A great day

The next day was very full and productive. I got the wardrobe armoire that I had been keeping my eye on at the furniture consignment store, got it moved in, cleaned up and situated in my room. I went to work for a meeting and then came back home to get ready for the belated Christmas dinner. It was so much fun! All the food was delicious; it was great to attend a dinner party as a guest and not have to worry about cooking anything for a change! So we had good food and good wine with good friends. At the end of the evening, I was quite pleased with the day's accomplishments. To top it off, I decided to stop again at the near by grocery store. I haven't made a list, but here's most of what I found:

~70 various frozen Lean Cuisine and Stauffers frozen dinners
several organic potatoes
~15 limes
a few lemons
some tomatoes
lettuce
baby organic carrots with tdip
a few other miscellaneous veggies

Not a really long list, but a very large load. Since there's no room left in my fridge or freezer, I just left them in a box on the back porch. Its so damn cold that they'll be fine out there for a while, at least until it snows or rains again..
The other day I responded to an ad on craigslist from a woman asking for food. She told me about her five children and husband who recently lost his work, so I was obliged to offer her a big box of food. Unfortunately for both of us, she never responded the next day to set up a time to come get it.. Im not sure why she never made it or even responded, but it was kind of disappointing. I was excited about being able to help. So I invited my lovely neighbor over to do some shopping, who was very thankful and appreciative, although she brought something to my attention. When people are over at my house and I offer them food from my packed fridge and full table, they are timid to take what they want, afraid that they are taking all my food. I try to reassure them that I have a seemingly endless supply and will never run out, but they are still reluctant to take a lot of stuff. Something else for me to think about...

Dinner preparations

Yesterday one of my friends hosted a belated Christmas dinner to which I was invited along with several of her other friends. She called me the day before asking if she could come over to borrow a dish. Since she lives near one of the better grocery stores that I go to, I offered to bring the dish by her house and invited her to join me on my dive since she had previously shown a lot of interest in one day joining me. She accepted my offer, so later that night we went to several places for her first time dumpster diving. I kind of wanted to get it over with because it had started snowing earlier and had since started turning into rain. After we finished up at the grocery store, we went to a pharmacy but didn't find anything. We stopped at her house to unload the stuff and she convinced me to make another trip out to a different grocery store and pharmacy. She was pretty excited about how well it went and I had a lingering spark of adventure left over so it really didn't take that much convincing at all.. We were much more successful on our second run and were able to fill the trunk with lots of stuff from the pharmacy; stuff that would've been wasted if I hadn't salvaged it, as I am now starting to think of it. One of the dumpsters we came across was completely filled with plastic hangers. I took a few to hang in my new armoire. In the end, we got another huge load of stuff; lots of good stuff for the christmas dinner, too! I didn't count anything my friend kept, but here's what I ended up with:

4 boxes Cheeseits
12 boxes instant oatmeal
whole roast chicken
8pc fried chicken
2 8oz chicken alfredo pasta dishes
3 8oz boxes dried cranberries
1 bag turnip and mustard greens
2 heads romaine lettuce
1 head organic cauliflower
5 pre-made chef salad bowls
3 bell peppers
3 poblano peppers
2 jalapanos
2 cherry peppers
3 yellow squash
1 cucumber
4 potatoes
1 sweet potato
10 tomatoes
3 loaves Italian bread
1 bag sub rolls
2 boxes croissants
whole lemon pound cake
2 apple pies
35 bottles assorted flavors sparkling water
5 loaves honey wheat bread
2 loaves white bread
3 bags rolls
32oz jar grape jelly

Why?

Last night I had dinner with my friend who lives in Hawaii,where she goes to school and where I have applied to. I brought over a dumpstered brussel sprout casserole that my mother cooked and brought over to our house. We were talking about how recycling, reusing and composting is much more a part of the lifestyle on the islands than it is on the mainland, and it became clear when I stopped at the grocery store on the way home. Not-that-much to my surprise, I found several boxes of leftover holiday merchandise: wine gift bags, holiday paper plates, paper napkins, paper cups and plastic table cloths, all intact and pristine. I cant find any logical reason for these items to be thrown in the dumpster to be buried in a landfill that makes the least bit of sense at all to me. Why wouldn't the company want to keep it for next year or return it to the distributor for credit or even sell it for a reduced price.... The other night I found a really nice iron at a retail store. It was $80 new, but had been factory serviced and reduced to $29.99 but still, no one wanted to purchase it because it's not their idea of perfect, not acceptable, not valuable; so, although it works perfectly fine, it ended up in the dumpster.  It is beyond me why this is the decision that ends up getting made, to throw perfectly good merchandise away when there are so many much better alternative solutions. It vexes me completely and I cant stop thinking about it.
Besides the holiday merch, I fould lots of great stuff. Heres the list:

8 pks paper plates
13 pks paper napkins
2 sleeves paper cups
3 plastic party table cloths
~25 holiday wine gift bags w/ tissue paper
2 6.3oz blocks extra sharp cheddar
2 8oz blocks sharp cheddar
16pk cheese slice singles
16oz bin mexican cheese dip
5lb bag french fries
32oz bottle coffee creamer
1qt Simply Lemonade
1/2gal vanilla Almond Breeze
4 bags bagles
4 pkgs Toll House caramel filled cookies
1 mystery can... some vegetable  or soup?
2 14oz pkg extra firm tofu
2 8oz pkgs cubed extra firm tofu
3lb bag clementines
1 box organic baby spring mix
3pk organic baby carrots w/ ranch dip
3 bunches organic spinach
3 organic lemons, 2 regular
7 limes
1 white onion
1 sweet onion
2 yellow squash
3 potatoes
8 tomatoes
1 artichoke
~30 bottles flavored vitamin drink

Since I had all this on my mind, I was thrilled today to hear from a friend about an organization in the UK called Re-Plenish. They are a non profit group of volunteers who collect food from supermarkets that is still good but can't be sold and redistribute it to other groups and charities that provide food and meals for people. I was super excited to read all about it because it is very similar to a project that I have been brainstorming about for months. I hope to contact them and learn a little more about how they work and what other things they are involved in. You can learn all about them at http://www.re-plenish.org/
With all the depressing heaps of stuff that I've been finding lately, it's a relief to hear that people out there who are working toward solutions and trying to solve issues like excessive waste and hunger in their communities. It often seems that with my level of awareness comes the obligation to carry the burden of solving these problems and bringing them out in to the open where people can see it so they can talk about them, learn about them and understand them; not ignore them.

Another day, another dive

I got a call from my friends the other night asking if I wanted to go diving with them again. Since I'd hardly gotten out of bed all day, I thought it would be good to get out and do something. Im glad I did, because we recovered an insane amount of food again. I was quite excited about all the frozen berries and the yogurt. I can make lots of pies with the fruit and I enjoy yogurt in the mornings. When we got back to their place we sorted, washed and divided everything up. I only inventoried what I took home so we collected more than twice this list. Here's what I brought home:

3lbs. margerine
4 individual blueberry yogurt cups
32oz tub vanilla yogurt
1 bag cranberries
4 Jello mousse cups
1 bag frozen broccoli spears
 1 tub Ranch veggie dip
1 tub yogurt fruit dip
2 containers salsa
1 container french onion dip
8oz block sharp cheddar
8oz block European style butter
8oz pepper jack cheese
fresh ginger
8 potatoes
16oz bag parsnips
4 avocados
2 heads cauliflower
jar caesar dressing
Stauffers flatbread
Pilsbury xmas cookies
64oz bottle mystery juice.. maybe cranberry?
3lb bag clementines
4ct bag pita
3 bags dried mango/pineapple
1 butternut squash
frozen cheese pizza
3 bags Chiquita apple bites
2 loaves Natures Own bread
11-1lb bags assorted frozen berries
1 bag english muffins
bag BBQ buns
bag hot dog buns
2 bags hamburger buns

A friend of my brother's gave us their old refrigerator. Its much newer, bigger and nicer than our old one so its pretty exciting and its already packed full of new stuff from the past few nights.

Breaking in the new year

Last night I had a couple friends who had been traveling over for dinner. It was great to see them again and they had some wonderful dive stores from their travels. After dinner we decided to take a little trip to the dumps to see what we could find. We were pretty excited with our findings from the first stop so we decided to make a night out of it and check out a few other places too. In the spirit of a new year we decided to try a few new spots, and its a good thing we did; we found a couple great new spots! We went to grocery stores, pharmacies, the pet store and a couple retail stores. Petsmart has the only dumpsters I've ever encountered where the dumpsters are chained up and locked. If you want to get in them you have to climb up on top and get all the way in. I was appalled by how much food was in there. There were several large bags of dog and cat food, but each one appeared to have been ripped all the way open and poured out into the dumpster. This is most unfortunate because the county animal shelter has euthanization rate of nearly 50% and there are many other rescue centers and organizations that could make good use of the wasted pet food.
So far, this year seems to be starting off much better than the last.. At the end of the night we ended up with:

6 russet potatoes
6 red potatoes
4 sweet potatoes
2 organic cucumbers
6 assorted peppers
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
10 organic green bell peppers
6 jars Spanish olives
1 bag green apples
1 bag red apples
6 zucchini
4 red onions
4 yellow onions
3 white onions
3 boxes brussel sprouts
4 3pk. baby carrot w/ ranch dip
4 bunches green onions
1 bunch celery
8 tomatoes
3 bags rolls
9 pears
2 bags apple bites
2 heads romaine lettuce
3 yellow squash
2 bags raddishes
5 bags broccoli and carrots
6 cartons assorted mushrooms
head iceberg lettuce
organic pineapple
avocado
5 tangelos
2 grapefruit
3 oranges
8 ears corn
3 beets
6 12oz bottles milk
2 1/2gal. chocolate milk
whole Virgina ham
22 48oz bottles Sunny D
2 Naked drinks
2 cans orange shasta
2 dozen red roses

Round one

Round two.. Thats just the food..

2 mason jars with lids
pepper mill
tart pan
spring form baking pan
scrabble apple
stationery
garbage bag full of cards; thank you, birthday, christmas, hanukkah, new year, etc.
wine bottle outfit
scented candle
shinguard
ziplock bags
plastic food basket
3 phone chargers
2 phone cases
pocket guide to prescription drugs
Declaration of Independence and Constitution book
keychain laser pointer/LED flashight
2 packs energizer hearing aid batteries
~20 pairs reading glasses
3 scoop set
wooden spatula
steel dog food bowl
small fleece blanket
cat toy
remote control air plane
2 new toilet seats
throw pillow
fingernail clippers
gallon water jug
4 storage bins
computer parts

 

I sent my friends home with several bags full of stuff. Good thing, since they are broke from traveling and haven't found any work yet.. They said that in their travels on the west coast, dumpster diving was difficult because everyone has their turf and everything good gets gone real quick. I feel pretty fortunate to be able to pick from this tree that no one else seems to care about. I can pick all I need, whenever I need. Im excited to see how this year takes shape.

Wrapping things up

Its been great the past few weeks, having loads of holiday treats and leftovers to eat without having to brave the cold nights in search of food; however, the cupboards started getting a little bare and I was getting tired of potatoes, pasta and bread.. Since I had hardly left the house in previous days I decided that it would be good to get out for a bit and pick up some food. I also wanted to test out the new loot bag I made for diving. I like to go really late at night so I dont have to worry about running in to anyone. That way, I can take my time sorting through stuff and I dont have to worry about being too loud. I found a bunch of good stuff but was disappointed that I didn't find any good veggies. Heres what I did find:

5 boxes mini croissants
3 boxes blueberry and banana nut muffins
3 boxes assorted doughnuts
5 bags assorted bagles
3 loaves bread
4 containers roasted red pepper hummus
64oz bottle cran-grape juice
fruitcake
2 boxes pop tarts
2 containers apple sauce
3 fruit cups
3 bags tortilla chips
box mac&cheese
3 boxes Little Debbie snacks
12 honey buns
3 boxes cereal
can of peas
mystery can.. maybe cream of something soup?
wooden serving spoons
tulip and anemone bulbs
portable CD player w/ headphones
bottle mouthwash
scented candle
5 fiesta themed small candles
Excedrin for tension headache
neck pillow
bottle CLR
small apron
electric toothbrush

I started this grand experiment in February of this year. Its been a full 10 months now and I have spent (a rough estimate of) $300 on food, health/hygiene products, clothes, cat supplies, and other random stuff. This excludes gas, vet bills, beer and all the other stuff I still have to purchase.
I was telling my grandmother about my blog the other day and how I've been dumpster diving. She told me that my uncle used to go to Hardee's to get hamburgers at the end of the day when he was in college. I think that is what she thinks I do. I don't think that she realizes that I can go out and get $100 dollars of groceries andother stuff any night I feel like going to the dumps. Today my aunt asked me "Are you going to spend you whole life like this?" To that I say, "Why the hell wouldn't I!?" I like to keep the money I earn, instead of wasting it on things I can have for free. I want to be able to give back the money Ive borrowed for student loans instead of giving it away in exchange for food when there is so much waste occurring. I can never again turn back to how I used to live. I have already seen what is happening behind the pretty store fronts and I can't un-learn what Ive discovered. It would be foolish to ignore it. It is wrong to ignore it.

Xmas Gift Wrapping Extravaganza

Tonight I was supposed to host a holiday party but I think last nights out-of-the-blue 5 inches of snow scared everyone away.. So it will now be a Come-eat-the-food-i-cooked-and-lets-wrap-presents-while-boozin-it-up party. Ive got loads of stuff to wrap and Im going to enlist the help of my lady friends for it. Since I made something new tonight that I've been itching to try out, I guess Ill post it since it turned out so well.

Swedish Potatoes

Preheat your oven to 425F. Cut a potato almost all the way through in really thin slices, about 1/8 of an inch. I put the potato in a large serving spoon to help steady it and keep from chopping all the way through it. Fan it out a bit so that the slices have a little space in between and drizzle butter or olive oil, or whatever you prefer/ have available on top so it gets between the layers, then sprinkle some salt, pepper and any other spices or herbs you like on top and in between. Bake them for about 20 minutes or until they are mostly done. Sprinkle some grated parmesean cheese on top and put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes or until the desired cheese meltyness has been achieved.

Winter Dorm Dumps

I went with a friend to the dorms this week to see what was getting thrown away at the end of this semester and was surprised with what I found. I had never been at the end of  a fall semester so I didnt really know what to expect, but I was surprised by the amount of food that I found. Won't the kids want this food when they get back from winter break? I dunno... In addition to the all the food, I found several great Christmas presents. It was interesting going before break when there are still people living in the dorms; at 2am there were still people out and about and walking around, some watching us digging through the bags of garbage. We must have surprised the guy who came out to throw some stuff away..
Tomorrow I am hosting a holiday party for my friends and co-workers. Its given me a good excuse to clean the house, re-arrange and organize the furniture and other stuff I've brought home. The home is looking pretty good, now that I've put my mark on it.  I'll also be cooking some stuff for the party so Ill post recipes, as it's been a while since I shared any with you.
From the dorms I was able to salvage:

13 freeze pops.. my favorite!
11 assorted packs of crackers, granola bars, etc.
box of pop tarts
4 mini boxes cereal
box Lucky Charms
large bag Frosted Flakes
pkg Oreos
12oz jar peanutbutter
bag of pastel mints
2 vanilla latte mix packs
2 easy squeeze icing bags
2 bags soup mix
4 bottles Ensure
3 bags microwave popcorn
3 bags baked ruffle chips
1 tube thin mint girl scout cookies
1 jar Prego pasta sauce
can Monster energy drink
bar Lever 200 soap
double sided magnifying mirror
large umbrella
dust buster
chain license plate frame
collapsible tote bag
music note tote bag
wristwatch
Brookestone travel blow dryer
Pampered Chef can opener
2 tupperware bins
3 ring binder
purse
halloween beach ball
several disposable coffee cups
book of Psalms
3 issues of the schools art and literature magazine
girls sweater
girls H&M shirt
mens jeans 28x30
sm. brown collared tee
white tank

Some of these things will be gifts, some I will keep and the rest will probably end up in care packages or donation boxes for local charities. I guess I could even send things to my readers if they wanted anything...

Changes

As I said a long time ago, I want to spruce things up a bit, so im making a few minor changes in the template and such. stay tuned for details and let me know what you think about it!

My Cup Flowith Over

Either I haven't been going out as often and forgot how much wealth is available to those who want to take it, or there is a significant increase in the availability of discarded wealth at the end of the year; I have been finding great stuff every day and wouldn't know what to do with it all if Christmas wasn't just around the bend.. I cant just keep hoarding all this stuff once the giving season has passed. I need a warehouse.. a place to keep all the salvaged stuff, or a venue to disperse it to those who need it...
So this is a short list from a stop on the way to a friend's last night, and a list of stuff from salvaged from the dorms today after exams. 

a pair of microterry slippers
tube of arthritis cream
bottle of extra strong hair spray
box of iron supplement
3 boxes healthy skin cream
1 box chocolate cereal straws
1 container french onion dip
1 reveal light bulb
100 xmas light strand

full length mirror
trash can
2 tote bags.. excellent for diving!
wallett
3 pairs fruit of the loom boxer briefs (brand new, never worn, in my size)
tumbler
Jazz history text book
compact florescent light bulb
set of colored permanent pens
3 outlet receptacle plug
1/2 bottle Biore face wash
some laundry detergent
bottle of French suncreen ($36 price tag)

Some may be repulsed by the fact that I am excited to have found used hygiene products and undergarments in the trash. I understand that it sounds nasty and how it could seem dirty and disgusting. They don't understand that it is clean, safe and perfectly good. Just because it was put inside a bag that spent a few hours inside a metal box with other discarded items that may not be clean, doesn't mean that it is automatically contaminated or unsafe to use as soon as it enters that metal box.

Consider this: If you have never been to Chicago or New York City, you can read books about it, look at pictures and hear what people who have visited have to say about it; but you can never, ever have a good understand of what it is like to visit that city until you have been there and seen it for yourself.

More veggies!

On my way home from the Christmas party that my mom hosted for her work friends last night, I stopped at the grocery next to her house, the same one got all the veggies from the other night, and found... more veggies! And whats more? 25 bottles of assorted salad dressing! It was another of those I-thought-it-so-I-found-it moments. Its so strange how that happens so often. Now Ill have a lovely variety of dressings for all the baby organic greens I found the other night and plenty to share with mom and friends. All of her work friends must have thought I'm the best son around when I showed up with a bag full of organic veggies and a dozen pink roses. I also gave her the Similac and some jars of Gerber baby food for one of her coworkers with a little baby.
Last nights dive yielded:

2 artichokes
2 pineapples
2 organic cabbages
10 sweet potatoes
3 3lb bags clementines
1lb box organic green beans
7 zucchini
1 jalapano
2 loaves neo-tuscan artisan bread
2 bleu cheese salad finishers
1 bag croutons
5 bottles asian toasted sesame dressing
11 bottles parmesean asiago balsamic vinegrette
9 bottles Sicilian roasted garlic balsamic vin.
1 bottle sun-dried tomato vin.
2 bottles Maries natural Italian vin.
2 organic basil plants
2 chrysanthemums
1 cycleman

As a plant freak, I always take home any plants I find. Im really excited about the cycleman because its in pretty good condition and will bloom again in a couple days; so beautiful!

Early Christmas

I love what I do. I felt like a child on Christmas morning when I got home last night and brought all my boxes of loot in to the kitchen for sorting and cleaning. I still had two unopened bags to root through, only able to guess what could be inside; they were like giant wrapped presents under the table.

After spending about an hour of sorting, unwrapping, washing, inventorying and arranging I was finally done. I had forgotten that the bulk of the work comes once you get your treasures home.

Once again, after displaying everything on the kitchen table for picture time, I was filled with a sense of immense satisfaction and triumpth mixed with a hint of nausea and guilt. I dont understand why this is happening, why I am able to do this every day. I went to theses same places two days ago and got everything of value. Last night I thought twice about finishing my loop because my car was almost full before I even got to the second and third spots.

I guess I can look at it as a lesson about the corporate machine; it never sleeps, never stops, never slows down. Tomorrow will bring another dump full of treasures.
I guess one positive thing is that with Christmas coming up, there will be plenty of wonderful gifts to bestow upon all of my family and friends; It's gonna be the best Christmas ever! I think back to years past and how around this time I am usually scrambling around, trying to pick up shifts so I can get a little more on that last paycheck before Christmas so I can give it all away to Wal-Mart, Target and the other places that embody the modern spirit of Christmas. Im saving my money this year, hopefully for my plans of going to school in Hawai'i next year.
 With Christmas coming up, abundance of everything in the cold weather, care packages and prepping for Hawai'i constantly on my mind, the gears in my brain have been turning again; How can I make the most out of my unique position, make things easier for myself, my family and my friends? I have only made about $4,000 working this year. Adding all financial aid and assistance from school and other sources brings my income this year to around $8,000, well below the poverty line. And I have lived like a king! Not once have I gone hungry, worried about paying rent, buying school supplies or any other nesscesity. In fact, I have had such an abundance of material wealth that I can afford share it with all of my poverty stricken friends, family and the occasional homeless person. I need somewhere to put all my excess until I can find places or people for it to go to..
So here's the list, divided by food and non-food items:

3 boxes Honey Nut Cheerio cereal & milk bars
9  bags assorted Dove chocolates
2 bags mini Snickers
1 bag assorted mini candy bars
6 bottles diet caffeine free Pepsi
1 bag organic red grapes
5 bartlett pears
bunch of red bananas
1lb box organic green beans
1 bag cut broccoli and baby carrots
3 pkgs portabella mushrooms
4 tomatoes
4 white onions
7 yellow, green and orange bell peppers
5 yellow squash
5 zucchini
1 cucumber
1 ear yellow corn
3 carrots
2 10lb bags white potatoes
10lb bag russet potatoes
4 bags baby carrots
5 boxes organic baby romaine and herb mix
7 assorted apples
1 bag Mott's Macintosh apples
2 16oz cartons strawberries
4lb bag Sunkist oranges
3lb bag clementines
carton fresh sage
1lb box Ritz crackers
6 bottles Similac baby formula
16 4pk boxes chocolate doughnuts
1 loaf roasted garlic artisan bread
4ct bag everything bagles
10ct box chicken wings
1 pan yeast rolls
1lb bag Maxwell House coffee
3.5oz pkg feta
8oz garlic herb cheese spread
Sergento ham salad finishers
2 32oz spaghetti dinners
2 12 oz. baked ziti dinners
7 boxes Totino's pepperoni pizza rolls
2lb bag tater tots

5 boxes Crest White Strips
2 toothbrushes
Neutrogena grapefruit face scrub
dry skin therapy lotion
ocean body spray
senior vitamins
2 bottles Pantene shampoo
colored xmas lights
4lb. bag Epsom salts
baby boots
box staples
can Alpo dog food
2 light bulbs
pair of jeans
2 boquets of flowers
3 herb plants; 2 basil and 1 cilantro
reusable tote bag

All this in one night. And again, everything is packaged, wrapped, in boxes and so on. Most stuff was tossed because it was getting close to the "expiration date." Some was tossed because the package was torn or punctured. Some people think that I am "disgusting" or that I am a "parasite." I understand that no one wants to buy it. I understand that the company can't use it any more because it has no potential to make them money. But I don't understand why all of this material wealth with minor defects, yet still usable and perfectly good, is thrown away when so many people around the world and here at home in America are struggling, toiling, suffering all day every day to acquire the perfect packages from inside the store. Not only are these items just casually thrown away, but most often they intentionally destroyed; cut open, poured out, ripped apart, crushed in to compacted blocks and guarded under lock and key behind huge walls and fences. I am fortunate to have several spots whose employees are either too careless to follow through with corporate policies of destroying merchandise bound for the trash or they leave it in hopes that someone will be able to get it. I like to think the latter; its less depressing and Ill take what little comfort I can find in the face of this seemingly hopeless problem. But I still have hope. I hope to change things. The gears are turning.

Winter Weather

Since the last post I have been incredibly busy with school, work, birthdays(my own included)  and preparing for a new year.. I forgot how much time and effort it all requires! Often times I have an inner struggle with whether to go to the library and study, or go to the dumps.. their seductive call and promise of feasts and treasure is very tempting and difficult to drown out. In between studying for exams and ironing my work uniform I have found little time to go to the dumps and even less to post lists and pictures, but when the semester is over Ill be able to catch up.

In other exciting news, I got a camera!! No more of this frustrating borrowing-cameras-never-having-one-to-take-pictures-of-the-best-finds business.. Now I will be able to take pictures and videos and upload everything myself, whenever I want! Im obviously pretty excited about this major increase in efficiency and convenience. Im also very excited to be able to convey my experiences more vividly to all of you.

Since I am not buying any Christmas presents for anyone, I really need to start going out more so that I can find as much good gift material as I can. I've already been setting things aside that I have deemed appropriate for giving as Christmas presents; among these items are candy, perfumes, shower gels and lotions, dishes, cosmetics, furniture, candles and other miscellaneous beauty and hygiene products. I'll also post some ideas and pictures of gifts I'm making.

Now, on to last night's list:

17 6pack Snickers bars
6 bags Riesen candy
8pack mini Butterfinger
7 containers chicken noodle soup
1 container Easy Mac
2 Betty Crocker Bowl Appetite pasta bowls
1 can pineapple
1 can Spaghetti O's
1 box HoneyBunches of Oats with almonds

12 eggs
3 pears
3 boxes fried chicken
1 bag broccoli

package of recycled paper napkins
large roll of toilet paper
xmas tree base blanket
xmas lights
Paris Hilton shower gel and body lotion
Sparkling White Diamonds shower gel and body wash
Olay foundation
Almay clear complexion foundation
Revlon foundation and lipstick
Fingernail polish
3 bars Dial soap
jar of texturizing hair matte
moisturizing body lotion
mouthwash
vanilla and lavender scented candles
50ct box large envelopes

So busy!

Been a while, so there's lots to cover!

I presented a speech in one of my classes on how wasteful today's American society is. It was supposed to be a persuasive speech, which worked in my favor; It was easy for me to convincingly persuade my classmates about something that I am so passionate about. I was the first to present, so I brought several treats from my many recent dives for them to eat while I explained everything. I was expecting more surprise when they found out where the food and drinks came from, but everyone seemed fine with it. It went really well, except for my forgetting some of the most pertinent information relating to the audience.. I was going to explain what happens at the end of the semesters and talk about the Office of Recycling and Waste Reduction on campus, but ran out of time.

At the end of the year they put bins in all the dorms where the kids can put stuff that they don't want or need or cant take home with them. All the stuff gets collected, sorted and sold at the Cram n' Scram sale about a week after school ends. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is sold for 50 cents; shoes, clothes, pots and pans, TVs, computers, rugs, mirrors, bed sheets, fans, lamps, and everything else you could find in a dorm. The problem is that most of the stuff that they don't need still ends up in the dumpsters... Which is where I come in. I will be helping with sorting these items at the end of next semester and will also be making trips to the dumps to recover stuff. One of the perks of volunteering with the sale is that you get to keep anything you want that gets donated to the sale.

A few weeks ago there was another event called "Landfill on the Lawn" where the dumpsters from two dorms were emptied on the lawn in the middle of campus. Volunteers with the ORWR sorted through everything to separate the recyclables, and even though there is a recycling bin next to almost every trash can, dumpster and other waste receptacle on campus, I would say at least half of the piles of trash was replaceable. New laws in NC and city ordinances have made disposing of any aluminum, glass and pretty much any plastic bottle in to a trash bin illegal and the ORWR is working on a new program that will help educate and bring awareness of these new policies to people on campus and in the community.

So I mentioned that I have been diving a lot lately and you may wonder why I haven't been posting them.. I've just been really busy wrapping up the semester. Between work, school and diving, I don't have loads of extra free time these days and so I haven't been able to post much. I have also been organizing dives with the Meet up group that I started, but they don't seem to be working out; I'm just not that organized these days... It also hasn't helped that my computer is on the fritz again... so Ive been spending lots of down time in the library, which should be every freegans favorite place! I recently discovered how valuable a resource the library can be and am very excited about it! Anyway, I have stopped writing detailed inventories of individual dives, but have been taking more photos, but now I'm having trouble posting them.. Here are a couple and a list of random stuff I can think of that I found lately:

10 new bottles of cough syrup

bottles of Tylenol arthritis medicine

children's Tylenol

children's chewable vitamins

Rx medicines

returned- brand new electric toothbrush (found the same one in a store for $80!)

sooo many bottles of assorted beverages- juice, tea, beer, water, Gatorade, soda

jars of baby food

Epsom salts

several 5lb bags of sugar

lots of fresh fruit and veggies (lots of individually packaged Chiquita produce)

pop tarts

apple sauce

jello and pudding desserts

instant hot breakfast cereals

boxes of organic cereals

several boxes of rice krispy treats

cookies

muffins

loads of freeze pops!.. gotta love em'

cheeses

chocolate

preserves

deli meats, bacon, sausage - don't usually eat it, but brother and Basil cat like it!

noodles

nuts

beans

canned veggies

breads

Halloween candy

shampoo

body wash

hair curlers

cosmetics

toys

Each of these loads came from one night out. There are many more pictures, but I cant seem to post them. I loooove the cold weather because there is almost no danger of getting spoiled food, though I always err on the side of caution.

Speaking of safety, there are two issues I wanted to post about a while ago, but haven't gotten around to yet. One is rat poison. I noticed one night that my arm was resting on a pile that had been sprinkled on the rim of the dumpster. I wasn't too concerned about it because I take many precautions, but it got me thinking. I want people to be aware of the danger it presents for inexperienced divers. It is very common to find poisons in dumpsters and if you don't know what to look for, you could end up eating something that has been contaminated. This is why I never ever ever take anything that has been opened exposing the food unless I am absolutely sure it is safe, and you must ALWAYS wash everything ESPECIALLY produce, unless its inside of lots of wrappers.

Another point to consider is the danger of climbing inside a dumpster. A few weeks ago I was inside digging out some food and my feet had sunk down under boxes and bags. It was slightly uncomfortable, but I didn't think much of it, but something happened to it.. It was sore and hurt to put all my weight on it for a couple days. Aside from the danger of sprains or breaks, cuts are very possible. This is why I always wear gloves, though the thin vinyl doesn't offer much protection. Its best not to handle any broken glass. If you find a case of expensive olives or baby food or something that you really want to take, its best to take the whole thing to a safe place where you can carefully clean the jars off, or just take the clean jars without shards all over them.

Lately..

Okay, so its been a while. Ive been diving more often and have found loads of great stuff, but ive been so busy that I havent had time to post the lists.. I havent been keeping up with the Meetup.com group that I started either.. I feel sort of bad about being so negligent, but I haven't abandoned everything!
So I have a confession.. a couple weeks ago I broke down and went grocery shopping! At a big corporate 24-hour chain.. I know, I know. Im such a hypocrite. But considering I can count on one hand the number of times I've purchased groceries since I started this grand experiment last February, I'm not losing any sleep over it... I spent 13 dollars on one bunch of celery, eeggs, cabbage, carrots, onions and a couple other things. It had been a while since I found any good fresh food and my body craved veggies! Of course, the next night when I was diving I found celery, eggs, carrots and an onion... It was just a little lesson in patience and diligence, I suppose. Anyway, more to come later. Im trying to renovate things so look a little fancier, so don't be surprised if things change a bit.