One Man's Trash....

I don't make a habit of going through my neighbors trash, but I have been known to browse through the big stuff when it's put out on the curb.  To me, there's no shame in it (although I must admit I feel a little awkward doing it) and really it's free game when it gets put on the curb.  I see people drive through our neighborhood and others close by on trash day picking up all sorts of stuff from lawnmowers, strollers, patio umbrellas etc. I wonder how lucrative this type of picking is?....I remember when our neighbor across the street from us set out a two seat glider and a hot water heater one night.  I saw the glider (which was broken) and asked HH if he would go check it out.  He said it was repairable and brought it to our house.  By morning, everything including the hot water heater was gone before the trash came.  Since then, HH has repaired and sandblasted the glider and it's now ready for re-assembly.  I thought it would look good on our porch but felt weird putting it out there without telling our neighbors that it was theirs.  We have great neighbors and they were glad we took it so now I can put it out there without feeling weird.  There have been other things that I've gotten curbside and sometimes I wonder why somebody would throw certain things away.  As the saying goes, "one man's trash is another man's treasure".  So true.  Like yesterday, I'm driving home and there is a big pile of trash on the curb from a house in our neighborhood that just got sold.  As I drive by, I look and see a big pile of fur and think hmm.... that looks like a sheepskin rug. I get home and wait for the appliance repair guy who calls to reschedule and then decide to go back to the curb to check this out further.  After all, it's trash day and the big truck should be coming in less than an hour.  Upon pulling up to the pile, I confirm that it is indeed a sheepskin rug and proceed to open it up to see what "surprises" are on it.  Seriously, this rug is pristine and HUGE.... So, I throw it in my car and get home to inspect more closely. Here's what it looks like:

 

I'm thinking since this house was built in the 60's that perhaps this rug was in the house when it sold and the new owners didn't want it.  Anyway, this is a very lush rug and of course our new puppy Kona was going bananas over this.......But being the puppy she is, this rug will not be out anytime soon...Look how long that pile is?  This is a serious rug.

 

This is the best thing I've found curbside so far. Other items of note are window shutters, a match to a tall white mid-century urn lamp that I already have (that was weird in a good way) , a retro patio chair like the glider and several pieces of lawn equipment that HH picked up and repaired.  Have you found any treasures in someone else's trash?  I'd love to hear about any finds that you've scored.   Have a great day!