‘It’s my favorite time to go’

For Melanie Diaz, the magic of Christmas doesn’t come from shiny store shelves or online shopping found in the bin.

The dumpster diver has saved about $20,000 by taking gifts and decor from trash cans, including wreaths from Michaels and toys from TJ Maxx.

The 22-year-old Tampa, Florida resident has spent the past two years dumpster diving in December and January, uncovering discarded holiday treasures that would otherwise go to waste.

It’s my favorite time to go Christmas dumpster diving because they start throwing away a lot of Christmas stuff, Diaz said.

I like to save everything so I can put it in my house and decorate it for next year.

By frequenting the bins behind popular retailers like TJ Maxx, Burlington, Michaels, Jo-Ann Stores, Pop Shelf and Home Goods, she’s discovered a bounty of holiday items.

Some of her biggest finds happen early in the year when stores start clearing out leftover holiday inventory.

My biggest finds are in January, Diaz explained. I went bin diving at the TJ Maxx store and found that the bin was full to the brim.

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

She also picked up puzzles and dog toys from TJ Maxx, saving about $200 each, and countless other holiday items, including ornaments and socks.

The abundance was so overwhelming that Diaz had to ask for help.

I even had to bring my family to help me because it was too much, she recalls.

I remember we got everything into the cars and the next day we had a garage sale. We also kept most things. It was incredible.

Her discoveries also include festive shirts and cookware.

I have found Christmas trees before, Christmas ornaments and generally Christmas decorating creations of any kind, said the content creator.

I find Christmas shirts and Christmas table decorations or Christmas things for the kitchen and things like that.

But while trees and ornaments are “definitely” her favorites, Diaz isn’t just about saving money, she also loves sharing her finds with others.

I start saving everything for myself for the next year, she explained.

And I also give some things to my friends and family. I don’t sell anything I find.