More DUMPSTER DIVING- tales from the hood (well, under it...)- and a new tiny house building video- SOON...

I'm not a fan of buying flowers- that's why I just don't. Grow 'em, Dive for 'em....

Trader Joe's has the most reasonable roses I've yet to come across- FREE- dozens and dozens of them (at least the other day).

     So, I usually don't do much dumpster diving (I'm more a curbside culler), although I do love the idea (I just never think to, or have time), but the food broker Trader Joe's always seem to have so much decent tossed stuff. This time, as I peered in through the dumpster door, aside from many bags of decent looking produce (which I didn't bother checking- but which I would have grabbed in a second if I were homeless, hungry, or just broke) I found about twelve dozen-rose bouquets- no rot, all fresh, and at worst, an ocassional single wilted petal- HUNDREDS of dollars of roses. Wow. I grabbed three dozen, as I really had no need for them (or any more than that), but it was a shame to see so much waste. Needless to say, they're in a vase on the dining room table now- and YES, I did tell my wife where they came from- not that it really should matter. She had no problem with their origins.

Diving is addictive I tell ya, once you get by the social stigmas. A punk-looking employee even saw me grabbing the roses while looking around, and gave me a smile and a wave- she seemingly approved. Again, a few months back (covered in an old blog post), I even saw a woman driving a LEXUS diving in the very same dumpster taking away a trunkload of potted plants.

This method of "materials acquisition" is great for the budget conscious- and can easily be applied towards the building of your own tiny home. Want hardware? keep checking behind mom n' pop hardware stores, or occasionally behind the big chain stores (although they often guard their trash as if it were GOLD, locking it and all- liabilities, wanting you to spend money instead, etc). Lumber? Talk to any employees at a construction site- or just peek in worksite dumpsters. You're actually doing these crews a favor (if you don't get hurt), as they have to pay their dumpster pick-ups based on weight. 

A few great books on the subject- and "slumming" it/living a low budget/no-budget lifestyle...

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF DUMPSTER DIVING- Crude, Raw, Humorous, and Damn Informative. Amy Dacyzyn- author of "The Tightwad Gazette" series trashed this book in a review, saying it contained foul language, ideas of questionable morals, and was too weird. Well, after reading it, those are the things that makes the books so great and unique.

THE MONEYLESS MAN- a newer offering that I just read. Some crazy, and ballsy ideas/lifestyles within.


EVASION (I dug it, although its kinda preachy in its perspective from a very young straight-edge, vegan kid. I'm neither and found some of the book's rants annoying, but it still was a really entertaining read- a great insight into the underground of this scene. Some great train-hopping tales too.). This book is definitely not for everyone, as it DEFINITELY deals with some questionable actions and subject matter, and its main character isn't all that likeable. Did I sell you on this one yet? lol- I still enjoyed it, as its so guttural and different (and in its 4th printing now, I believe). 

     I've also been pecking away the last few hours on a new mini video on that tiny $200 vacation shelter/camp hut that was built at our 2011 Relaxshacks.com Workshop here in Massachusetts. The cabin sold a little ways back (to fund ANOTHER video- in the works!), and is no longer in my possession, but luckily I filmed a little tour of "The Little Blue Bump" before she left the lot.

I also started building a passive solar micro-house heater today as well- which I'll most likely be shooting a video on, for Make Magazine/Tiny Yellow House as well. 

The interior of the micro $200 vacation shelter "The Little Blue Bump"

-Derek "Deek" Diedricksen