Dumpster diving funds my kids dream Christmas turning trash into thousands
A mom making a living by dumpster diving for thrown-out goods is taking her children on a lavish Christmas trip – all paid for by reselling the items she finds. Tiffany Butler earns up to $4,000 a month from her unusual endeavor, which sees her digging around in shop bins to see what they have thrown out. The 35-year-old manages to find all sorts of things in the trash, which she then sells to others. This year has been particularly fruitful, and is how she is managing to take her kids Mia, 13, Blake, 12 and Ruxton, 11, for a dream holiday to one of the largest indoor water parks at a resort in Texas.
From dumpster finds to a family dream trip
Tiffany Butler earns up to $4,000 a month from her unusual endeavor, which sees her digging around in shop bins to see what they have thrown out. The 35-year-old manages to find all sorts of things in the trash, which she then sells to others. 'Dumpster diving is my "job," so it's funded our Christmas trip,' Butler, from Denton, Texas, told What's The Jam recently. 'I've been finding some pretty cool stuff recently. I make about $3,000-$4,000 a month from diving.' 'Last year we took the kids on a cruise, and this year we're staying at a resort in Texas with one of the largest indoor waterparks.' As well as the trip, Butler has been able to source Christmas gifts for her brood while digging through bins, saving an estimated $200 – all while opting only for brand new items. The mom-of-three has been dumpster diving for the past few years, and goes on to resell things like groceries, make-up and electrical goods. She completed her first dumpster dive at Ulta shortly afterward and scored about $1,500 worth of makeup. Her hobby is now a full-time job, and she documents her finds with her following of 3.3 million on TikTok. Butler, who sorts items into bins which she then goes through at home or at her warehouse, rescues thousands of items from the landfill. Her husband, an electrician, helps make the required repairs and the pair then sells around 75 percent of her finds, donating or keeping the remaining items. The treasures include everything from pricey hair wrap tools to fish tanks, treadmills, makeup and snacks. In October, she went viral after she found a Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven in the trash behind a Pottery Barn. Is it right to give children gifts sourced from dumpster diving, or does it send the wrong message?
Ethics of dumpster gifts and the viral finds
The 35-year-old manages to find all sorts of things in the trash, which she then sells to others. The peche-colored kitchen item from Williams Sonoma is worth between $420 and $460. Butler spotted the Dutch oven in the product box, which was in sturdy condition. It had a small scratch on the lid and had ink scribbled all over the inside of the Dutch oven and its lid. It also came with a small recipe booklet that had little to no damage. She used rubbing alcohol on the marked area and scrubbed away the stains, leaving it looking good as new. While Williams Sonoma product was a great find, Butler considers her coolest dumpster dive treasure to be a whale's vertebrae.
