Confessions of a Dumpster-Diver's Wife

Well, not really a dumpster-diver. More a talented “trash finder.”

IN THE BEGINNING

It all began, as far as I know, on Ryan’s mission. He’d find things by the side of the road and pick them up.
This pair of shorts is perfect. They are long (ie modest) but they are thin/skinny-legged (they are my favorite biking attire). Apparently, the Japenese throw out many "great" things, and most missionary apartments were full of little finds.

OREM, UTAH

And so the mission-tradition continued as we were first married and and living in Orem. I was firmly against the practice, originally (which I now regret - weight-lifting bench).

On the other hand, many of the things I did cave on were so ugly we didn’t move them across the country with us, therefore we have no pictures (bookshelf end table and octagon end table).

This tv stand is an item I did cave on. Originally a stereo cabinet, Ryan reworked it by removing its door and adding wheels, and it served as our tv stand for the last 5 years. Now Ryan reworked it again, and it is our entertainment-holder under the end table in our living room.
MADISON, WISCONSIN

In Madison, the real enjoyment began. We found more treasures than you can imagine.

For the Baby

Before we were even pregnant, Ryan started bringing home car seats. One of them has been cleaned and inspected, and our giant baby will soon be moving into it (it's still in the bag we moved it to Peoria in).

After we got pregnant, we found this great high chair. I was planning on recovering the plastic, since I hate it, but hey, it was free, and it's doing the job!
For the Kitchen

One night Ryan came home with a laundry basket

full of hangers, dishes (4 dinner plates, 4 bowls, 4 appetizer plates),
bamboo serving spoons, mugs (4), and some random pots.

I was disgusted. “We can’t eat off someone else’s dishes!” So Ryan washed them up and ate off one each night, but I stubbornly refused to eat off anything "from the laundry basket." By this time we’d already closed on our house, so I struck up a deal: “I’ll eat off of these dishes after they’ve been run through our dishwasher.” And now they are used daily.

For the Bedroom

We also got into the bedding business. We currently have a queen headboard and footboard; a twin headboard, footboard and side rails; and a twin mattress all stashed in our basement.

Collin will need them someday, right?

We also found a great basket for all our stadium blankets.
Also of a necessity in Madison was our collection of fans. We needed one for every room!

Lindsey's Fave

My favorite find in Madison were these two great bookshelves with sliding glass doors and three interior shelves (still in the packing wrap we brought them to Peoria in). They are still a work in progress (I have more projects for Ryan than he can handle), but he is going to cut them down to fit under the windows in our two front bedrooms. A nice coat of paint and some wood putty, and they’ll be as good as new. I think the doors will be great for wet, grubby kid fingers.

Tour de Eagle Heights

The one summer we lived in Madison, they redid the road around our apartment complex, so for 4 months all traffic was in one direction around the loop. In order for us to get home each day, we were "forced" to drive through the whole complex, and therefore see almost every dumpster. Ryan loved the "inconvenience." I was annoyed as we stopped at many a dumpster to see what had been discarded.

What did we find on our "Tours de Eagle Heights?" I particularly love this great poster picture. My classroom (and now our guest room) was decorated in blue, silver and stars. And what would make the perfect picture?

Ryan's Fave

Ryan’s favorite find in Madison was our desktop computer. It needed a hard drive and a new CD-ROM, but we’ve been using it as our family server for 2 years now. Oh, and don’t forget, it was FREE.
Friendly Assistance

While in Madison, members of our ward heard of Ryan’s hobby and often called us to say, “Hey Ryan. I saw a really great --- in the dumpster outside of our apartment. You should come and get it.” (Johnny)
And what would we have done without the members of our ward that actually picked things up they thought were good finds and dropped them at our front door (Dave).
For Profit

Lest you think we kept our treasures to ourselves, Ryan’s dumpster-diving even became a mini-business. He found and sold many items. Usually Ryan had to fix and/or clean the items before they were worthy of sale, but other times we just “flipped” them. Televisions were the best money-earner, but he also sold a window air conditioner and a VCR. (He made $150 that summer!)

Of Service

Thinking we’re greedy? Some of our finds were donated to worthy causes. One of the car seats he found Ryan fixed, cleaned up and donated to the missionary efforts in our Madison ward. We found out one of our elders was sleeping with a spring in his back, found a twin mattress beside a dumpster, and delivered him the new one. And of course there was the family Ryan home taught that needed a window air conditioner, and they came and picked up one he found and fixed.

Much-needed Discretion

Think this dumpster-diving is for anyone? Ryan has a real talent for it.

One time Ryan picked up a piece of foam from beside a dumpster. I was doubtful. When I asked him what he’d do with it, he replied, “I don’t know exactly; I just know it’s a good find.”

And what did he do with it? He made his Kermit costume for Halloween that year, he made a new cushion for his living room chair, and the last piece of it is serving as a knee-cushion for ab-rolling in the exercise corner of the basement. He was right: it was a good find!

The Exodus

Right before we left Madison, we feared the worst at leaving a college town and started stocking up on things we’d need as homeowners.

We also found some great buckets for moving/storage. Do I need to remind you that they were free?
PEORIA, ILLINOIS

And then we moved to Peoria… We now face the drought of dumpsters. Our quaint little neighborhood has two garage sales per year, and everyone wants us to PAY for their trash.

And now the reason for this long-delayed blog: As part of our Biggest Loser Competition, Ryan has begun running each morning. And last week, the treasures started flowing again! Many homes have sold in our neighborhood recently, and the moving families started tossing:
When’s the best time to run? Tuesdays before the trash men come! And yes, they do need some cleaning, but my Babe is the best dumpster-diver out there. Agreed?

IN CONCLUSION

And so the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Amen.