Friday night finds

The other night I was watching that show on TLC called Extreme Couponing. One of the episodes shows a gal going to the grocery store at midnight to get the fresh batch of groceries. So at midnight instead of going out and doing things young kids do, they’re at the grocery store at midnight to get the products and use those coupons.

When these ladies discuss their finds and getting stuff for free, you can see the light and glee in their eyes. That is precisely how I feel when I find a major find. My husband says I’m a dumpster diving addict and that I’m hooked. I told him yes sirreee bob I certainly am!

And tonight I found two good things. A HUGE picture frame and a brand new shredder (portable desk one) intact in the box.

Woo hoo, I was stoked.

High End Coffee Maker and Spray Paint

On our trip home we decided to stop by a large shopping mall. Retrieved 7 boxes of 400 watt industrial lights (brand new), one Keurig high end coffee maker (which had been sprayed with orange spray paint) and one food storage container (also sprayed with orange spray paint). I’m almost positive the store did that so that someone wouldn’t retrieve it from the trash and try to return it, OR they’re just mean spirited and purposely destroying the item rather than giving it to a local needy family. I guess I’m just very weary of the cynical and mean spirited behaviors of these corporate megastores who have no soul.

There was a large queen sized sleep foam mattress perfectly good in the trash. It was too heavy to take out plus it was heavily sprayed with orange spray paint. It just made my husband’s heart sick to see that. He had planned on taking that bed to some local tent city or giving it some homeless man or woman living in their van. We were going to sanitize it in the sun and then spray it with some sort of delousing spray to make it cleaner.

The coffeemaker picture is attached. It works. We got some graffiti remover and it took care of the stain, HOWEVER, that particular graffiti sprayer can scratch and mar plastic. The coffee maker is free of orange paint but the plastic canister has a distorted portion now.

On our way home we delivered a box of chips, snacks and real food to a local family my husband knows in the area. They’re raising their 13 year old granddaughter. They can use the food. I plan on coming by there again in a few months. I’m going to see what I can find for that young lady as far as clothes or personal grooming products. We all know how important it is for our teenagers to fit in. If our youngsters (especially girls) don’t have the right clothes, they are teased and made fun of. So if I cannot find enough stuff for her, I plan on buying her at least a few cute shirts and jeans to tide her over.

Keurig

My New Clarinet and Today’s Youth

I attended a local artisan fair last night. Thousands of people and many many local vendors. We decided to stop in a local music shop. When I walked in the place was dead, I mean dead. I had my eye on purchasing a new clarinet for a long time. I started playing when I was 9. I was first chair clarinet for years in my HS band. After college I played in a local jazz band for a while. It was a lot of fun.

But marriage, living in the big city, working at a large corporation took most of my time, so the clarinet went on the back burner.

At first the kids who worked in the store didn’t think they had one. They had one in the back with a brand new case. I bought it! I think they thought I was just BS’ing around and had no intention of buying, little do they know about me.

If anyone knows me personally, I’m a woman of action. I grew up old-fashioned. My word was my bond. If I told you I was going to do it, I did.

After I bought the clarinet 2 young men sat on the couch across from my spouse and I. My husband engaged with the young man over his guitar. I asked him if he played acoustic or electric guitar, he said both. Then we started a huge discussion of the slide guitar, classic rock, various instruments and so on.

Another young man sat down. The two young kids who were previously shy, opened up like a flower. It was instantaneous. Then two more young kids came over, a couple (man and woman). They were quite intrigued at our conversation.

So it hit me like a ton of bricks. The reason so many of our young people are all tattooed and pierced up is for 2 reasons, they view it as an art form AND they want to be noticed. Like the little kid who says look at me, look at me!!!!

So many of these kids are home alone for 3-4 hours before the parents come home. Dinner is processed GMO food which is completely devoid of nutrients. Momma and Daddy are working their butts off to give the kids a good life, while the kids are STARVING for affection, attention and conversation. So when the kids don’t get it, they surf the internet, listen to their IPOD’s, text ad nauseam because they need to talk to someone.

Many of us (and I’m guilty of this) overlook the very young and the very old. The very young are technologically savvy, so we could learn a lot from them and the very old have a great deal of wisdom (especially cooking and the prepping lifestyle) that we could all stand to learn from.

If you’re a parent shut off the TV and talk to your kids. What’s more important? That new car or your children?

Think about it. If they don’t talk to you, they’ll talk to someone else and that person may or may not have the best intentions.

Sweet Tea and more food

Finds last night: 2 gallon jugs of sweet tea, 1 bag of lemons (that I’ve already made lemonade with as they’re getting old), 1 bag of onions, 4 packages of chicken tenders (pre-cooked), about 4 dozen bananas and about dozen corn on the cob in packages.

Now the bananas were placed in big ziploc bags and frozen. They’ll be used for banana bread on down the road. I actually use walnuts and various spices and make a banana nut muffin. I’m talking the BIG muffins with the top that poofs out like a mushroom.

The corn was frozen too. I cook corn on the cob in a rice cooker/steamer. That seems to cook it a lot faster and more efficiently.

I chopped the onions (lord I was crying) and placed them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. They will be used in stews and soups in the crockpot. Sometimes all you need is a pork or beef roast, some potatoes which I have a ton of, onions, some seasoned salt and you have a great meal. Top that with sweet tea, corn on the cob and some homemade canned green beans and that’s all you need.

Now since I have my southern home (which I hope to be our permanent home next spring) set up with couch, dining table, freezer and all the niceties I need in life to live a good wholesome life I can invite friends over for dinner.

If we continue to find more food I’m going to have to buy an additional freezer.

There is another lady in Phoenix who dumpster dives and gets a ton of stuff. Her name is Secret Freegan. Please follow her and tell her UDD said hello.

Food prices are continuing to rise. Please stockpile what you can and get off the grid as much as you can. Grow a garden, buy food in bulk when it’s on sale. In the upcoming global economy food will be king.

You can’t eat a gold bar.

What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Did some curbside recycling last night. Curbside recycling is where someone leaves something on the street in front of their house. Found an entire set of plates (new), 4 canisters for food storage (like what you’d get for rice, beans, sugar, flour, etc), a bread box, Gorman crystal candleholders and vases.

Then off to a new town where we’re vacationing. Went behind 2 dumpsters. Unfortunately we didn’t have my larger car so we couldn’t take as much. Found an entire box of chips, candy bars, energy bars and fig newtons. Those are going to a local church this week. One of the stores threw out a brand new BBQ grill. There was simply no more room in our car. We looked like the Beverly hillbillies already. All that was needed was my arse on the top holding on to the BBQ grill for dear life instead of granny in the rocking chair!

Tonight on the way home from shopping decided to stop by a local grocery store. Found 6 boxes of Klondike bars (slightly melted but they’re frozen now). My hubby is still anxiously awaiting the Klondike bars to be frozen so he can eat them. Then 20 bags of cold (just thrown out) buttermilk biscuit dough. Some of that is going to the local church as well. Took a batch of the biscuits and cooked in the oven. OMG they were to die for. A little bit of melted butter and blueberry jam was a taste of heaven.

God has really blessed me these last few years. He’s given me plenty of food for me, my husband and those in need.

Local Auction and More Produce

Last night my husband and I went to an auction for the first time. They sold a house and all its contents. The house sold first and for a very cheap price. Had an acre of land but needed some work.

We thought we were only buying the vacuum sweeper, the leaf blower and the vacuum cleaning machine. We were wrong. That $25 included the entire table. A lot of this stuff went into our house and some we will resell.

There was one lady there who bought 4 tables worth of stuff. She outbid us and that’s OK. I’m almost positive she does that to resell at garage sales. I say good for her.

Anyway to make money honestly is OK by me. Especially for middle aged women like us. Women and men in our age group are screwed when it comes to job hunting. Employers want younger cheaper employees. Now I did talk to one person there buying things at the auction. She said she cannot keep good help and that a lot of people are lazy. That I agree with. I said well, if I wanted to find a job here would I have any problem? She said no way. You’d be scooped up immediately.

We got out of this deal: a Bissell vacuum sweeper, a leaf blower (which both work like a charm and are virtually new). Probably a dozen picture frames, a miniature tea cup and glasses, dishes (stuff we need for this southern house), angel statutes (which IMO help guard and keep the house safe), foot massager, jewelry boxes (NICE ONES), Samsonite luggage piece (the old kind that is made well and in the USA), Christian books and more odds and ends too much to go into.

Then we stopped at the local grocery stores. Found 3 bags of potatoes (new) and 2 bags of carrots. The potatoes I will cook and refreeze.

This is manifestation at work. We needed something and God provided. How lovely is that?

Another Road Trip – More Dumpster Diving

My husband and I are on a much needed honeymoon. With his insane work hours, we’ve never had a real chance to be a couple. Now we’re relaxing in the woods in our southern home.

Our entertainment consists of watching the fireflies, having a bonfire, cooking healthy meals at home and reading. Instead of FDR’s fireside chat, we have cocktail hour, some good conversation and reading some good books.

Our goal is to be retired and out of the city in a few months. I cannot wait. City living is much too stressful for me anymore. When I was younger and single, living in an urban area, clubbing, shopping and gabbing on the phone with women friends was my life, no more.

The last 2 nights we’ve recovered quite a bit of produce and one small change purse for me (brand new of course).

I have so much cosmetics and hair care products, they either will be sold at a garage sale or given away. So our local postal clerk (a woman) got a lovely bottle of hand creme from me. I put a note on it and said a little treat for you. I liked doing that.

Our RV/van broke down today. My hubby had to leave it at the local store, blocking some of the way. The owner was totally nice about it. So tonight I gave his wife some high end hand creme (hand creme is safe to give any woman) and said thank you for being so nice about our van being there and not towing it.

The town we’re in has a lot of poverty. So the stores throwing food away makes me crazy. So I’ll glean it and give it away to those who could use it.

It’s a complete misnomer about the South and how backwards people are here. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve found the sweetest kindest people here in the South. Many of them are poor but proud. Some have their emotional demons like city folk, but not that often.

There is no TV in this house and I do not miss it at all.

Lastly, be kind to each other and to yourself.

Cat Food

Went to several stores last night. Found a variety of things in multiple dumpsters.

3 containers of Smashbox eye shadow, 2 huge containers of protein powder. Toys for kids, some miscellaneous food items, and vitamins.

One big box of cat food, about 400 cans. All brand new. They were samples but completely good cat food. My neighbor is a senior citizen who feeds all the stray cats in the neighborhood, guess where the food will be going?

The 2 boxes of protein powder were the only ones who weren’t smashed or emptied. I almost think the manager knows I come back there and did it for spite.

And yes many times Managers do this. To me this is despicable. This is brand new products that could feel hungry people.

I’ve been doing this too long to know whether it was deliberate dumping or just being lazy.

My husband and I are going on a road trip soon. A lot of the stuff we’ve found is going with us in a big truck. Along the way we’ll meet many people at the rest areas that are broke or unemployed. Since school is back you won’t see as many travelers with families. Many of them sleep there at night, I’ve seen it.

I’m making hygiene, food and vitamin kits today. We’ll be passing those out as we go along.