Would you go dumpster diving?

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El-Jaro

So, you see a couple of average every day neighbors come out of their apartment or house and put a decent couch out to the curb or by the dumpster. You think it's kinda neat looking. Would you go out and grab it?

Has anyone ever done this? Find something cool? Did you have to get shots after finding something you didn't want in a slightly used chair you found?

Answers (public voting - your screen name will appear in the results):

To hell with Art Van or a fancy store, I'm going to get my couch at WMI!

~LaUr3n~ , joja , SummerTymez , Jessica Elizabeth , Dusk , Sera , lamira , Trashley , Xavier7 , The Awesome Penguin , cheech1 , zeebot , sixfootsex , sweet seduction , Starkiller87 , Peggi , LilMissSub , Rod Martini , Graniteal , Mwar , mistressg , Positwist , BlueVelvet , chicmichiw , Hummingbird , gsfanatic

26 (12%)

Maybe if it hadn't rained and it looked ok

kck , Beth D , El-Jaro , NightNight , Airen Wolf , Maiden , Carrie Ann , Pleasure Piratess , Sammi , Jul!a , Midway through , Alicia , *Ashley* , AU , Sir , usmcwife99 , Coralbell , Lady Venus , Miss Naughty Kitty , fatesrelease , PassionQT , ToyTimeTim , sarahbear , Envy , PolyGirl , firekitten , Just Jen , Liz2 , ScottA , Evoluchun , Misfit Momma , sexysweetieshan , ~Miss Jess~ , Victoria , Sidewinder , twistedheartsx , The Giveaway Diva , doowop , gone77 , Sapphire Pet , Kindred , Illusional , NocensAstrum , Kim! , Unconventional , the bedroom blogger , PussyGalore , Lucidity , tim1724 , Emma (Girl With Fire) , ToyGeek , Sin Secret , BadassFatass , Morganna , Angel deSanguine , goodeatz , Beaners , darthkitt3n , Danielle1220 , REDRUM , kawigrl , pinkcupcakes , jfree , RonLee , thatonegirl , *HisMrs* , Purplecupcake99 , Gary , fromazoo , Joie de Cherresse , Lily Night , Astia , Cream in the Cupcake , null , Eucaly , FaerieLove , Lucky21 , js250 , Sunshineamine , One of Five , CoffeeCup , padmeamidala , ThoughtsAblaze , The-IT-Guy-And-My-Secretary , mizzmilla , hjtee , indiglo , SiNn , Miss Morphine , bayosgirl , Ash1141 , wrmbreze , eeep , Mistress Jezebel , unfulfilled , ilbelsole , Apirka , Rahel , hyacinthgirl , FruityCloud , 783883877299373783 , Mikemanz , srexom , SecondStory , Real or memorex , bog , Silverwinds , Isola , FLIPxMODE , kaykay0427 , evie.amor , rosythorn , Feisty , Heather Shadrick , Lildrummrgurl7 , souviet , Cosmonaut

117 (54%)

Um...no. Just...no.

Splendwhore , SexyySarah , Andromeda , Ciao. , Miss B Haven , buzzvibe , Darling Jen , Red Vinyl Kitty , deltalima , sandblastedskin , Mr. E , Pandahb , Tart , Shellz31 , leatherlover , C4ss , staceejaxxx , Taylor , Selective Sensualist , Yoda , removedacnt , rdytogo , IndependentlyHappy , buzz , A Closet Slut (aka nipplepeople) , LikeSunshineDust , dv8 , magicmac , Jon S , Beck , Errant Venture , Bignuf , The Mother of a SiNner , Ms. Spice , WetJenn , SMichelle , slynch , Rossie , ellejay , MrWishyWashy , nakedbear , Stagger13 , Incendiaire , ViVix , Allstars316 , underHim , PeaceToTheMiddleEast , BlooJay , sunkissedJess , Terri69 , potstickers , DawnStar , Noelle , Martiniman , Vanille , LexiKitten , jennifur77

57 (27%)

Omnipresent Other

P'Gell , Kinky Skier , Anne Ardeur , Elias McLovin , BluePixi , liilii080 , T&A1987 , Breas , TameTemptress , rawsonbr , poetprincess , Stinkytofu10 , ghalik , MrWill , MistressDandelion

15 (7%)

Total votes: 215

Poll is closed

07/28/2010

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kck

I'd have to smell it first

07/28/2010

Beth D

I definitely know people that do this (they call it 'junking'), but I think I'd only really do it if the object in question seems just too damn good to throw away. If it's furniture, I might obsessively clean it before actually using it, though...

07/28/2010

P'Gell

I got a cool retro mixer from the 1950s and two old mixing bowls, My Man found a kitchen table and made a new top for it and we use it as one of our computer desks.

My Man was drunk one night, and got a HUGE cast iron bathtub on claw foot legs, put it in the back of his truck and CAREFULLY drove it through the alley back to our house. The entire time I was cursing him out for driving Under the Influence (in the alley, for, like, 20 feet) We put it in the back yard and I planted wild flowers in it. I have pictures of our kids, when they were toddlers, pretending to "take baths" in the flowers. This stuff was actually on the CURB, or in the alley, not IN a dumpster, though.

07/28/2010

Splendwhore

I don't trust other people's hygiene. Especially if it's something they're throwing away. You never know where that couch has been, what it's been through. Sweaty masturbation/sex sessions, dirty underwear, cat piss, drugs, mice, fleas, etc. To quote your poll answers, "Um...no. Just...no." I wouldn't go there.

07/28/2010

NightNight

I have a dumpster story... my friend while living in Toronto ground scored a hexagon-shaped table for his apartment. About a year later I was visiting him in Ottawa and we found TWO of the exact same table on the sidewalk. We took one of them home and another visitor commented on how they'd seen this table before in used shops.

I thought this table was cute (in an incense burning hippie sort of way), why doesn't anyone else?!

07/28/2010

Airen Wolf

(EF Review Program Mentor)

I've gotten some really cute dressers that we stripped and refinished into lovely pieces. They were so lovely that the neighbor that tossed them was severly jealous...we gave them to her for her kids for Christmas and she was thrilled. I love doing that though refinishing furniture and then surprising the owner with their "junk".

07/28/2010

Sammi

Quote:

Originally posted by kck

I'd have to smell it first

Ha - totally

07/28/2010

Carrie Ann

Shopping at the tosser's mall...

Ahhh, the stuff we've gotten.

Furniture is kind of icky but, man, we've gotten a LOT of yard decoration, shop shelves, even a few computer monitors.

The key is to watch rummage sales. *nods emphatically* When they close down for the night and are too tired out to put the stuff away, they toss it.

If you're SUPER bored, you can grab it all and have your own rummage sale. LOL.

And, yes, I am engaged to a hillbilly.

07/28/2010

Maiden

Quote:

Originally posted by Splendwhore

I agree about something that can't be sanitized, like a couch or a mattress or something. Other than that though, I have gotten a few things like wooden kitchen chairs that just needed some refinishing. At one point I had four kitchen chairs around my table, none of them matched, but I liked it that way. I love to take some one else's trash and turn it into treasure, either for me or to give some one else.

07/28/2010

P'Gell

Quote:

Originally posted by Splendwhore

Yeah, nothing with upholstery, padding or fabric. Where icki-ickys and so-far-unheardof STDs can hide.

07/28/2010

Jul!a

Maybe not with anything that had any padding of any kind on it, but one of my favorite tables I picked up off the curb.

07/28/2010

SexyySarah

Nope, call me stuck up but I prefer my stuff new, not used!

07/28/2010

NightNight

Quote:

Originally posted by Carrie Ann

Things I have gotten from yard sale leftovers:

Silver trays!! I know, what?!

07/28/2010

Andromeda

Quote:

Originally posted by Splendwhore

Ditto.

Living in a dorm, though, most of us have gotten in the habit of leaving unwanted things outside our doors with a sign to indicate that they're up for grabs. During the end of the semester, there will be unwanted food, clothing, decorations, etc. especially outside the doors of people who are studying abroad the next semester. It's really not the same thing to me, though, and I only take stuff if I know the person giving it away.

07/28/2010

Sir

Sometimes, I only want to take such things in order to give them away to someone who needs them in their home. Some people do not have the money for such things, so when I see people throwing away perfectly alright furniture, it tears up my heart..

07/29/2010

I prefer most things new, very new...but I sometimes get an itch to look at what people are putting out sometimes. I've gotten extremely wonderful things from the curbside, including the table of my dreams! If I didn't get it by the dumpster, I'd either have to make it or order it from another country.

07/29/2010

usmcwife99

It depends what it is, and what ime gonna use it for.

I was driving home from work one day and saw a fridge that had a sign that said free, so I took it. It works great for my garges. It had a few scratches on it and its nothing fancy just a standard fridge probably ten years old. It does just find keeping my beer cold and a few pops in the garge so I dont gotta walk back into the house. Same as a older tv someone was throwing out. It was the old style tube big screen tvs like the huge big heavy ones. It works great in the garge to. I mean its not worth putting an expensive tv in the garge, no matter where I put it sparks, and paint overspray and stuff is gonna get on it.

If someone is throwing out a lawmower....ime totally for it. I probly see at least to every month on my way home from work. Usally they dont work but ile tear em down and see whats worth keeping on it. If not Ile rebuild it with leftover parts from the last mower. Or Ive built gocarts and used parts from extra mowers on other stuff.

Ive taken a couch for my garge to, but not for my house. If need be yes ide take it for my house. Something used is better then nothing.

Not to meantion if its in prestine condition theres usally something wrong with it being free. Such as idk maybe involved in a crime.

07/29/2010

usmcwife99

Quote:

Originally posted by Carrie Ann

Ime married to a redneck...........

ah the "stuff" we have in the back yard

07/29/2010

Miss Naughty Kitty

My father used to bring me dumpster diving all the time, Lol I loved it.

07/29/2010

~LaUr3n~

NOT A COUCH but...

For as materialistic as I can be at times, I love going to junk yards and "picker" sites. I go to a lot of estate auctions too. Its like picking through other peoples junk looking for treasure. So much fun! My latest find was a 1920's baseball mitt.

I draw the line at linens and fabric covered things like couches and matrices and clothes, but anything of wood, plastic, glass, steel etc that I can make my own til I get bored with it...I'm all for it.

You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff people throw out on my campus! Brand new stuff they just used for a semester etc. My guy friends picked up an awesome bar once.

07/29/2010

fatesrelease

I've only gone dumpster diving once and that was when I was in elementary school/ early middle school. It was really fun. If the dumpster was clean and not locked up I'd probably do it again for something I really wanted.

07/29/2010

PassionQT

If we needed a couch, sure. But, I'd probably want to have it steam cleaned good first. Who knows what kind of fluids could be on it! We have leather now after owning fabric couches for years. Cleanup is easier.

07/29/2010

ToyTimeTim

Ya I do it. My wife will tell me to turn off my Redneck eyes when she sees something on the side of the road. Up here in the north most people will put stuff out on the highway (two lane country road) just for this reason. Most thing are gone by the end of the day.

Recycle and reuse!

07/29/2010

El-Jaro

Quote:

Originally posted by ToyTimeTim

ha ha "Redneck eyes"

@Lauren: A bar? Awesome!

I lived in the dorms for one year. Come move-out day, there were a LOT of people hanging around dumpsters looking for stuff.

The fabric thing is exactly why I'd never live in a furnished apartment and am eternally thankful for clean sheets in hotels!

07/29/2010

buzzvibe

I'm a snob. I don't want pre-wrecked stuff, even if it's free.

07/29/2010

sarahbear

We don't actively designate a day of the week to go hunt down junk, but I'm not opposed to picking up something that looks nice or can be refinished. My father-in-law brings stuff home all the time and fixes it up and then offers it to us or uses it in his house. It's so, so easy to refinish stuff and it's so much cheaper than buying things brand new.

I'm not allowed to go to the dumpster when we have trash to take off that won't fit into the can they pick up every week because I want to take home the stray puppies.

07/29/2010

Envy

We do this, my dad and I. If it isn't broken, why not? We got a lot of nice lawn chairs this way.

07/29/2010

ToyTimeTim

Quote:

Originally posted by El-Jaro

I truly believe that there is a little Redneck in all of us.

07/29/2010

PolyGirl

Sure, why not? What makes it suddenly taboo because it went in the trash rather than the recycling. What happened to reuse, recycle...?

Now, I wouldn't go dumpster diving for sex toys... well, I don't THINK so... well, maybe the Eleven... hm.

07/29/2010

Total posts: 167 Unique posters: 145

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