- Amy Drayton has a unique hobby that helps pay her bills and even Christmas!
- Amy will go through bins to collect decorations, food and even Christmas gifts.
- Amy Drayton, shares her story below…
Standing by the recycling bins outside our rental home, I rolled up my sleeves. They were chock-a-block with stuff tenants had thrown away.
“I bet it’s not even sorted properly,” I groaned to my husband, Tom.
While researching online, I’d discovered that Aussies sent over 20 million tonnes of waste to landfill each year. It left me determined to do something about it. So, I definitely wasn’t going to let things on my own property go to waste.
Read more: I speak to spirits through Christmas decorations!
Lifting the bin lid, I gasped, seeing six Cabbage Patch Kids dolls.
“They’re gorgeous,” I exclaimed, retrieving them.
Taking them home, I scrubbed them clean, keen to keep them.
“Do you need to keep all of them?” Tom moaned.
Though I’d been picking up things from hard rubbish collections and op shops for years, Tom hated clutter.
“I’ll just keep one,” I said.
I sold the other five on Facebook Marketplace for $10 each, so they weren’t wasted.
Shortly after, I joined a Facebook group for dumpster divers – people who search through bins for items thrown away by companies. The group gave advice on how to rescue and reuse items safely,
without breaking trespass laws. If a bin was locked with a padlock, behind a locked fence, on private property, or in an area with a no trespassing sign, it was off limits.
“I’m going to give this a go,” I told Tom.
“Go for it,” he said.
Shortly after, I was out at the shops when I saw the bins at the back of a store that was closing down were being filled with old stock. Parking my car nearby, I dived in. Incredibly, I found all sorts of
stuff, including guitar stands, flippers and goggles, and brand-new toys.
This could have gone to the op shop, I thought.
I kept returning over the next few weeks, as the shop continued their clear-out. By Christmas, I had heaps of stuff to give as presents. I had two sons, Ethan, four, and Frankie, one, and I filled their
stockings with the toys I’d found.
When I gave my brother-in-law, Jason, a bag of fishing lures, he was stoked and not bothered one bit where they came from.
So, in January 2024, I set myself a goal of a no-spend Christmas this year.
“I know it’s ambitious,” I told Tom. “But I reckon I can do it.”
In February, I couldn’t believe my luck when I came across a bin around the back of a shop that had been offloading its old Christmas stock. One of the workers was chucking it without a single thought
that it could have been reused.
Jackpot! I beamed.
I loaded up the boot with piles of Christmas cards, artificial flowers and wreaths, rolls of tinsel and different ornaments. I knew it was more than I needed, but we were building a new house with attic
space, so I had a place to store my pile.
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Every week, I went back and was amazed to find more disused stock. Soon, my stash included Christmas gift bags and boxes, lights, tea towels and tablecloths, plates and napkins, candy canes, kids’
craft activities, Christmas earrings and even blow-up Christmas decorations.
One day, I was caught by a store employee who’d seen me load up my car.
“You shouldn’t be rummaging in our bins,” she said.
I wasn’t breaking any trespass laws, but I made a hasty getaway.
Back home, I laid out my haul. Sealed chocolates, buckets of M&Ms, bags of chips and popcorn, and boxes of biscuits covered the kitchen table. To my surprise, all the biscuits were still in date, and the
chocolate had only just passed best before.
“Crikey!” Tom said.
“Risky, but totally worth it,” I grinned.
As Christmas crept closer, I realised I had more than enough to not spend a single cent. When the time came, I decorated the house with artificial flowers I made into garlands and Christmas lights, as
well as putting out lots of toys.
I then put all my kids’ presents in Christmas boxes, which were also found. I’d even found things they’d asked for, including an unopened tin of unicorn slime for Frankie and a new Connect 4 game for
Ethan.
While Tom and I don’t usually buy gifts, this year I’m going to surprise him. He wants to get a garden going, so I’ve set aside some fertiliser, outdoor lights and a new garden hose. All found, of course!
This year, I’m hosting Christmas dinner. The food we eat will be bought from the shops, but I’ll dish out biscuits I found this year.
I’ll have Tom’s mum, Sharon, 72, and my three siblings, Kirsty, 45, Brant, 28, and Keely, 24, joining us, as well as my six nieces and nephews, ranging from 23 years old to nine months.
Instead of racking my brain to find gifts, I’ll give the older kids a bag and tell them to help themselves. I’ve got bath bombs, loads of fake eyelashes, hairbrushes, hair clips, body lotion, and for the littlies,
I’ve got activity packs.
I even had enough stuff to give away to other mums who I knew were struggling at this time of year. I’m straight up with where I’ve got things from, and no one seems to mind.
“Wow, this is amazing,” one said.
I reckon I’ve saved at least $1000 this Christmas, but it’s not about the money. Reusing things rescued from dumpsters reduces waste, and that’s what I care about most.
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