I’ve saved £9.5k by going BIN diving – and I even reuse old contact lenses and bed sheets
The mum-of-three says her husband has only recently accepted her unusual hobby
A MUM-of-three who goes bin diving to "finance her family’s dreams" has managed to save nearly £9,500 in one year and fund a family holiday to Disneyland.
Julie Rodriguez, 37, from Utah, has been bin diving for the past 10 years, re-using and re-selling what she finds inside, ranging from contact lenses to food.
The stay-at-home-mum said: “We are a single income family, with three children and a mortgage. We avoid consumer debt as much as possible and one has to get creative to maintain such a goal while still living a full and memorable life.
“We live on a single income, which pays our regular bills and our mortgage. My spouse works a regular, full-time job.
“The money I save us through dumpster diving, by finding items that we need and then don't have to pay for, stretches our family budget and provides a surplus that we've been able to use for vacations.
“Along with that, I re-sell many of the items we've recovered, which provides a small supplemental fund to put towards our vacations.
“Between those efforts, and living incredibly frugally in our daily lives, avoiding credit card debt and any frivolous spending, we are able to pay cash for the things that we care most about, such as memory-making vacations and holidays.”
Julie re-uses, recycles or sells what she finds in bins
Julie re-uses, recycles or sells anything worth taking from bins, including bed sheets, shoes, furniture, decorations and clothes.
And she personally uses some of what she finds, including jewellery, clothes and even contact lenses.
Julie, whose children are 12, nine and six, revealed she’s received a lot of abuse for her hobby, the reported.
She said: “I have been called ‘gross’, ‘criminal’, ‘morally irresponsible’, ‘selfish’, and ‘embarrassing’.
“But I've also been called ‘brave’, ‘proactive’, ‘determined’, ‘revolutionary’, 'inspiring’, ‘motivating’, ‘selfless’, and even a 'super woman'."
It’s not just other people who needed convincing, with her husband only recently coming round to the idea.
She said: “He has only recently come to accept and respect my forays into the dumpsters, having acknowledged the great benefit it has brought to our family.”
The thrifty mum uses items she funds in bins to give as presents as well, bringing down the cost of expensive occasions such as Christmas.
She has gone to New York, Mexico and Seattle with her three kidsCoupled with the extra income from selling what she finds, its allowed her to treat her family to memorable holidays, including a family trip to Disneyland last year.
She said: “All of the gifts we give, for any and every occasion, are wrapped in 100 per cent dumpster-salvaged gift paper, gift bags and tissue papers or shreds, with all bows and ribbons from the bins.
“When we find brand new, sealed items in the bins, we keep large quantities of them to use in gifts.
“The money we would have had to spend on those items and many others, plus the little bit that we've earned through reselling some of the treasures has gone towards several vacations and adventures.
“In 2018 we visited Disneyland, Yellowstone National Park, and Yuma, Arizona as a family.
Last year her family visited Yellowstone National Park, and Yuma, Arizona together
“I was also able to take a one-on-one vacation to Seattle with my youngest child.
“I take one child each year on a dream vacation; in 2017, my oldest and I spent a week in New York City, all financed with dumpster diving savings.
“The year before that my son and I spent a week in Mexico.
“None of this would have been possible without dumpster diving, hard work, and seriously frugal living.
'I dumpster dive to make a difference and to finance our dreams while still being able to embrace full-time motherhood.”
Not just saving money, but Julie also wants to have a positive impact on the planet and hopes to raise awareness of environmental issues and waste.
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