Have you ever driven by a dumpster and seen something that you knew would make a lot of money?
Most people would not stop to pick it up, but that is not the case with Tiffany Butler. The 31-year-old mother of four, who is also known as the Dumpster Diving Mama not only gets stuff out of dumpers, but she makes a living from it.
According to KSFM Radio, she says: “When it comes to valuables, I’ve found SO many things. From six boxes of untouched perfect make-up to a $3,000 armoire or boxes of brand new pet supplies, I have found so many awesome things I really can’t keep track of everything.”
Along with selling these items, she also keeps track of them through videos on TikTok, and people love it. Some of the finds that she gets from dumpsters are shared on that social network with her 2.5 million+ followers.
You might consider her to be somewhat of a professional at dumpster diving, but she has only been doing it since January 2017. She watched a video that someone else made of their success, and thought that she could do it as well.
According to the radio station, she explained: “I saw a video of a girl dumpster diving at Ulta, and I was shocked at the fact she found perfect makeup just thrown in the dumpster. So, of course, I had go try it out for myself! I did my first dive in January 2017, and I found makeup. From then on I’ve been hooked!”
She doesn’t sell everything that she finds. She keeps some of it for herself and her family, including about 200 pounds of cat food and litter. Most of the items are sold at garage sales or on the Facebook marketplace.
She admits that she made around $30,000 selling her dumpster finds in 2018. She also says that about 80% of what she finds is sold.
@dumpsterdivingmama UPDATE FROM MY HAUL ! IT ALL WORKS !!! #FORYOUPAGE #DUMPSTERDIVING #DUMPSTERDIVER #TRASHTOCASH #FYP
At first, she would keep track of the dumpsters and the days when they would more likely have things in them. Now, she just heads out and finds what’s available.