2en I’m out running errands, I’m always keeping an eye out for things I can scavenge. Whether I’m looking for wild berries or pieces of wood or pipe for a project around home, I try to keep aware of my surroundings. I’ve found many things this way including trellis material, wood scraps for building projects, flower pots galore, and much more.
I’ve learned that its best to be prepared for those times when items appear by keeping a “scavenger kit” in my car at all times. The kit contains:
- Leather & cloth gloves: Good for picking up sharp and/or dirty items (think scrap wood) when you need to stay clean and don’t want to get splinters.
- Plastic Bags: Great for bits of wild berries or other edibles.
- Measuring Tape: To make sure those pieces of scrap wood are the right size.
- Rags: How else would you dust off that dirty mirror to make sure its worth hauling home?
- Bucket: Great for storing the entire “kit” and for containing your scavenged treasures.
- A few tools: Screwdrivers, pliers, and a hammer come in handy.
Once you have your kit packed, keep it in your trunk for quick and easy access. Now start keeping your eyes open, looking for bits of color in the trees and bushes for wild fruits (don’t pick within 50 feet of a roadway). Look for discarded items on the sides of the road, drive slowly past houses on trash day, take a look inside and around the dumpster when throwing away your trash – sooner or later you’ll find some things you an use.
Don’t allow your scavenger kit be an excuse to pick up clutter, but rather use it as a frugal resource for the do-it-yourselfer. Happy hunting!
Oh, this is so true. I have a box of big garbage bags in my car and they’ve come in handy many times.
There have been at least a few times I’ve wished that I had a car so I could scavenge stuff like this. But, I may see about doing up a mini version of this kit to go on my bike – gloves, rags, bags, and bungee cords for attaching to the rack, maybe.