A mum who has been crippled by the cost of living crisis claims she saved her son's Christmas by rummaging through bins to find presents.
Rachael Collins, 42, has found £200 worth of games, furnishings and candles by searching through rubbish containers outside homeware and charity shops.
She goes twice a week looking for ornaments and clothes to sell, give to friends of keep for herself and her seven-year-old son Charlie. She says 'dumpster diving' has helped ease the pressure during the festive period as money wasn't stretching far enough.
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Rachael, from Preston, Lancashire, said: "I feel pressure around Christmas and this has really helped me this year. I started dumpster diving recently because of money, it's out of necessity. Money wasn't lasting through the month.
"I've saved around £200 on Christmas gifts. I found an operation game, Minecraft stuff and I've done Charlie's bedroom up so I've found some stuff for there. I found brand new nerf guns for my son and nephews.
"We found Yankee candles, wax melts and L'Occitane products. The stuff I find is really good. It does vary but on average I probably find four items at a time. Other times there's been lots of stuff and sometimes there's nothing."
Rachael keeps crates in the back of her car, and stores her finds in her basement until she works out what she's going to do with it. "You can always go and find a few bits. I'll definitely be doing it for life," she said.
The carer estimates she's found around £5,000 worth of stuff since she started rooting through shop bins and she makes around £50 per month selling some of her finds online.
Rachael wears a headtorch and goes out a 6pm twice per seek to see what she can find and says its 'unbelievable' seeing how much goes to waste.
"It's a shock to see how many things go to waste. It's unbelievable. I've probably found £5,000 worth of stuff over the years," she said.
"A lot of stuff I find I pass onto people because everyone is struggling. I always tell them where it's come from. Charity shops throw loads of stuff out, they never throw out clothes, but they'll chuck out a lot of stuff with tags on that they haven't sold.
"There have been kids bikes helmets that are probably thrown out for safety, but there's other stuff and it's really strange. I gave away a lot of home furnishings, nice things, vases and plant pots. I'm always bringing stuff home for my son.
"Some of the stuff I'll sell on Facebook marketplace. I do that to make a bit more income and it really helps because money was not lasting. I'm fortunate to do this and work but there are people that are really struggling this Christmas.
Rachael says her dad taught her not to let things go to waste when she was a child. She started rummaging through bins after seeing students leave clothes and furniture behind at the end of term.
Rachael said: "My dad always used to find things and sell them. We lived in a hoarder house so I never really let anything go to waste.
"I live in an area where there's lots of students who put out what they don't want to take home so I've been doing that for a long time.
"There were lots of clothes, really good stuff that I could sell like Levi jeans and Topshop clothes. I find stuff and I know I can give it to a friend."
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