How I Fed a Family of 12 on 20 Bucks a Week or Less

When you are a large, one income family you get used to doing things that are a bit extreme in the name of saving money. In fact, having more than the standard issue of children gives you the reputation of being a bit eccentric anyway, so the addition of something as on the edge as dumpster diving is generally just seen as one more act of random weirdness.

I spent four years getting most of my groceries (legally) from the real perimeter of the store...the dumpsters in the parking lot. In doing so we rarely spent more than 10 to 20 dollars on other items, never ate anything bad or gross, and my children did not die of humiliation. Can anyone do this? Sure they can. Will they? Probably not.

But if you are the adventurous type, willing to try new things and ideas, and interested in free meals then you might want to read on.

Where Do You Draw the Line?

Let's just say that you were in a store and you saw a carton of organic orange juice marked down for clearance. It was a day before the expiration date and was very cheap. Would you buy it?

If you saw an employee take that same carton of orange juice, along with ten other cartons of juice and wheel them outside and set them next to the dumpster to be thrown out, would you take some of it?

What if it was cold and actually in the dumpster?

For most people the difference between a "great deal" and "gross" is about fifty feet, or the distance from the back of the store to the dumpster, yet the product has not changed, only your perception of it has. For some people, spending a few days learning the store's schedule (when they throw out various items and at what time) gives them the ability to feed their family, neighbors, and local food pantry for free. Some of the incredible food finds I have had are:

- 200 gallons of ice cream still frozen (the dumpster had frost forming on the outside of it in July)

- 50 pounds of smoked beef brisket

- 100 pounds of turbinado sugar

- Frozen turkeys

- Carloads of produce of all kinds

- Cream, yogurt, milk, eggs, butter, gourmet cheese

- 50 pounds of gourmet coffee beans

In fact, there is almost no food that doesn't eventually find its way to the dumpster. The trick is to know when it is most likely to happen so you can grab it before it warms up. We always called it urban gleaning or shopping the perimeter. I have heard it called "shopping at the little green mall", or "skipping". What ever you call it there are a lot more people doing it than you may think.

A Veritable Mall Experience

Grocery stores are not the only ones that throw items away. Craft and fabric stores and various retail stores can also be a treasure trove of items. Craft stores throw out patterns by the hundreds, notions, fabric remnants, and scissors on a quarterly basis.

There are also great finds from people that dump their unwanted items. We have found designer clothing still on hangers with cleaners tags, an antique pine sewing rocker, enough carpet to carpet a bedroom that needed it, and a vintage steamer trunk full of National Geographic magazines that were dated all the way back to the 1911. Some items have been kept while others were sold on eBay. After a few times you start to get an adrenalin rush, wondering what you will find each time you go.

But Is It Legal?

Dumpster diving is legal in most areas, although most stores do not like you to do it. You should look up your local ordinances or check with your city to find out for sure. Usually once something is thrown away it i considered public domain and the store has no more rights to it.

It is usually best to not dumpster dive when employees are likely to come out. A few days of observing what the schedules are will enable you to go at the best times. If someone does come out and ask you to leave just smile and leave. No big deal.

It goes without saying that you should never reach into a trash compactor or go diving by yourself. Dumpster diving is not for everyone. It can be a great way to save money, stop the horrific waste of food in this country, and cut down on what ends up in the landfills.

Ready to try it?

Here are some tips and ideas to help you get started. Don't be surprised if you become addicted.

- Don't take more than you can use. More than likely you are not the only one diving that particular dumpster.

- If you get a huge haul of produce be ready to do some canning. There is no guarantee that you will be able to get more tomorrow.

- If you get "caught" be polite.

- Don't take chances with your health. If something is not cold or seems on the edge leave it alone.

- Some stores cut cords on appliances to discourage "divers". Cords usually can be rewired and replaced.

- Cream can be made into butter if you end up with more that you will use.

- Use a family code name for it unless you want your preschooler to blurt out to their entire Sunday school class that your family grocery shops in trash cans. Just trust me on this one.

- Go daily for awhile until you figure out which days things are thrown away. I found that Tuesdays around 3 p.m. were when dairy products went out so I was there at 3:10.

- Be especially careful to wash produce.

- Leave the area better than you found it.

Looking for more ways to save money and go green? Check out our eco-nomics feature.