Comments on: One Man’s Trash: Free Televisions and Computers!

By: daemondust

daemondust — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:17:14 +0000

Picked up a RRoD’d XBOX 360, which Microsoft replaced for me under warranty, a couple years ago. Perk of living in a college town, I guess. I’ve picked up numerous lamps and kitchen items too when students move out for the summer.

By: ~Dawn

~Dawn — Sun, 27 May 2007 03:10:03 +0000

My table and chairs frugalforlife.com/2005/06/digging-in-dumpster.html

By: The Travelin' Man

The Travelin' Man — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:31:20 +0000

I live in a small condo and eternally wish that I had a grill. I would like to get one of those small Weber tailgating grills, but I just haven’t done it. Every now and again, I am fortunate to be invited to a friend’s house for dinner – and it seems like all of their family’s cooking is done on their grill. Whenever I am there, I am reminded (and usually mention so audibly) that I wish I had a grill. This usually launches my buddy into telling the story of how he found his grill on the side of the road – needing only a new hose for the propane tank. For as much use as he has gotten/gets out of the thing, I would have to say that has been a winner for him.

By: PJ

PJ — Wed, 23 May 2007 04:26:41 +0000

My husband and I work at an apartment complex, and you wouldn’t believe the stuff people leave behind when they move! We are in a college town, so I am sure that has a lot to do with it. Anyhow, the apartment management stores everything for 30 days, and then the staff get dibs on it. We now have several computer parts, a recliner, lots of DVDs (most new, as in never even opened!), enough paper towels and toilet paper (in unopened packages) to last a month or more, and soon a like-new bread machine. And this is just this past month, because we just started! Also, nearly every day there is a nearly new vacuum by the dumpsters that the only thing wrong with it is that it needs a new bag. Apparantly there are many people (students probably) who don’t know how to change a vacuum bag, and would rather throw the whole thing out.

By: Master Allan

Master Allan — Wed, 23 May 2007 01:33:51 +0000

A few months after moving into my new apartment I heard a commotion on the balcony below my unit. My neighbor was moving out and decided to save a few trips and throw his balcony furniture to the courtyard below. After that they hauled it to the dumpster and left. What a free win for me as I promptly made trips to take it up to my balcony. These are good quality chairs (6) and a table, not some flimsy plastic junk. If this guy told me he would sell it to me for $50 I would have paid him cash without a 2nd thought.

A few years ago I found a Macintosh Performa (I think) by a dumpster, complete in original box, with CRT monitor, software, and original manuals. It was in like-new condition. I grabbed it and shortly later donated it to a poor student at my university.

I also have dug through my trashcan by the mailboxes. A local Chipolte restaurant sent everyone a free dinner card, just show up! Most people toss their junk mail without even looking through it. A handful of those saves me $6 every time I show up!!! Gotta love free stuff.

By: Clever Dude

Clever Dude — Tue, 22 May 2007 19:44:59 +0000

We’ve picked up:
1) A working treadmill – just needed to fashion a plastic “key” out of those fake credit cards to get it to run

2) A TV (no remote) – the coax plug in the bag was a bit worn out, but I just bent the coax wire so it made contact and it works fine

3) A solid wood kid’s desk – perfect size for my wife, but right now it’s just holding piles and piles of paper

4) A dirt devil vacuum (in college) – however, looking back on it now, I think the cleaning lady just put it in the trash room while she was cleaning somewhere else. Oh well, finders keepers!

By: samerwriter

samerwriter — Tue, 22 May 2007 19:09:48 +0000

A friend of mine was moving out of his apartment after college when some guy in a moving truck who said he worked with the Salvation Army offered to take unneeded furniture off their hands. He even wrote them up a receipt for it.

A couple days later, they saw the same guy holding an impromptu garage sale selling the stuff he’d gathered from them (and other college students).

That was clearly fraudulent, but I have to grudgingly respect his initiative. But I think his timing was off. I’d bet one could make pretty good money by offering to haul away old stuff after spring semester. Then store it for the summer and resell it during fall semester move-in.