Dumpster Diving
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- ohhhhhsnap
I know that most of you have 6 fig salaries today–
but honestly, was there ever a time when you hit rock bottom? How'd you pull yourself out?
Addendum: I know that some ppl dumpster dive who do well financially to find "treasures" (not necessarily b/c they have hit rock bottom... maybe I should rename this thread)
- err0
sell drugs
- freedom0
Actually go into dumpsters?
- prophetone0
when i was in grade 3/4 we used to dumpster dive (in 80's) for fun in my condo complex, anyhoo my buddy found a complete factory kuwahara one day w/ sweet odi grips and a uni seat
- to add perspective, to a kid in '83 that was like finding the ark of the covenant... will never forget itprophetone
- true. I know a few former punk kids who have done it for survival (now in their 30's).ohhhhhsnap
- if my 12 year old self could have been there to see that bike....i would have said 'RAD'!exador1
- cbass990
^
we did that shit at mcdonalds during the promotional game monopoly, and we got tons of free tickets for fries and cokes.
- utopian0
Is this not fashionable for the Hipsters?
- monospaced0
I was pretty low once. I found ways to stretch a dollar by buying dry foods (rice, beans) and making those last. Find a way to rent a small room or a couch at a friend's house, and never ever stop searching for work.
- lajj0
My dad used to bring my brother and I dumpster diving in the late 80s. Mostly behind radio shack and such, goot times.
- ukit20
Dumpster diving, I see it as mostly something you would do if you were homeless. As long as you have *some money you should be able to plan ahead, buy bulk quantities of cheap food, and get by that way.
- ukit20
BTW, the level of homelessness in some U.S. cities these days is really disturbing. In both Seattle and Portland I noticed that there is a huge line of people waiting to get in the library everyday in the morning, not because they wanted to read books but just to have a place to nap or use the restroom.
Also met some people in Portland (formerly upper middle class) who had lost their homes and now live out of their car.
- dasohr0
The Gleaners and I
- lvl_130
people living out of cars/campers here in SF is pretty large (especially right now). I was just in NYC and the amount of visible homeless people compared to SF is nil. kind of insane. in my hood, a lot of vacant properties often have someone sleeping in the stoop/doorway. sad.
- Try coming down here to San Jose. Way, way more homeless people.sublocked
- Google "San Jose the jungle"sublocked
- yeah, i heard it's getting even crazier there. fuck.lvl_13
- not sure if i realized you were in SJ, by the way. you ever head up here? stupid question as it's so close hahalvl_13
- Yeah I'm in SF like 2-3 times a monthsublocked
- we should grab beers or some shit.lvl_13
- I'm down!sublocked
- Let's make it happen. Are you still on NTC?lvl_13
- monospaced0
There's a woman at my work who was the subject of an episode of TLC's Extreme Cheapskates. Nearly everything she eats, owns or wears is from someone's trash. She owns an apartment in Harlem and has a solid salary, and spends less than $10k/year. Her monthly budget is less than $100. People look at her funny, but she must be sitting on at least a million.
- They showed her serving near-rotten food to guests on TV after dressing like a homeless person to dumpster-divemonospaced
- Is she the Chinese Lady who has her buddy over for dinner?
dasohr - yes, I just saw her walking around on the floormonospaced
- lol, i saw that episode. I get what she's doing, but it's def not everyones piece of cake...
dasohr - I get it too, but can't she at least buy a clean new bed and underwear first?monospaced
- be cheap, but at least start with something that isn't trashmonospaced
- and she works at a financial institution? she must clean up nice
Gnash - although she is in professional servicesk, I don't feel her appearance is adequatemonospaced
- not worth it.dbloc
- she may be sitting on a million dollars, but what is she going to do with it? Let's do the math: say she has 1 million dollars...bulletfactory
- if she spends 10k/year, she has 100 years of rope - why does she work? she could take up dumpster diving as a full-time job.bulletfactory
- exactly why she's "extreme"monospaced
- sublocked0
I used to dumpster dive Pac Bell back in the mid 90s but that was for phone materials, UNIX manuals, etc. Haven't done it since then.
- sublocked0
Adding onto lvl_13s comments above, we've got tons of homeless people overrunning the downtown parks, sleeping in pretty much all the empty doorway stoops, etc and it's been like that for the last 2-3 years. Getting worse as time goes on.
Cruising around downtown SJ you can see people digging in the public trash looking for bottles and cans to recycle almost any time of day - but it seems they're all out late night (2-4am) in teams, hitting each one down the block.
- whatthefunk0
I grew up in a small family business selling antiques at flea markets, auctions, estate sales, etc. I've grown up knowing guys who made a living and sent kids to college by picking up furniture/etc from the various garbage routes in NYC and then selling it at flea markets.
Between Craigslist and ebay it's totally possible to earn extra cash by peddling antiques and furniture this way. I don't know about rummaging for food and all that, seems a bit extreme, but I recall stopping with my father on the side of the road and we found a HUGE antique rug.
We cleaned it up and it sold for $900. So yeah, there's that I guess.
- sine0
if you can, get a loan to tide you over.
and be thrifty. it's not that hard.
- renderedred0
I hit rock bottom every now and then, once or twice a year on average, because of my lifestyle choices (no bank account, no credit cards and all that). And, yes, I dumpster dive for food if there's no other solution, except for stealing which I think is not fair. I was also homeless here and there for a few months in the last ten years. For me it was an education of sorts and still is. For some unknown reason :) I'm still here.
- uhhh, get a bank account "and all that"monospaced
- no, no man, retired from capitalism 15 years ago. :)renderedred
- apparently notmonospaced
- < zingsine
- @renderedred it doesn't really have to do with education at all. what do you do for a living?ohhhhhsnap
- graphic design and development.renderedred
- @mono i am aware i haven't retired form capitalism 100%. i am trying though.
renderedred - All I meant is that you can't really opt-out. You still work for money.monospaced
- i mostly work for food and shelter. sometimes, i get money and in a second i give it away. seriously.renderedred
- and yes, i get paid in hashish too.
renderedred - and i was employee no. 7 once... vp of this and that. not worth it, my friend.renderedred
- @renderedred, how do you give it away. you've piqued my curiosity.ohhhhhsnap
- i give to homeless people. friends, whoever needs money and asks.renderedred
- i live in a small city so a lot of people know me personally. if i'm in a pub and have money, people ask me for beers, so i buy beers.renderedred
- buy beers. for example.
renderedred - i dumpster dive for computer parts, build computers that work and give them away.renderedred
- my "high-tech" money went to my kids and their mothers.renderedred
- props to your good will ren, but you got kids? maybe you could think twice about giving shit away to strangers? maybe?moldero
- bank sum for a rainy day fir the kiddos, you know, emergency stuffs?moldero
- my kids are ok :)renderedred
- Jim?bulletfactory
- I enjoyed reading thisukit2
- motherS?freedom
- commie :)monospaced
- you are my favorite person on QBN renderedredohhhhhsnap
- giving it away to people in need. you are the very thing!ohhhhhsnap
- yup :)moldero
- where do I watch this movie?Krassy
- ha! thanks. motherS - yes :) and I am not *THAT* good a person. I have my bad side too.renderedred
- coldarchon0
I never had hit rock bottom, but if I ever have, I got a truck driver licence for a new beginning.
- microkorg0
The Man Who Quit Money