I found some vintage trellises on the curb. I got them in the station wagon, closed the trunk, and broke the rearview mirror right off the windshield! Those trellises ended up costing me $20(the cost of the new mirror)! Was it worth it? Of course!!

I almost burnt my house down. Put eggs on to boil, immediately forgot about them and headed out the door to trash pick for 2 hrs. (annual big pick up in a neighboring town). Came home to a house full of smoke seeping out into the garage and eggs exploded all over the floor. The house smelled for weeks until someone told me to boil a pan of vinegar. It really worked. I won't soon forget that experience, though I wish I could.

Arlene

I picked up a vintage wicker sofa sitting out on a curb. It was in bad shape but not so bad it couldn't be repaired. I remembered my dad's great uncle having one similar to it when I was a kid.
Didn't see the uneven curbed and tumbled right over it. Cut the bottom of my hand and was limping for a week cause of the bruise I got on my leg BUT it was worth it!

Ok, I curb shop (and have cut down a lot since last year when I threw a lot of it out and the garbage men didn't take any of it there was so much, LOL. I had to call the place and they came back at the end of the day with an "empty truck," that's how much there was.

No I haven't gone to the extremes to get a piece or anything like that and I applaud you ladies for doing so. I think it's fun.

Sal

You might be a T2T nut if instead of watching the road as you drive your ogling the put-out trash piles.

I have worked for the same company for 20 years. The one and ONLY time I was ever late for work was a day when there was a lovely gateleg table in my neighbors trash!!!
Yeppers, it now has pride of place in my den!!
Good topic Yaya!!

Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum but I believe I'm finally home. You guys had me laughing so hard!!! Arlene totally cracked me up!!! It's so funny because I was beginning to think there's something wrong with me.

Today, my DH called in late for work to drive me nearly an hour away to pick up a table. I just finished surfing the net tonight looking for ideas on how to convert this table into a kitchen table.

We didn't realize the table wasn't attached to the base, and when DH and I lifted the "very heavy" top, one of the legs fell onto my leg. Ouch, ouchie, ouch! My DH was asking me, "are you ok"...but I stifled my pain and said, "oh yeah, I'm fine."

I'm secretly limping on both legs.

I hope you all don't mind my coming to visit for a while?
: )

I forgot to add to my post that my husband is a full-time fireman and yes, he went trash picking with me that day.

Arlene

Welcome, flowermum! Glad to have you. Wanna tell some "trashy stories" on yourself!? LOL

Let's see, my first adventure began one rainy night. I was pregnant and had ventured out that night to get myself a snack from the store. Anyway, on the way I had passed some chairs sitting at the curb. They looked so pretty to me. I slowed and rolled the window down. There I was gazing and wondering "what if", "should I", "could I", "do they belong to someone".... Well, you all know how that goes.

So anyway, long story short. On my way back home, I got out in the rain, grabbed the chair (the other one had the back missing) and headed back home. I had been gone for a while and I'm sure my DH was wondering about me. This was pre-cell phone days, early 90's.

So, I rung the doorbell, DH opened the door, and there I was standing in the rain holding a chair, saying "Look! at what I found!" His eyes sort of glazed over and he quickly grabbed the chair from me.

So that was the start of my dumpster-diving. And yes, I do still to this day regret not having grabbed the "other" chair. LOL

I tried to take a pix this morning of the chair, but my batteries didn't have enough juice in them for the camera.

LOL Good one, Flowermum. Once I called Twinkie (my DH) while he was at work and I said, "Uh, if I had this "friend" that, you know, saw a chair on a front porch of a house and she wanted it, should she" A. Go up and ask if it's for sale? B. Wait for them to put it out for the trash pickup? Or, C. Just forget about it!?" LOL

His answer, (laughing) "Just stop and ask them if you can buy the d*mn chair!" LOL

I did ($10) Wish I had offered $5, he took it so quickly! LOL Will have to post a photo of that crazy chair. It's still one of my favorites! LOL

Here's a photo of my TtoT chair. Total cost - $10.00 for the chair and $100.00 to have it recovered in black vinyl and all the nailheads put back. Wish now I had gone with a really out there color but I love black, so..... It is a HUGE chair with a perfectly round seat. Never seen another one shaped like it! LOL Ignore the Roxie snuffles on the window. I've been laid up this week and she's been looking out the window overtime lately! LOL

ttt Come on! I KNOW there's more T/T nuts out there than just us! LOL

That's a great chair! Looks very comfy.

I'm so happy I'm not alone! I have found great solace in this Devine Sisterhood of T/T Nuts, uh, I mean--Group.

Aaahh, I feel much better now.

: )

You might be a nut if you drive 100 miles one way, just to pick up some old windows!!! My DH doesn't like T2T or garden junk, so I hid most of the windows in my BFF's shed. She was my partner in crime that day. LOL
Sheree

LOL Deedlesmon, I love that story. Made me remember that I once had to make a 40 mile trip (one way) to pick up an old wooden ladder that I had given $1.00 for!!! LOL

Wasn't in the truck and couldn't find anybody at the auction that lived anywhere around me to bring it home.

Note to self...ALWAYS take the truck and need to to be the OLD one (scratches, etc.)

My Mom's group had a contest to find the "strangest thing in your purse". Well, I had to choose from the half dried tube of GE Silicone II that I had to replace, an old wooden door knob (not sure why that was in my purse), and a pair of brand new needlenose pliers for my suncatchers. Oh, and a nice hole in the bottom of my purse where the pliers split the seam. ;-)

Sorry, just visiting from the Garden Junk forum and couldn't resist. I am a Freecycle nut, and have been known to drive all over town for free junk that I can use in my house and garden. I don't have a ton of luck curb shopping, though- my husband usually refuses to stop!

Jenny

...if you can't stop working on a big curb pile! I noticed a huge pile of stuff at the curb included a box of the store-type clear hangers that I like. As I was poking around I found a bunch of usable stuff for me to donate or re-use. I kept going back to the pile with my mini van because I saw so much stuff I could put in the recycling bin! Rather than root around in the dark, I loaded up some of the black plastic trash bags and went through them with rubber gloves in my garage. Didn't I find a diamond ring (sm diamond) in a vintage setting? Now, I'll always wonder what else I could find in someone's trash. Just so you know there was no one at the house. Looks like they abandoned the house....

Yeah, I will drive into different neighborhoods looking for stuff. And what's sad is that this is "FUN!" for me. I really, really enjoy it.

It's just good to know I'm not alone in this.

Ok....My Dad was a curb hunter, dumpster diver, trash to treasure seeker, and we used to scope out his neighborhood for treasures!!! My mom was embarrassed that he went into dumpsters, but he would find the most incredible things!!!
Dad passed away last year at the age of 86, but I have some fun memories of our treasure hunting. I have some of his trash to tresure things he made. He was very clever!
And now, when I curb shop, my hubby doesn't say a word, cuz I have him doing it too!!
My oldest son always brings me treasures too. I live in the country and he finds old farming tools for me to hang on my barnwood fence that he built me.
I could go on and on, but that's my story!

Been browsing around these sights for a long time and this was just calling me to tell my story.
If you have not made the connection, we do drive a '57 Chevy.
We were on our way to a car show one Friday evening. Well, as luck would have it we broke down. I decided to walk up hill about 5 blocks to my folks house.
As the fellows were fixing the car.
Here is where the luck comes in. I happened on a big dumpster in the driveway of a home that the resident had passed away. The family was cleaning out the house and I saw the greatest bike sitting on top of the pile.
I was so excited when I got to my folks, i had to patiently wait for DH to get back. When he arrived I told him that we had to go back down the hill to get that bike out of the dumpster. My father almost disowned me and my mother said she would not be accepting any phone calls. They thought I had lost my sanity.
Well, all we had to drive was the 57.
The bike fit perfect in the trunk!!
I was as of that moment the proud owner of a 1950's Montgomery Wards 24" bike in almost new condition.

I am a treasure hunter!!

Annielu, I would love for my kids to remember me fondly in that same manner when they're older. Of course, not necessarily only as it relates to dumpster-diving.
: )

Chevy57, Great story!