Category: Great Trash Finds

Finding great trash is both art and science, my frugal friends. Mr. Frugalwoods and I pride ourselves on a honed methodology of trash scouting that’s equal parts whimsy, strategy, and kismet. The proof is in our epic trash finds catalogue, which includes everything from coats to fondue pots to wine glasses to shirts. But how do we come to possess such divine and free delights? What dark magic do we employ to yield results so sweet...

The only problem I have with winter is that it puts a serious cramp in our trash finding endeavors. There’s just no way to locate great trash with 4 feet of snow on the ground. Believe me folks, I’ve tried so you don’t have to (you’re welcome). As I gaze out our back door into the epic tundra Cambridge has become, I thought I’d reflect on some of the gosh darn prettiest things we found...

It’s the time of year when resolutions abound and everyone is committing themselves to a cleaner, leaner, serener 2015. I have a bold resolution to add to the list: find better trash in the new year. Are you less than enthusiastic about your trash finds in 2014? Do you long to roam the streets confidently picking up the choicest roadside discards? Well, dream no more. Resolve to bring home the top shelf trash in 2015 and prosper. To assuage...

Welcome to the kitchen edition of my recurring analysis of trash–more specifically, items salvaged from the trash by myself and sundry members of the Frugalwoods family. Last month, we viewed my sister and brother-in-law’s trash and the month before, we were treated to the refuse discoveries of my parents. We’re going back to our roots this month with a deep dive into gems quarried by yours truly alongside my trusty bearded tech guru, the love of my life,...

In my never-ending pursuit to deliver rigorous financial information in a very dry and straightforward manner, I bring you the third installment of the ongoing investigative series: Great Trash Finds. Today I am publishing the research I conducted into my sister’s trash. Specifically, the stuff she’s pulled from the trash. As you may recall, the last edition featured my parents’ epic trash discoveries, so we’re trying to keep it in the Frugalwoods family. I’ll have to...

Welcome to the second edition of Great Trash Finds, a scholarly photo essay in which we explore the finer points of scavenging items from the side of the road. Taking stuff otherwise destined for a landfill is not only a frugal win, it’s an environmentally sound means of recycling and reusing. In this edition we welcome a guest blogger (sort of): my mom! My mom is the original frugalista and she and my dad have been frugal...

Mr. Frugalwoods and I are not above taking things out of the trash–in fact, quite the opposite. We fancy ourselves experts in the procurement of others’ unwanted goods, specifically those found on the side of the road. After all my frugal friends, why pay when you can find it free?!? Am I right? There’s a lot we don’t glean from the trash: used mattresses, musty shoes, and couches of questionable provenance. But there are simply amazing finds to...