Book Giveaway: The Scavengers’ Manifesto

By Melissa Massello, July 21, 2009

In last week’s issue, we wrote about living on less and the practice of freeganism in our story “Live Free or Buy”, featuring The Scavengers’ Manifesto, by Anneli Rufus and Kristan Lawson, as our guide and our mentors. Now, you can enter “scavenge” your own copy from Tarcher Books (Penguin) — for free, of course.

What Are You Passionate Enough About to Scavenge?
Are you already knees-deep in the curbcyling and trash-picking lifestyle? Or, are you a lifelong and competitive bargain hunter? As we learned from Anneli and Kristan, scavenging simply means buying or acquiring any item at less than full retail price — we know for a fact that all Shoestring readers have had that experience.

Post your story about your “best score” or “best find” as a comment to this article and, in return for sharing your secret — or not-so-secret — moment of bargain-hunting glory, you’ll be entered to win one of three copies of The Scavengers’ Manifesto.

Rules:

Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we’re able to contact you if you win. (Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK.)
One comment permitted per person; US & Canada entrants welcome.
Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded.
Entry period closes on Friday, July 31, 2009 at midnight EST.
Each winner will receive one (1) copy of The Scavengers’ Manifesto by Anneli Rufus and Kristan Lawson, courtesy of Tarcher Books and Penguin USA.
As determined by Shoestring‘s editors, winners will be determined by the top three (3) scavenging stories, notified directly via e-mail, then announced back here on Shoestring Magazine by first name only.

If you’ve yet to give the freegan style of living a whirl, now is the time: You have until Friday, July 31st 2009 to come up with some great firsthand commentary, post it below, and enter to win.

Wanda

My best find was a pair of crutches in somebody’s trash just before my dad broke his leg.
Shoestring Gumshoe

If you go to freecycle.org & enter your zip code then you can join local freecycle groups in your area. People give things away on freecycle that they no longer need & to keep them out of the trash. I was very lucky to have found a very nice microwave, a 27 inch color tv (only 1 yr old), a digital camera, a kitchen aid mixer, among other things on freecycle. It has been a savior to me since I am raising 5 kids on my own - we even get most of our clothes there. Life is good especially when things come freely & you don’t have to stress over the simple things
Valerie R.

Well let’s see… it’s been hard to think of the very best bargain I’ve ever had (because I’m the type that refuses to pay full prices for nearly everything). So I decided to go with one of the more recent ones. It’s all about being creative and a bit crafty.

I’m getting married in the fall and we’re not having an expensive wedding. It’s not cheap unfortunately, but we’re trying to keep costs down. Flowers for table centerpieces are a fortune, and the thought that they would go to waste afterward bothers me. So I decided to go with the fall theme.

I plan on scavenging sticks and twigs (hopefully some nice birch) and incorporating them with faux berries and leaves that I found on clearance at the art store and arranging them in vases. The vases were proving to be expensive, so I went to Goodwill and found different clear vases and containers of varying height. I love the idea of having some architectural elements to the room.

I was also lucky enough to come across some orange, pumpkin-scented candles on clearance to add another element of fall to the room. I then purchased clear candle holders with a 40% off coupon.

Total cost: about $10/table

I can’t wait to put one of the centerpieces together. I’ll send photos when I get them completed
http://www.travelsalvage.com Travel Sally

My favorite bargain tip is to look out for people who have already booked their flight or holiday but then find they cannot go. It’s unfortunate but if you fancy using their booking you can get it cheaper than anywhere else and still help the folks who can’t go save more money than they would if they canceled.

Worth considering if you can be flexible in where and when you travel.
Denise Scheuffele

I would love to win this. I need all the help I can get!
http://thegoodgirlgoneblog.com Alana

I love saving ribbons from presents and flower bouquets. I either reuse them in craft projects, wear them in my hair or tie them around a vase. Cheap and beautiful!
Eliabeth

I am a super bargain hunter, fond lover of goodwill, freecycle, and the free section of craigslist. I have also been the lucky recipient of some amazing “dumpstered” food. Untouched, Unexpired fruits, cheese, bread, bread and bread.
Cheri Oggy

Just 3 days ago I scored 6 ANTIQUE teacups and saucers by just asking for them on a freecycle site. I am hosting a tea party for my granddaughters and this was an excellent ‘score’ for me.
Lisa D

I unearthed an old girl’s Cinderella watch, complete with original blue leather at a yard sale for $1.00. My sister had one just like it when she was younger. I took it home, cleaned it up and fiddled with it and got it working. My sister was going through a rough spot, so I gift wrapped the watch and gave it to her. She was so thrilled with it! The watch is still running to this day, six years later.
chucksense

As it turns out, my favorite scavenging experience involves exactly what you are giving away: books!

For a time I lived in Wellesley Hills, MA. In Wellesley, there is no curb-side trash pickup so every resident must go to the dump (or pay someone to go on their behalf) to “take out the trash.”

At their world-renowned (in sanitation circles) Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF), they have a very neat feature: there is an area dedicated to books! People can take any old books that are sitting around collecting dust (with or without dust jackets) and drop them off. Other people, in turn, can browse and take any books they want—completely free of charge!

In the 2 years I lived in Wellesley, I vastly expanded my sci-fi collection, picked up a number of classics, and even came across a few first-editions. Score! As they say, one person’s trash is another’s treasure.
Shoestring Gumshoe

I buy cookies and cheese right from the factory stores. The price and quality can’t be beat.

I also get books for my children from the library book sales where they sell books for about 10 cents a pound. Some are brand new.
http://www.sarahtrachtenberg.com Sarah

I’m not eligible to enter this contest since I’m a Shoestring writer, but when I went to Japan, there was a temple flea market. I was looking through a few vintage silk kimonos and asked how much an indigo one was; the vendor said four dollars, and at first I thought there must have been a translation problem, but it really was that cheap. I gave it to my mom. Because I sew, I know you couldn’t buy the materials for ten times that.
Rebecca

I’m a big fan of Craigslist and thrift stores, so when I decided to move out, I figured I’d furnish my new apartment with used furniture from both placed. I figured it would cost me anywhere from $50 to $150 if I was extremely frugal and not picky. Instead, when my boyfriend helped a friend move a couch into her basement, we found a flurry of unused, unwanted furniture. There was a bed, a coffee table, a couch, and some chairs. Even a dining table. She said we could take it all if we wanted — she certainly didn’t want it anymore. So everything we needed AND we got it for FREE! We saved it from the dumpster and that nasty basement, and we saved our wallets some major damage!