You may not always see the inherent value in something, but someone else might.
Reddit user, ChamikaIth40, wanted to know how you made something out of nothing when they asked:
What is the best example of "One man's trash is another man's treasure"?
The thing with "trash to treasure" is the first part of that statement. "Trash." Odds are the thing you just found is broken, maybe a little loved, but still in fairly decent condition. Spend a little time, a little sweat on it, and you have something that will make you happy for years.
Anyone Else's Still Work?
"Back in the day my dad was going to get rid of his original PS2 and I asked for it, and he said if I could get it to work I could have it. All I did was clean it out and ran without issues for years."
Just A Little Bit Of Love And New Wires
"Reminds me of my turntable. My dad wanted to throw it away and go full digital. I still enjoy it, playing vinyl records is strangely relaxing."
"Reminds me of when I thought mine was broken. Started researching new ones but I really didn't want to buy another one. Turns out it just needed to be taken apart slightly to have the ribbon adjusted and also to have the needle replaced. Much cheaper and good as new."
...Dr. Frankenstein?
"Last winter I was going for a bike ride and I came across a dumpster at the local college filled with old electronic equipment and I rescued an analog oscilloscope, a frequency generator from the early 50s, two working monitors, various electronic components including a ton of vacuum tubes and resistor, a transformer, an analog volt meter and 10 large high voltage capacitors. There was also a bunch of old lab equipment but I didn't save any of it because it was beyond repair."
Your Own Personal Streaming Database
"Whenever I see old computers in the trash I pull the hard drive and add it to my giant JBOD array. I've got 11 disks hooked up between 750GB (that I needed an IDE to SATA adapter for) to 4TB from the trash, and a couple bigger ones but I bought those."
"For my library of TV shows and movies all in the highest res available."
That's A New Table, Right There
"Scrap metal. As a certified welder, I look at a scrap metal junkyard with the same eyes I assume Picasso looked at a canvas. I'm not an artistic welder btw either. I just see my company throw away a bunch of scrap metal. And I'm like "give me two of those old tire racks, and I'd make some coffee tables or work benches".
Whatever Gets You That "A"
"My engineering professor told us to visit junkyards and dumpster dive for parts to build a robot from for our final project (build a robot that does something useful in 20-60 seconds autonomously). So I guess I'm living the quote"
On the other side are these treasures, once considered trash, but now in a wanted home. You don't always have to fix something up to make it worthwhile. Sometimes the inherent worth was already there.
That's Ten To Twelve Dollars, Right There
"I used to haul scrap metal so...literally trash. Steel is 6-10 cents a pound, aluminum around 50 cents a pound, copper about 3 cents a pound, etc. So that broken washing machine on the curb will get you 8-$12. A few bucks more if you pullout the motor before scrapping. Old lawn furniture is often aluminum etc. Literally anything metal is easy to sell at a scrap yard. I would drive around nicer neighborhoods rhe night before trash day and fill up the back of my truck. Even better on bulk pickup days."
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"Not one but 2 people in the last month were throwing out perfectly good - gorgeous house plants"
- pair of regular peace lillies
- pair of elephant plants, potted fern, large mix variety of tropical plants $75 dollars at Lowe's
Neighborhood Bin, Clear For Everyone
"We literally found a miniature car collection on the neighbourhood recycling bin the other day. Half were to scale miniatures, half were toy cars. We gave the toys to someone with kids and kept the miniatures. BTW they were found inside of a bag, clean and disinfected."
We'll Be Crash Test Dummies Big!
"My neighbor had these soft plastic faces she used for Halloween decor for decades. Came over one day and said she was throwing stuff out and asked if I wanted them. I ended up with 11 of these things, and they sat in my garage for years."
"Turns out, they were the faces for vintage crash test dummies, and worth quite a lot since they rarely made it out of the testing facilities."
"SCORE!"
Eat It, Walt Kiesling!
"Johnny Unitas"
"The Steelers released him during his rookie training camp. Four years later, with the Colts, he had won back-to-back league championships, was selected the league's MVP, and became the blueprint for all future NFL quarterbacks. After retirement, he made the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility."
Make Money Off What You Love
"I make fire pits out of old granite countertops. The granite store literally gives it to us for free because they don't have to pay to have scrap granite removed and I turn around and sell the fire pit for over $300 from material I don't pay for."
When You Know What Something Is Worth
"Went to the local dump to dispose of some construction trash when I saw a drill press in the dumpster - floor standing cast iron Craftsman model from the 1960's."
"Took it home, stripped it down, replaced some parts, removed rust, new paint, and a rebuilt motor and it works flawlessly."
"A separate trip to the auto junk yard netted me almost a dozen cabinets for the garage - the local electric company had junked their old work vans, so I spent a day pulling cabinets and parts trays. Even found a set of keys so they all lock too. $20 ea cabinet, which probably cost several hundred dollars each new."
Furry Little Treasures
"The fair few cats and dogs we have rescued. Each and every one of them brought immeasurable joy"
Right Place, Right Time
"You wouldn't believe what the rich people in those Manhattan luxury residential skyscrapers just throw out. I worked as a concierge/porter/doorman for a while, and here's some of what I got:"
-They threw out a nice set of hard drives, unused, because the faceplate was cracked. Disks are still running 6y later without issue.
-Various old LCD TVs or computer monitors whenever they get a new or bigger one.
-Kitchen appliances, really nice microwaves, cookers, etc... I don't have a clue why they were trashed.
-They seem to buy new luggage for every trip. So high end luggage without a scuff on it was always around.
-A very nice Dell 48U server rack with UPS and 1U server (those giant cabinets you see in datacenters, the rack alone I sold for $600 used).
-A commercial large format printer, worked fine. Also regular desktop printers of all sorts.
-Various older computers/laptops when they upgrade.
-All sorts of furniture other guys made good money selling.
"It's f-cking unbelievable. Imagine having so much money it's not even worth it to sell stuff like that so you just toss it in the trash. But we certainly appreciated it, only made $15/hr (6-7y ago before that was nyc min)."
Keep an eye on the neighborhood recycling bins, is the lesson best learned from all this.
And yard sales. Always stop for yard sales.
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Have you ever heard of a certain job that people call a career and thought... "PEOPLE PAY YOU FOR THAT?!?!"
All hard, honest work is good work.
And then there is just trash work.
And I don't mean garbage collection, that is honest work.
I don't know how some people live with themselves.
Redditor MrTuxedo1 wanted to discuss the careers they don't believe people should chase. They asked:
"What job do you have no respect for?"
Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
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The nose is constantly being attacked by odors of the world.
Going through one day without having to hold my breath during a certain point, is a miracle.
Of course, I'm a New Yorker, so I maybe exaggerating for people in the countryside.
What's funnier is odors that are pleasant, that shouldn't be.
Have you ever looked and something and thought... "yuck."
But then you smelled it and it was like... "oh lovely,"
Redditor HappQueue wanted to know what aromas are arousing to the senses that may come as a surprise to many. They asked:
"What smells good but shouldn't?"
For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
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At one point in time, we've misplaced things that we've considered priceless possessions.
It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
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What's worse than returning home from a night out or a workday and discovering your home was broken into? Being home when the break-in happens.
Home invasions are a common trope portrayed in horror films like The Strangers and Funny Games, and they're absolutely terrifying because they are based on real-life incidents.
Redditor silentagent47 asked strangers to consider this horrifying hypothetical.
"You have 5 minutes to prepare before a guy breaks into your house with the intention to kill you. You can not exit your house. What is your strategy to survive?"
The hunter becomes the hunted, inspired by TV and movies.
Duplicating A Scene
"There was an episode of Burn Notice where Michael puts aerosol cans in the microwave with kitchen utensils and hits popcorn button. I really want to know if this works or not."
– JohnSterlingSanchez
Epic Burglar Trap
"Speed-watch Home Alone."
– pluribusduim
It's about the choice of weapon.
Jump Scare
"I get the vacuum cleaner ready in a certain room, I turn it on as hes about to enter to create a distraction, then I jump out when he's inspecting the noise and bonk the f'ker on the head with the piece of 2 inch steel tube I keep as a weapon."
– BustedBastard
Beware of Dog
"Unleash the Hounds"
– myassonreddit
Make A Weapon
"Duct tape a bunch of knives to the end of one of those tall lamps to make a spear of blinding and then proceed to go sicko mode."
– DubTheeBustocles
Preparing For A Thwack
"Turn shower on, for some reason I have a shovel behind my wardrobe?? So grab that. Wait for him to check shower, whack with shovel. Boom."
– hypersp00p
It's Just A Game
"Corner camp with a shotgun."
– Arrow3619
A Warm Welcome
"Hairspray and a lighter to his face."
– WorkingClassSheep
The effectiveness of these tactics are questionable, but points for creativity are warranted.
Stand Still
"Put a lamp shade on my head and stand in the corner of the room."
– Cannabis_Sir
Make It Erotic
"I turn on all the lights, take off all my clothes, rub butter all over myself, and start a fake conversation on the phone. As soon as he breaks in I say into the phone: 'I’ve gotta go, my next appointment is finally here…”
– FrankieTheAlchemist
Forget The Stairs
"Go to the LIVING ROOM."
– on-oath-never-again
Removing The Element Of Fun
"Draw an X on my forehead and grab a beer."
– Candycoatedmuffin3
And that's why I would opt for living in a commune or apartment complex.
People who own houses are just asking for forced entry.
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