When I was a teen, dumpster diving in corporate/industrial yards at night was the thing. Those of use who were musicians would target one specific yard on every run because we could get parts and rejects for electric guitar parts and wah-wah pedals for free. I giggle when I read IT-minded folks finding good hardware in dumpsters today because the art has been practiced for decades: one man's junk is another's treasure.

That said, the scavenger mindset isn't relegated to teens or people hard up needing a break or the extreme reseller. There's all sorts of ways to make re-use beneficial just in regular life. I always carry a picker and bag in my truck because I know people are generally slobs and any parking lot I go to, I'll find empty recycleable cans and bottles I can get money for. No, I'm not roving the whole place, but if it's near my truck, out pops the picker and I put the throwaway gold in the truck back. After a week or so, it produces a few dollars extra when I recycle my own stuff from home.

As I drive out to work or home through the neighborhood, there is always someone putting out stuff on the sidewalk for free, surprisingly in good condition many times. They just don't want to deal with disposing of unneeded things the right way. Got a very nice gamer's desk for my younger daughter last month just keeping an eye out throwing good stuff in the pack of the truck as I drive through.

Businesses are also notorious for throwing away perfectly good cardboard boxes, envelopes, shipping pouches and more, oftentimes because they can't use them or the labeling is obsolete. I do a lot of shipping at night, and that's free supplies for me. Courtesy of a black marker pen, the old labels gets marked out, and I have a ready-to-go free source of shipping supplies I can send off to someone else to deal with, making money doing so. That includes shipping stuffing. I never buy the stuff; there's just too much of it available for free around offices or businesses who just need to gone from their sight.

Older neighbors also regularly need help moving things out. They're downsizing and just can't use stuff anymore. Many times it's vintage or older. I might not need it, but I know people online buy vintage stuff all the time. Tools, tech, books, certain old style clothing etc. all have value to someone. Garage sales are the easiest places to find things for dirt cheap or free. No one wants to haul all that stuff back inside after the morning is over, so they just pile up near the garbage can. I go later in the day when it gets hotter and they are about to end. The folks take one look at the stuff and thank me for hauling it off. Whatever I don't need just goes to a local goodwill for an easy tax deduction ticket, saving me even more money at the end of the year at tax time.

Libraries are also notorious for getting rid of perfectly good books for almost nothing or free. They regularly have big "dump" days and most have some kind of ongoing book for a buck or less program to get rid of inventory they don't want. With the right phone and app, you can find gems to resell via online platforms, maximizing your profit doing so.

Got broken engines, appliances, or assemblies? Reduce them to good, usable components, throw away the garbage, and resell the parts online. Make the buyer pay for the shipping and liquidate the parts people want. Works all the time for old bikes, motorcycles, scooters, cars and home appliances. Parts are just as valuable as the working unit, especially on older assemblies that are out of production now.

If your kid's school as a schoo closet where people donate unwanted school clothes and uniforms, take a gander for any hoodies or sweatshirts with university logos on them. Those go for good money online, and most school closet provide their inventory for free to students and families who ask for the item.

Know someone who needs help moving? I bet they're going to have stuff they don't want to take and just want to get rid of. Again, you can just donate that stuff yourself to goodwill, removing it for them and getting a tax deduction, or you can resell it if in good condition.

Check out government surplus sites too. Most agencies have to turn over their unusable stuff to a central agency that just liquidates the goods at low cost to generate cash. As long as you have the means to pick it up and transport, you can get everything from 8gb storage drives to full size dozers in working order.

Again, just changing your mindset to always looking for opportunity can produce a lot of treasures around you. You just have to be flexible, have a vehicle to move things and have channels by which to translate what you get into cash or benefits for you. It adds up quickly. Especially in the U.S., there is a tremendous amount of good stuff thrown away everyday just because it's inconvenient. So be the convenience service.