2024 might’ve been a crappy year for a variety of reasons, but it was definitely a spectacular year for trash/curb picking here in Portland, Oregon! There was so much stuff put out, that I even began carrying a reusable bag with me on my evening summer walks. You know . . . for “inventory.”
In no particular order, let me present to you a small percentage of my curbed treasures from the dumpster fire that was 2024!
I carried a couple items home from this neighborhood free pile:
Specifically this framed Patrick Nagel poster, which I cleaned up and sold for $65 to a very enthusiastic dude.
I passed by this $270 Ikea desk chair while out on my evening constitutional, so I drove back to grab it. Sure, it featured a mysterious blue stain, but it was nothing my upholstery shampooer couldn’t reverse.
It quickly sold for $60, which was a bargain for the buyer and free money for me!
I brought home a bizarre number of chairs to resell. Like this pair of Article “Svelti” dining room chairs, which normally sell for $69 apiece. I wiped them down and got $6o for them.
This faux midcentury armchair set saw the business side of my upholstery cleaner and netted me a tidy $75 profit. Within hours of listing them!
I grabbed this filthy patio table after a neighborhood’s garage sale and brought it home for a luxury spa treatment. It immediately sold for $50, which is a sign that I underpriced it. Again, a bargain for the buyer and free money for me!
Here’s the “after,” so you can appreciate the transformation. I did have to do a small repair, but it was nothing that a bit of wood glue and a clamp couldn’t take care of.
P.S. The outdoor coffee table in the background was also a curb find and I flipped it for $20.
Not everything that I bring home is destined for resale. This huge red flowerpot was a definite keeper!
It cleaned up so nicely and looked fantastic once I filled it with propagated fuzzy bunny and purple heart plants.
Of course it doesn’t hold a candle to the ceramic chicken planter that I brought home and filled with hen an chick plants as a Mother’s Day gift! And yes, I also nabbed the other two planters.
Lest you think that every item I bring home is a slam dunk, I present you this trio of expensive Rejuvenation Lighting fixtures that I’ve mysteriously been unable to unload. (I wrote about them in this blog post.) Perhaps the style is outdated, as they’re still in my house awaiting their new owner.
The under the bleacher action this day was out of this world! I brought home the new looking water bottle on the right, plus the nasty looking knit cap to the left.
It cleaned up perfectly and went home with someone from my Buy Nothing group.
Of course I saved the best for last, which is this pair of dumpster adjacent chairs, which I quickly loaded into the back of my car without a moment’s hesitation. I sold the midcentury chair for $50 and am holding onto the Mission oak armchair for myself. It does need to have the cushioning redone, but the wood and leather are in otherwise excellent condition. It’s perfect for my 1914 Craftsman house and will live in infamy as my best trash picked find of 2024!
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I really enjoy the before and after pictures of your free pile finds. They show how things can transform with a little elbow grease. Inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
My favorite find of 2024 is a set of Thomasville loveseats in a beautiful botanical print. It is in like new condition and is truly my style. It also included matching drapery panels and free delivery – all for $40.00. A real best buy!
I don’t think I trashpicked anything this year–I put out a lot of free furniture, in fact–but I had a lot of fun decorating my Airbnb cottage with cheap yet cool stuff. Like a very large bull shark’s jaw for $40 at a tag sale that would be $300 elsewhere. The cottage turned out really cute and I’m very happy with it.
Not a curbside find, but my husband was able to snag an original Gustav Stickley chair at a garage sale for $20. When he bought it, he told the seller “I am ripping you off” and she replied “I don’t care, please take it.” He rehabbed the seat himself and bought a new cushion this year – it is the showpiece of our living room.
That’s an amazing score!
It is indeed! And I’m glad you kept your Mission chair, Katy; I was hoping you would.
Awesome catch by your husband! My BFF inherited a Stickley dining table (likely original?) after one of her brothers passed away unexpectedly. She didn’t know what she had, but I recognized the style right away, and suggested she get it checked out. (I’m in no way an expert, but I admire that style). Sure enough, it was a Stickley, and not a newer build or a reproduction. It now graces her dining room, and looks lovely.
I am an expert in that style–anyone wondering about it, ask me. I’ve written numerous articles about it.
Just by the way, there were five Stickley brothers who made furniture for different companies. Gustav’s early work is the only stuff worth serious money. Even then, prices are down, sigh.
Your found-chair streak this year was quite amazing!!
I didn’t even include every single one!
How about your found money in 2024?
Loving the greatest hits of your curb-picking, and I am so glad you kept that antique armchair.
We’re at the getting rid of stuff phase and I was so happy that all the large pieces we put on the curb this year were claimed.
Thank you for keeping writing and sharing. I am always impressed. AND, while I still pick up any penny I see, I do not see bigger denominations and am always amazed at how much money (in cash form) you see on the ground. Keep it up! Best wishes.
Last week I bought a mirror on FB marketplace that was described as being able to be hung (it was a full length mirror that also has a stand). And I needed to hang it. However, when I got it home there was a tag from the manufacturer saying it should NOT be hung. I messaged the seller but she didn’t care.
So I listed it immediately, for $5 more than I paid for it, and it sold today. Yippee!
YOu have such a good knack for finding great things for free. People just don’t put free stuff out here like they do there.
We spent the summer cleaning out my in-laws basement so we were people that donated a ridiculous amount of stuff to Goodwill – for someone to use or resell like you are so good at doing.
I loved the stroll down free piles of 2024!
Thank you for sharing. The world is awash in stuff people don’t want.
Yesterday DH brought home a juicer from down the street. It was there the day before with a sign saying it was used once. We don’t want it but rain was forecast so I’ll give it away online.
We do not resell but are happy to pass along our excess and do have quite a few items in our home that were curb picked.
May 2025 be a good year for everyone.
I’m amazed at your trash picked free money finds. Have you ever added them up for the year? I found a canning jar and a few terracota planters this year. Every once in a while I check out the garbage finds blog which you turned me on to.
My own trashpicking finds this year were negligible, with the exception of the working Timex Ironman Triathlon watch I found in the middle of my street in July and am still wearing. (Hey, I needed a watch!) But I’ve certainly vicariously enjoyed yours, Katy.
Congratulations on all the good finds! That sort of thing doesn’t happen often in our area. People mostly put out damaged furniture . But I love seeing what other people find.
For as long as I can remember my city has done Bulk Trash pickup twice a year, with different neighborhoods scheduled on different weeks. Whatever doesn’t fit in a regular trash can (with a few exceptions) you set on the curb no later than Monday morning and by the end of Friday the trash truck would collect it. Most people actually start setting things out at the end of the previous week. And a lot of things get curb-picked long before the City truck comes by– anything that can be re-used, re-sold, repaired, or sold for scrap, etc. I’ve gotten lots of useful things that way, including furniture. And have set a lot of things out, as well. It gives me a thrill to see them disappear bit by bit.
Sadly, the City has just announced that this year they will be switching to on-demand pickups for bulk trash. I suppose some people will like the convenience, but I am not the only one who has pointed out that likely a lot more stuff will end up in the landfill because the pickers won’t be able to efficiently ‘shop’ a whole neighborhood.
Yes! We used to have the yearly bulk trash pickup around here too. I got so many many great things. But we that was done away with here as well. We can do one bulk item a week. I still find great stuff, just not all at once.
We just dropped something off at DD’s house. The house next door to her had a free 8’x10′ rug at the curb. It looked like it was still wrapped as it had been shipped. We put it on her porch since our SIL has a friend that just bought his own place. If he can’t use it we’ll find another use for it.
Great score!