Tiffany Butler, Aubrey, Texas mom of four aka DumpsterDivingMama makes $80K in two years scavenging garbage as her hauls are likely to surprise in so what people and businesses are willing to throw away.
A Texas mother of four has risen to social media prominence after documenting her ‘dumpster diving’ prowess where she scavenges through dumpsters and re sells other people’s garbage for a pretty penny.
Tiffany Butler, 32, from Aubrey, Tx, spends her days searching through big brand store bins where she has shares her finds on her TikTok page, DumpsterDivingMama – including high-end cosmetics, furniture, the occasional laptop, and even an antique armoire worth $3,000.
Butler who goes out with husband, Daniel Roach, to score the haul – says she hasn’t had to buy makeup or hygiene products for the past two years, with the couple managing to furnish their entire home with items she found in trash bins, including their children’s beds.
Butler has even managed to set up her own business selling items found in the trash including vacuum cleaners, headphones, rings, necklaces and even dog food according to the dailymail.
‘I’ve probably found every kitchen appliance that you can imagine, but my favorite is a pressure cooker worth around $200,’ Tiffany told the tabloid.
@dumpsterdivingmama I CANT WAIT TO RE DO THIS ! GOING TO SAND IT DOWN AND PAINT IT BLACK ANS GREY!! SO EXCITED!! WEVE WANTED A BIGGER DRESSER FOR A WHILE!! #AMAZING #DUMPSTERDIVINGMAMA #TRASHPANDA #SCORE #IFYOUAINTFIRSTYOURELAST
Other people’s garbage is another’s treasure
Her finds are surprising in so much what people and outlets are willing to throw away.
‘I’ve gotten Ninja Blenders, coffee makers, toaster ovens, pots, and pans, and lots of dish ware and cutlery.
‘Before they started destroying items, I’d get huge boxes of makeup from Ulta on a weekly basis, everything would be unopened.’
‘I’ve found Nars mascara worth over $26, Kylie Jenner Lip Kits worth about $33, and Morphe eyeshadow palettes worth more than $13.
‘I found most of my furniture in the bin like my Ikea couch which retails at $300 and a brand-new dresser worth $200.
‘I often go to a lot of pet stores too, and I’ve found everything from bags of premium dog food, and even live bugs which I feed to my lizard.’
Butler’s hauls also include 60 Xebec Tri-Screen monitors, which retail at more than $29,940.
@dumpsterdivingmama IVE BEEN DIVING 5 YEARS AND IT STILL SHOCKS ME THE STUFF THAT PEOPLE THROW AWAY !!! I WAS WANTING A NEW LAPTOP TOO.. DAMN!!! #SAVED #CRAZY #WASTED #BLESSED #YOUTHOUGHT #DUMPSTERDIVINGMAMA #TRASHPANDA #SCORE
Taking advantage of commercial outlets disposing of unsold items
She’s also picked up a range of seasonal items such as Halloween costumes, birthday cards and Christmas decorations.
The thrifty mother began searching through trash bins after noticing an advert for a garbage haul outside cosmetics store Ulta Beauty and decided to have a look through her local dumpster.
Explained Butler: ‘I’m a big fan of makeup and used to watch a lot of makeup tutorials on YouTube, until one day an advert for an Ulta dumpster haul came up.
‘I gave it a watch, and told my partner, Daniel, 38, that I was going to have a look in my local Ulta bins to see what I could find.
‘I was shocked to come away with boxes and boxes of makeup items, and it kind of spanned from there.
‘With the amount I was bringing home, it became overwhelming, and I filled the garage up pretty quickly.
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‘Companies are just so wasteful, and it needs to stop’
‘I sold quite a few items on Poshmark and made about $5,000, but knew I needed a bigger space to store and re-sell items.’
Tiffany now has her own warehouse to store items in, which she is currently renovating and slowly redecorating with items she’s found in the trash.
She added: ‘It’s crazy to think I’ve created a business from selling perfectly good items that I’ve found in the trash.
‘Companies are just so wasteful, and it needs to stop.
‘Everything they throw away is just covered by insurance, so they don’t care as they’ll get replacements. Their loss has become my gain now really.’
Butler’s dumpster diving past time according to the mom has turned into such a lucrative enterprise that she quit her job in August of last year to focus on her hobby as a full-time career, which began in January 2017 when she saw a video of girls dumpster diving on YouTube.
After going out for the first time and finding a box of brand new makeup worth around $1,200 in makeup and skincare products she returned home to Daniel and showed him her haul.
The next night, they went out together to see what they could find and since then they haven’t stopped.
For more than five years, they’ve consistently rummaged through their dumpsters locally and further afield to do everything from house decoration to clothing themselves and their kids, as well as selling their valuable finds.
@dumpsterdivingmama 👏👏
Lucrative hobby
‘Daniel and I went out diving together and since then it’s been consistent for almost five years now. A little over a year ago I quit my job to do this full-time,’ she told the dailymail.
‘We’ve furnished at least 75 per cent of our house with dumpster finds, from couches to tables and chairs to décor and more.’
According to Butler, she’s made at least $80K reselling her finds over the last 2 years. That’s on top of all the money she has saved with her husband furnishing their home and using products that they would otherwise would have had to buy.
While dumpster diving isn’t probably for most, Tiffany’s family, friends and following are extremely supportive.
Her four kids – Kaylee, 18; Mia, ten; Blake, nine; Ruxton, eight – as well as her mom, Pam, 55, and even her grandma Judy, 78, have all joined in with Butler’s dumpster hauls.
Tiffany added: ‘My family and friends love that I dumpster dive and are always the first ones to want to know my recent finds.
‘Whenever I have guests, the first place they want to go is the garage to have a nosey at items they may like to take.
‘Lots of my followers are pretty shocked by how much is thrown away and have actually been inspired to look through their bins for items.
‘A lot of them have bought items from me as well, which is nice.
‘It’s insane how much big businesses and brands throw away; I hope that I’m doing enough in my area to prevent more going to landfill.’
Shouldn’t you be dumpster diving too…?
