have a LOT that I need to go thru and donate. When I first started doing it , I guess I never imagined how much stuff people throw away, so I kept everything I found. Now I still pick it up if it is still usable, but keep a box going of stuff to donate. I have one Coach purse that I found and at least 4 Dooney's - can you tell I collect purses. I have found LOTS of clothes new with tags. I makes me sad to think that we live in such a disposable society.

As I was driving DD to a Twilight party at her friends house tonight, I saw a matching set of bedside tables sitting at the curb. I left them for someone else because I didn't really need them, but I could tell they were made of real wood and they were in good condition. The owners must have wanted someone to pick them up putting them out several days in advance, as trash pickup is not until Tuesday and there was no other stuff out there with them.

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I think that sometimes people leave things intending that someone will pick it up so I guess that's being charitable without having to lug it to the thrift shop..HA! But I think a lot of times when you see new stuff being thrown away, it's when people get divorced!Then also when someone dies and relatives have to do something with all their stuff. I know when my Daddy died, we just went through everything and took boxes and boxes of all his things to the church garage sale. Lots of good stuff but he wasn't there to use them anymore.

Yup, garbage picker here too!

We found our oak entertainment center on the side of the road, just down from our house and we always put stuff out for people to take. It doesn't take long for everything to disappear and we were glad to see the guy we got the entertainment center from stop and take some of our stuff!

I've gotten lots of good stuff!

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"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~ Bernard Meltzer

I do this for furniture. Not upholstered stuff, but things like wooden bookcases. I've gotten some decent stuff.

I also put stuff on the curb for other people to pick up (way ahead of trash day). I once even held a free yard sale. I just had too much to lug to the thrift store, so I put it in the driveway with a big FREE sign. It was fun to see what people were interested in. A burly guy on a motorcycle picked up a framed picture of Bugs Bunny that I got in a Yankee Swap.
In the end, I just had a small box of paperbacks to bring to the thrift store.

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

we call it dumpster diving...i also picked up an exersaucer last year. very good shape! my aunt used to work at a college, she furnished alot of her house off of college kids moving out and not wanting to haul anything home. after garage sales in housing additions, they put the stuff that didn't sell out to the curb. my husband picked up alot of golf clubs this way. the list goes on...i am always scoping curbs out.

We do! We found a perfect sized bathroom cabinet once. (Just happened to be right after the one we had fell and broke).

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I've never lied to you. I've always told you some version the of truth.

A few months ago my SIL found a DVD player and picked it up.
He bought the $1.69 part that it needed and repaired it.

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Square dancing is friendship set to music!

I always look and am appalled that people don't donate that stuff.

I would never stop and take it because I'd be mortified if someone saw me! Especially someone I knew!

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"