Christmas trash becomes holiday treasure for woman who saves thousands of dollars every year

A woman in Florida has discovered an unusual way to brighten her life and save quite a lot of money at the same time.

It just means deciding to frequent some places that many others won’t. 

Melanie Diaz of Tampa, Florida, finds some of the magic of Christmas after others have tried to trash perfectly good — and brand new — holiday decor items. (See the video at the top of this article.)

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The 20-something goes dumpster diving in the outdoor receptacles located behind retail outlets to find her treasures.

She’s saved as much as $20,000 by retrieving gifts and decor from trash cans, including wreaths from Michaels and toys from TJ Maxx, news agency SWNS reported.

The 22-year-old does her trash-to-treasure work in December and January and plucks out discarded holiday items that would otherwise go to waste.

“It is my favorite time going dumpster diving on Christmas because they start throwing out a lot of Christmas stuff,” she told the outlet. 

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“I love saving everything so I can put it in my house and decorate it for the next year.”

Her discoveries include ornaments, festive shirts and kitchenware.

She finds the dumpsters that are placed behind such popular retailers as TJ Maxx, Burlington, Michaels, Jo-Ann Stores, Pop Shelf and Home Goods — and said she’s found a jackpot of holiday items.

Some of her biggest discoveries occur after Christmas, she said, when stores begin clearing out their leftover holiday inventory.

“My biggest finds are in January,” Diaz told SWNS. 

“I went dumpster diving to the TJ Maxx store, and I found a lot — the dumpster was full to the top.”

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From 10 wreaths salvaged from Michael’s — worth about $400 — to $500 Christmas trees, Diaz has curated a festive collection.

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She has also retrieved puzzles and dog toys from TJ Maxx, saving around $200 each, and countless other holiday staples, including ornaments and stockings, SWNS reported.

Sometimes there’s so much to grab, Diaz said, that she has to enlist help. 

She’s had to “bring my family to help me because it was too much,” she said. 

After one trip, “we took everything into cars, and the next day we did a garage sale. We also kept most of the stuff. It was incredible.”

Her discoveries have included ornaments, festive shirts and kitchenware.

Diaz said that while she saves a great deal for herself, she also enjoys sharing her finds with those who would like them.

“I give some stuff to my friends and family,” she told SWNS.