ve always said why not? I’m talking about what is known commonly as dumpster diving, curb snatching, trash to treasures, or just plain old digging through a pile of junk beside the road! It is just too hard to pass up for some of us, while others are shocked and amazed that anyone would dare do it.Just call me daring and embarrassing to some of my friends. I have learned that most folks that do this have their own unique technique for approaching an interesting find. I like to pull up slowly by a pile and maybe make the block a few times before I descend. Sort of the buzzard effect I like to call it. Don’t go in fast make sure all is clear. Others just swoop up and jump out without careful consideration of the find. I call this the hawk effect. They see something, grab it and then decide when they get home if it is worth keeping. I guess I am more selective than these folks! I think not!
I have always loved it when some of those friends that wouldn’t be caught dead at a trash pile come in and just go on and on about how much they love the new chair I have! Then I tell them where I got it and the look of shock comes over their faces or is it disgust. Chairs are one of my favorite finds. People tend to get rid of a chair long before all the good is out of it. One of my favorite finds is an old antique rocker that I got out of the trash on the way to Moody’s Restaurant one day. There is nothing like pulling up in your Cadillac and then trying to shove a nasty looking rocker in the back. I took that chair had it recovered and it is so cute. Old tre
adle sewing machine bases were always a good find. You don’t find those as much as you used too but I have rescued three over the years. For years that sewing machine base with a piece of plywood attached to the top was my dining room table. It was just one of my early furniture pieces along with the cinderblock entertainment center. I know a lot of you have had the old cinderblock and 1x12 bookcase, entertainment center!My dad walks twice a day and many folks comment that they see him all over town but he is always looking down. Well he is looking for money. He finds a few dollars on most days. One day that stands out for him is the day he found a $100 bill in the street. That will make you look down for sure want it? You just never know what will be beside the road.
Now they even have shows that highlight trash resurrection. Junk Brothers or Curb Snatchers on HGTV is a lot of fun to watch. Two guys jump out and take something from the trash go home make something really cool out of it and take it back to the same house and watch to see the look on the previous owners faces. My favorite one was an old stove made to be a Bar-B-Q pit on wheels with a flame paint job. It just goes to show a little imagination can go a long way. The other popular show is of course Trash to Treasures. This one also is a favorite and gives you that insight on how to furnish your house for very little money and get a designer look. Both of these shows I’m sure have increased the amount of pilfering that goes on now in a good trash pile. So remember when you are throwing away good stuff be careful how you place it beside the road. In other words don’t but the coffee grinds on top of that old picture frame or computer monitor, you’re your trash separately. Be considerate of shoppers! The old saying holds true, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! So until next time, see you beside the road! I just hope I get there first.
