Hello. My name is ilona, and I am a skipaholic. I can't pinpoint exactly when this habit started, but I have always been a scavenger, looking through piles of rubbish to see if there is anything useful. If I come across a pile of fly tipping in a country lane I feel compelled to inspect it, just in case there is something I can rescue and take home. If someone leaves an unwanted item outside their house with a notice on saying 'Free to good home', I am sorely tempted to go back in my car and pick it up. I like free stuff, and I can't bare to see anything dumped if it can be re purposed, re cycled, or re used.
Rummaging through a skip is my idea of heaven. What treasures am I likely to find if I dig deep down to the bottom. Why oh why wasn't I here when they started filling the skip, now it is too full and there must be something underneath that could have been rescued.
If a skip is in front of a house for a week or more, I have to go back daily to check if anything else has been added. I laugh and joke with the builders and the house owners, they don't mind me looking through what they think is rubbish. In my eyes, it isn't rubbish. They let me take what I want, indeed if I am there while they are bringing stuff out of the house they offer it to me before they throw it in the skip. That's good because it saves me having to pick things out from under a dirty heap of rubble.
Wood is my weakness, any wood which might be useful for DIY projects in the garden or in the home. In fact a lot of stuff dumped in a skip I can find a use for.
Every time I go out and come across a skip I think, oh no, not another one. It draws me like a magnet, I have to look in it. Even tonight on my walk I brought home a griddle from a barbeque. That will make an interesting art project I thought. I saw some brand new bricks in another skip, should I go back tomorrow with my car and bring them home. It's such a shame to throw new bricks away.
Oh my, I have to try and fight this urge to save everything from being dumped in a big hole in the ground. I am just too darned sentimental. I am a skipaholic and I need help.
Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip
Yes,you do have rather a lot of stuff but you do use it for your projects.I have a bit of a problem with coats and boots.There you are-I've said it !Coats for any occasion.Downstairs in my house is fine but please do not go upstairs-loo downstairs-much more handy ! x
ReplyDeleteHi Flis,on my weekend break i managed to get a vintage green fur coat for £12...but it doesnt count as my daughter paid for it for my Christmas pressy!,I love it!!,Debi,xx
DeleteWow-& so much cheaper than a new fleece& saves on heating & lool<s gorgeous & u won't get flu & the furries can snooze & & x
DeleteI am addicted to fabric. if people offer it to me I cannot resist giving it a home.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for giving some of it to me. xxx
DeleteHi Ilona,I am a skipaholic too,only I have had to wean myself off a bit because I don't have enough room!! :( but one thing that excites \ makes me curious, there seem to be allot of clearing out in your village..always a skip to peer into ...GREAT. I was thinking of moving to somewhere with more room and your village sounds right up my street ?.haha was it foggy there today ? All the best Susan
ReplyDeleteHave you come across a blogspot called Simple Living Ilona? Do take a look at this lady's latest post, she gets lots of freebies from a shopping app and freebie coupons which she gets on line. I don't know how it works, but they seem to send her loads of new stuff, food, drinks etc. Thought it might interest you. Your wood collection looks great, my husband likes a useful piece of wood, we have a small collection, pieces always come in handy when a little job needs doing. As for the summerhouse, no, no, you must not turn your award winning summerhouse into just another shed ! Ha ha! Jean.
ReplyDeleteYes I have seen that. I am happy with the price I pay for my food, there is only me, I don't need a lot. I don't want to spend any more time on the computer than I already do. Don't want to check apps (don't have any), look for coupons, don't have a printer. Good luck to those who do this to get free food, but I am happy with my yellow stickers and cash and carry out of date food.
DeleteKateonthecoast here - sorry I can’t comment via google any more for some reason so am trying the anonymous option. That’s a nice lot of wood Ilona!! I do wish my hands were strong enough to do woodworking, as I have arthritis in my hands I’m limited in what I can do/lift etc. I keep an eye on any skips near me, although as the immediate area is mostly flats there aren’t many. A lot of very organised people seem to live in flats, ie they clear out all their stuff before they move in and live the sort of lives where they never make anything or tackle jobs around the home.
ReplyDeleteI do it, too. Last weekend I took some cardboard to be recycled, looked in the dumpster next to the recycle station and brought home 6 pieces of plastic pipe, a picnic basket complete with dishes, 4 pair of pants for me, 2 sweaters for an older relative that is always cold and a boot cleaning and shining kit. I had my oldest child with me and they were right in there with me looking and gathering. I'm raising more of us! :) T
ReplyDeleteI dread going to the tip (dumpster) because I get upset seeing perfectly good stuff being chucked. We can't remove it once it has gone in the skip, but sometimes I ask the owner if I see something coming out of their car that I want.
DeleteHi, I think I have said it before I do not like waste and this applies to everything in life. My biggest passion is 'collecting' wool either donated or bought cheaply at garage sales, op shops or gumtree (like craigslist). Of course the thrill is in the 'hunt' for it then I knit/crochet it up and donate it to charities. The only problem is I can't keep up with my supplies. Fortunately it is not an expensive hobby and keeps me amused. At present I am reading my blogs and knitting while I read them. Regards Melinda (Aust Qld) regards
ReplyDeleteMelinda
Hi Ilona, I know one of the reasons you bring stuff home is that you can’t bear to see it dumped, and I empathise with that. If you are running out of room I wonder if there is some organisation that could use some of your wood. Where I live there are a couple of groups called ‘men in sheds’ whose aim is to give local people (including women!) somewhere to get together and make stuff, learn new skills and give retired and unemployed men especially a hobby. I think it started because traditionally there are lots of crafty groups for women - the WI, knit and natter, crafty club, etc, but not what the men generally want to do. Anyway, they are always looking for free stuff, and would love to have just a fraction of the wood that you’ve got in your garage. Just a thought, Sarah
ReplyDeleteRusty. What a great idea for the "men in sheds" every town should have one, think how much some of the young boys could learn if they went there. Hazel c uk
DeleteWe have a Men in Sheds here. It was set up initially to encourage men to socialize and mix when their confidence and self esteem was very low. My wood needs sorting out, and to be honest, I don't want to give any away at the moment. If a friend asks me for a specific piece I say come and look at what I have. In turn I asked a friend is she had a piece 15 inches by 13 inches that looked chipped and battered, for an art project I am doing. She said she will have a look in her shed. I don't mind sharing and swapping now and again, and I will give odd pieces away, but I am not going to invite everyone to come and help themselves. I want to keep most of it.
DeleteYou could have your own version of the scrap store your own open house etc. Take out what you want to keep and let others have a rummage for their projects. You could charge a small fee and donate to your fav charity.
ReplyDeleteOn my estate skips usually contain building rubble for so many are turning their houses in to letting houses but I still look on top of them when passing. You would have had a field day Ilona if all the stuff I took to the charity shops had gone into skips while sorting out to move. My daughter informs me that several of the villages near where I am going having lots of very nice charity shops. I to will accept any craft items for you never know what might be given and there is usually somebody who will have what you don't want. Enjoy the day. Hazel c uk
ReplyDeleteHazel, you are an inspiration!
DeleteThank you Barbara.
DeleteHazel c uk
Referring back to your post last Friday about packaging has you know I am moving house and all my boxes (30 plus) have been salavaged from shops, when I told a friend this she said why didn't you buy them new from the Internet, what's the point of that I said they are only going into the recycle bin after I unpack why waste money. Hazel c uk
ReplyDeleteSome people just don't get it.
DeleteHi there, I read this blog now and then, not sure where I found it. Thought you might like to take a look, its about a us lady who skip and rubbish dives and then ebays her finds etc, she makes so much money from trash its amazing - google garbage finds blog or link is here if that's okay to print it https://garbagefinds.com/
ReplyDeleteA week ago we ended up in an area of our city which was "new construction builds", so a fair number of these skips with wood etc in them. As we were parked waiting for the person we were picking up, we noticed a large van pulled up beside one and a man got out. That man came PREPARED. Initially he had a look through the skip and pulled out half a dozen pieces of wood. These he placed at an angle on the outside of bin. Then he went back to his van and returned with a portable (battery?) saw, and saw off the split ends/broken ends. Put the good pieces in is van. We were impressed. (oh, and he neatly cleaned up the sawed off bits and chucked them back in bin)
ReplyDeleteBuilders are very wasteful. The customer pays for the job. including materials, and they are not bothered if there is anything left over, it gets binned. I found some plastic downpipe yesterday and nabbed it, There was enough new guttering to build another house.
DeleteI rescued a lovely little wooden snowman today which was destined for landfill. Hate waste.
ReplyDeleteArilx
Our pride and joy is a rescued garden table and two matching chairs. It was on the side of the road waiting for the hard waste collection. We took the set home and restored it wood slats furnished from old cattle yards.The frame was painted and the new slats varnished. The set looks absolutely beautiful. We also have garden benches acquired the same way and restored. Some tempered glass shower screens were rescued and now serve as cover for garden beds over the winter months. There is so much out there that doesn't have to go to landfill if only we bothered to make use of it.
ReplyDeleteYou do make me laugh Ilona x
ReplyDeleteGood. :o)
DeleteYou are a womble! Maybe you could make a shed out of the wood to store the wood you are bound to find as you are skip surfing?
ReplyDeleteJane
Over here in the cities, there seem to be more and more skips in front of apartment blocks, which are full, as people move out they just throw all their furniture etc in the skip and start again at their new place. Seems ridiculous to me however the stuff disappears as passers by find new treasures.Is that becoming the way of our disposable society?I hate waste too. Pauline
ReplyDeleteDo be careful, Ilona. We don't want you turning into a hoarder, haha.
ReplyDeleteOh,i know that feeling if i see something dumped!.Maybe there should be a ....support group,where we all sit in a circle and say...Hello,My names Ilona and i am a skipaholic...Then maybe we would be offered counciling,saying how we feel when we have these urges and how we feel when we find something great and usefull.Maybe Jeremy Kyle could have us all on his show and him and Graham arrange for us to go for treatment in a nice place in the country side..a month in July would be nice if we could choose what date to go.Where there are no skips,flytipping,charity shops ect.Oh and a room with a balcony would be nice,Lol!!!...But i am afraid that there is no cure.For instance,today i donated 6 things to my animal charity shop...and bought another 5 to bring back to fill the space i my wardrobe i had made....Although,this could be classed as on the way to being cured cause i could have bought 7 things,lol..But,hey ho...we are happy and not hurting anybody...although my hubby does sometimes get bloody annoyed when he sees me come in with another bag full,which isnt good for his blood presure.....so ive got round that by leaving my stuff in the carboot,until hes not looking.....See what a careing wife i am,Lol!!!Debi,xx
ReplyDeleteI have been tidying up, some comments were way off topic.
ReplyDeleteI keep a list of things ive given away, freecycled, facebooked, got rid off anyway other than the tip. I'm onto my 4th a4 page now and its amazing to see and look back on, I'm one that doesn't buy much anyway, where does it all come from I don't know. Lately I have had an urge to simplify, why would I need two sets of xmas cutlery that I bought 10 years ago still not out the box when generally theres only five of us or less and we can use our normal cutlery, its mad. I often see articles where children of parents who have died have cleared their houses, got stressed and everything has gone in skips etc just for quickness. Things have been found that have been kept for best and never used, why oh why whats the point. Everything has to be used in my house or it goes, if its not nice or serving a purpose or is a duplicate it goes. My car is full again of stuff for my friend who car boots just by filtering the stuff I have. Clothes ive bought that were too tight and never got into, don't do that anymore. Jewellery I never wear. Out of date paperwork and so it goes on. All these people skipping things why cant they find the time to sort homes for things. I found a home for an office chair yesterday, I facebooked it in the morning it was gone by 6.30pm on the evening to a lady who was very grateful because her chair at work was hurting her back. its been in my loft unloved for about 5 years go figure. Anyway off my soap box now. I think its great to rehome stuff, find a another use or home for things. I try not to go to the tip because it hurts to see how much good waste people are chucking.
ReplyDeleteIllona, not to criticize you, but it seems that by your own admission about not being able to resist the collecting of these things, you may have a problem with "hoarding".
ReplyDeleteIt's a tongue in cheek bit of fun, Gail, do not worry yourself. Everything is under control, I can chuck stuff away.
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