Merry Christmas!

I don't know if anyone is even reading my blog but merry Christmas!

We moved 6 myths ago and last night I tore apart my garage trying to find the missing stockings...After an hour and a lot fits of rage resulting in items being thrown in the trash they were found in a Box I had already peeked inside of twice. I'm not a hoarder but our old home was tiny, smaller than most 2 bedroom apartments so our small garage became where I shoved everything. Our house become so cluttered it took many trips after we moved to finish cleaning and packing anything we still wanted. So I refuse to bring anything in our home that is not 100% staying.  That being said I have not been efficient on using the space I have now so my Christmas gift to myself and my husband is to spend time outside today cleaning my garage.
I have a small business. .very very small that I run out of the garage because I need my tools so having more usable space is extremely important.

Dd before Christmas

Hubby is home for a few days around Christmas which is nice. Rare.
I haven't been able to dd much. Excited to go out after Christmas to see what I can grab for next year. Also hoping to get out to my dd spot tomorrow since they will be closed Christmas day. It's been warm which would make me leery of what might have been left out over cmas.
On another note I pulled a pumpkin pie out last week. Hubby finished it today and enjoyed it.

Today's meals

Cut up a dd pineapple for snacks.

Dinner is a soup made with dd tomatoes,  dd sweet peppers,  dd onions, black beans and light noodles.

Hubby Is dieting hardcore so trying to cook healthy. 

Hubby going out of town for the weekend so trying to live of dd for the whole weekend.

Today's haul

From my fav spot
1 big container of salt
1 pk of 3 green bell peppers
1lb bag of apples
6 bags mini sweet peppers
Approximately $23 in value
All produce still good. A few close dates.

Dd dinner

Made a bean dish with black beans, dd onions, tomatoes and bell peppers.  Total cost around .25 for a healthy dinner (cost of bulk dried beans).

Today's haul

Hit my usual spot. Took home 6 pineapples for cutting and freezing. The misconception is when the outside starts turning colors the inside is bad...false! That is when it is perfect! 
Got 2 loaves of wheat bread with a close expiration.  great for making and freezing school lunches in advance.
2 bags of hamburger buns
1 stick of butter. Good for baking.
2 bags organic green beans for my freezer.
Approximately $30

Yesterday was an awesome haul with 21 bottles of reg soda (there was a whole pallet full out there) retail of around $30
Plus another $30 in produce.

I always take apples even with spots to make homemade apple sauce.

New chapter

For months I have seen a man picking through the dumster of my local store late in the day. I never thought about diving in myself. After reading other blogs and articles on dd "dumpster diving" I took the plunge. My husband works hard but we still it is stressful making ends meet. We don't qualify for food stamps by like $100. But our net income is below the poverty level. We pay our taxes and thanks to obama care we now pay more than ever for our insurance plan.

My first week as a dd was hard. I learned the good spots, bad spots etc
My best spot gets picked by me for only what my family uses but someone picks everything out of it in the late afternoon and someone else picks it at night. I found a good time to dive but if I am in the area on an off time I still go by.
My goal is to only take what I will use. Most of what I get is veggies, fruits and bread. Scored 4 cases of reg soda 2 liters once...like hitting the jackpot.
We eat a lot of veggies like bell peppers and onions, fruits like pineapple and strawberries. My produce bill is high when I shop. I never buy produce now which is amazing.
Dd has changed my life. But it is definitely not  for everyone.  A good friend of mine is also in need and she wouldn't dd with me.
I was all my produce and I never pick anything that touches the bottom of the dumpster. Nothing in my dumpster has been there long enough to be an issue.
A lot of groceries are thrown out due to nearing expiration dates or one spot on it. Seasonal items too.
I decided to blog to openly discuss what I do without judgement.