Living cheap III

Honestly, cheap living is after all just about getting to the bottom with what you really need. Need not Greed, as the slogan goes. So do you actually need a new winter coat, or does the one you bought last year or two years ago still serve you? You see the point. Still, one thing you will always need (at least to some extent) is food.

Lesson three - Dumpster diving

DD is exactly what it sounds like - get into a dumpster and pick up what you want.

"6.7 million tonnes of food is thrown away by households in the UK every year, or, to put it another way, around a third of all the food we buy ends up being thrown away" Salford city council

...and then consider how much the grocery stores throw away. It is seriously mind-blowing. And yes, some of it they throw away because it is not edible, but most of it actually is, just that if we have the choice between that product and a slightly fresher one, you go for the new one. Do you look at the best-before date when you buy milk? What happens to the one that is due tomorrow? And for how long is it actually drinkable? Milk is produced under very good conditions and generally last a little longer than what is written on the package. You just have to use your nose.

Top items found in dumpsters:
* Bread. At bakeries, you can even get bread baked the very same day, but that they because of policy will not sell the following day.
* Bananas. A little brown spot and no one will want it... or so they believe.
* Broccoli. You know how it goes a little yellow? You can brush it off.


How much can you save? Well, it depends on you. Some people survive entirely on dumpster diving, but it depends on if you can find everything you need/want in a dumpster not too far away. You might be unlucky and just find hot dogs and mashy fruit, or you have to add extra ingredients to make a complete dish. Really good thing is that it boosts your creativity when you have to use new ingredients and come up with new combinations.

Danger? Well, food quality you just have to see for yourself. Smell it, wash it and if you are a little doubtful, cook it thoroughly or throw it out. Heat kills lots of bad stuff, believe me. And so far, no one has died from a mouthful of sour milk (in case you have no nose to smell it). Legally, In Sweden, discarded property is still considered to legally belong to the individual or organization which disposed of it. Which means no, you are actually not allowed to take it. Which makes sense in a capitalist world view. However, moral and what is actually correct to do is a completely different thing. But you might want to be careful about who sees you (hence, this could be considered a night time activity).

How? It can be pretty tricky to get started, if you don't know where to go or how to get into a dumpster. Good tip is to research some before - look up your home town either on Ecosia (search engine) or on the very useful site Trashwiki. Here you can also find some info on laws and other things good to know. There is also a group on Couchsurfing where you can ask people to teach you or just for good tips.

What do you need?
*Comfortable clothes, not your brand new white jacket. You most likely will get a bit dirty. Think about what shoes you wear. Gloves are nice too.
*A flash light, preferably a head torch.
*A backpack and some plastic bags.

Its really not that hard. Another thing you can do if you feel uncomfortable diving into a dumpster, is to go to the market (eg. farmers market) at closing time and carefully ask around. Generally, the salesmen are happy to give away whatever they otherwise would have thrown to you.

Good luck!