Dumpster diving

NBC's Today profiles one American family living just above the poverty line, but quite happily and comfortably. Watch author and self-professed cheapskate Jeff Yeager's take on such extreme thriftiness to see if you can learn anything from Jennifer and Michael, who claim to have found a simpler, more satisfying existence.

Lots of people adore Trader Joe's, but it's not always perfect in its corporate citizenship. One failing in particular has the activists at Change.org and documentary filmmaker Jeremy Seifert picking fight with the funky grocer: They're accusing the chain of wasting tons of food.

Who wants to cut their grocery bill? Me, me, me! I took the extreme step of tagging along with dumpster diver Allison Burtch, who teased me with stories of delicious free food. Allison hasn't paid a dime for groceries in six months so I couldn't say no to joining her on her nightly rounds....

That's what Kristan Lawson and Anneli Rufus do -- they routinely burrow through dumpsters and piles of stuff left on sidewalks. The couple, married for 20 years and living in the Bay Area, write books to pay the bills (and put a roof over their heads for they do own a house), but their full-time...

In a lot of ways, dumpster diving represents the ultimate battle between thrift and dignity. Dirty, smelly, and quasi-legal, it is also a great way to save money, get great stuff, and learn about your neighbors on a whole new level. Although "trash reclamation" has probably been around since the...

Times are getting tough for some. And that can mean putting off the purchase of a new piece of furniture, or even toys for your kids. Well, here's one way of getting around that problem: Trash picking. But not just going through someone's litter. I'm talking about checking out the bulky waste...