Urban Foraging with The Frugalista Files

Comments

[Moneymonk33]

gurl, you are too funny!

You kidnapped that dog, be honest,

I must say, you had to visit a swanky neighborhood because those are good finds.

[Betty]

I am living for a couple of years in Key West Fl where rent in really high.To furnish my little house I have totally done it with stuff off the street ! Table and chairs, dressers, lazy boyz chairs, book shelves etc. The only thing I bought new was the mattress and box springs. Alot of towels, pots and pans came from the salvation army . When I leave I don't feel I have to haul it all 1500 miles to home as it was free ! And it was fun, it didn't happen over night but within a few months we were all set up !!

[Chris]

Fruga...first thing, that dog is way cool. Did that washer work? No way to tell without dragging it home. Unless you knock on the homeowners door and ask them. You never know, some people just want to upgrade. And some stuff is easily repairable. It might have been only a few dollars to fix? Anyway, I once found a really cool painting that someone had thrown away, I just put it in a different frame.

[Jasmine]

Awesome! People will throw away good stuff. You could even turn it into a business if you're savvy and unabashed about hauling trash to a nearby flea market. Good weblog fruga!

[Product Junkie Diva]

Frugalista,
I can't stop lol I watched this video twice already...and the day is still young.
I am so torn on this one. On one side I know you are living the frugal life and I am so happy for you. Finding certain items for a reasonable price may be challenging but using something that someone has thrown out gives me the hebe jebes. Al least next time consider doing your urban foraging with some gloves...you don't know those people…lol
Oh side note.-I know a woman who went into a really upscale community and she has what looks like an antique living room. The couches are so fancy along with the art work and other items she picked up. It looked really lovely but I must admit as soon as she started pointing out all of the items that she picked up I felt squeamish...that’s just me though.
I hope you find great items on your next hunt.

[Coco]

LMAO...Keep that dog out the street. I don't want your borrowed pup getting ran over! If you ever take any trash, er treasures home, leave them out in the hot sun for the afternoon. There's a bedbug revival in the US.

[The Frugalista Files]

MoneyMonk-Girl, don't have the animal law knocking on my door!
Betty-You are a pro at this. I should have consulted you first.
Chris-Good advice
PJD- You were the one who said start adding video. I listened! Glad you like it. And yes, I thought (later) that I should have worn gloves.
Coco-I need dog walking school. Dog walking is a "growth area" for me, clearly.

[Still Broke]

That was one funny video.

Hey, one your next frugalista stroll if you see a manual typewriter in working condition, please pick it up for me and I'll give you $10 in cash.

[Maresydoats]

Hey Frugalista, I LOVE urban foraging myself and have found fantastic stuff right in my own neighborhood, but I won't pick up anything upholstered, just in case of bugs, mold and bacteria. Unfortunately, my older neighborhood has been "discovered" and so we get a lot of folks riding around the weekend before things get picked up. I have found cool vintage furniture, oil painings, old B&W photos, etc. Just last weekend I found a circa-1950s hard plastic Santa (definitely collectible, you can't buy them anymore) about 4 feet tall for the outside of the home, complete with a vintage X-mas light inside of it that works. Gave it to a friend who's wanted one for a while. So foraging does work if you pick the right place! My tips: For cool vintage stuff, pick a nice older neighborhood and find when bulk trash week is. For nice new stuff, pick a nice new neighborhood. Go at night with a flashlight or early in the a.m. (before other people see it in daylight). And don't be embarrased -- everyone does it!

[Jeannette]

Very smart!! I've never gone on an actual foraging stroll, but I have stopped my car more than once to pick up something someone has throwm away. Among my best finds, is an outdoors love seat that I had until last year when it finally fell apart.

[ndmayo]

WTF? Nat you are nuts. You “borrowed” a lapdog? Whatever mami. You know that sofa wasn’t too bad. And I’ve learned a couple tricks from the Style network on how to spruce up those drawers. I guess you have the right idea… rich neighborhood, high society trash. (smirk) I’m loving your incognito, black hoodie attire. Too cute chula!

[Lisa]

I've seen this method discussed on Oprah, don't be afraid to take something off of a curb! In my old neighborhood I used to do that on purpose knowing it would be gone by the next morning. Sometimes I'd even put a sign on it that said 'FREE'. When my son outgrew his stroller, walker and an bunch of toys, that's how i got rid of the stuff. This was before I was on the internet all of the time :). One thing I'm doing now is listing items I want in freecycle discussion groups. That's how I was able to get my son a $200 bike for $40. I also have a couple of leads on a digital camera. Wish me luck!

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