When people throw things in the trash, it’s usually because they are no longer wanted or because they no longer work. However, a mother in Texas searches through dumpsters as a way to provide for herself and her four children. At 32 years old, Tiffany She’ree decided to leave her job in 2020 as a server. The reason she quit her job was that she discovered that she could make about $1,000 a week simply by selling items that she would find in dumpsters. After she found items that were in good condition, she would sell them at garage sales and through individual sales to make money. Tiffany has about 2 million followers on her TikTok page. Dumpster diving is something that the young mother has tried to do for a few years and only started to really focus on in 2020 before she gave up her job.
The idea for dumpster diving started when Tiffany saw someone on a YouTube video make money from the things that she sold. She was surprised about the quality of items that could be found in a dumpster and how much money items could sell for, especially after being taken out of the trash. Many of the items that she has found are in the original packaging, such as makeup and a reptile tank with all of the startup supplies inside. She has also found appliances in some dumpsters that are still packaged that retail for several hundred dollars. The first time Tiffany tried her hand at dumpster diving was in 2017. She was able to get about $1,200 worth of makeup and other body care products from one dumpster. She often gets her husband to go with her so that he can help get larger items out of the dumpster.
Money that Tiffany makes from selling her dumpster finds has helped pay her family’s bills and has also resulted in a bulk supply of essential items for her family so that she doesn’t have to go to the store as often or spend quite as much money. Tiffany has shown some of her dives on her TikTok account so that other people can follow along and learn how to make money on their own as there are usually similar dumpsters behind businesses in most cities. She has seen the most success at places like Party City and Ulta. Some of the people who follow her feel that she’s stealing from the businesses because she’s not paying for the items that she gets and then turns around and sells them to make a profit. However, this is a legal activity in the United States. Tiffany enjoys being able to support her family while also keeping items out of larger dumpsters and landfills.
