Absolutely loved this article. Thank you for sharing!

This stuff is really nice. i can't believe they aren't making a ton of money trying to sell this stuff on Etsy.

Great article!

funstraw: An artist I spoke to awhile back said that his research indicated that higher end stuff just doesn't sell well on Etsy. Plus, the shipping for one of his pieces would be enormous. Etsy seems to work out better for crafters selling smaller moderately-priced goods.

I see your point.
They do have some smaller things that would probably work out well. The statues and artwork are nice. Couldn't they get a dealer to sell the larger stuff? If I had the room I would totally get one of those room lamps.

do they have health insurance?

It's against the law to take things from our dump.

@hallu, why? do you plan on making them sick?

Very interesting article. I probably spend as much on my mortgage as they reportedly earn in a year. However, I suppose there are lessons in that article that I could take to heart...though I would trade shopping around on Tuesdays (bulk pick-up day) in the neighborhood than traipse through a dump that is more than likely restricted to outsiders.

I'm amazed that people throw so many new things away. I donate everything that is in good, usable shape to Goodwill. I hate throwing anything away that isn't truly garbage.

When I was a kid I used to love to go to the dump. We never took anything home that I can remember, but I just remember it being a fascinating place. I don't think we are allowed to dig through the dump where I live. I do like to frequent thrift shops and have found some great things that were almost brand new. I have also given a lot of quality items to thrift stores because I was moving and just didn't have room. I would never throw something away that was still useful.

Most Maine transfer stations / dumps are not what many of you are probably picturing ... fields of rotting trash that you have to paw through to find anything worth rescuing. Maine transfer stations tend to be drive up facilities where you can toss large items like furniture or construction debris, bags of trash you pay to dump by weight, and recyclables.

A lot of them have a re-use room or trailer where people leave things that are in good or working condition. Some of these have a if you find it and love it then it's yours for free policy and some charge a small fee (we're talking just a couple of bucks). I imagine that is where Ms. Wurst gets her dump "finds."

Great article, thanks for posting! My dad and I used to dumpster dive a lot when I was a kid and he still does it. :)

No one plans on getting sick. People with no health insurance expect other people to pay if they do.

125 dollar french linen? benjamin moore paint? frugal? well i don't know.

Speaking as someone who grew up around church-mice-poor artists - no, they don't expect you all to pay for their medical care.

They just die earlier. Some of them end up living with friends or family, but those are the lucky ones.

Simple fact of life. You can live a WONDERFUL live as an artist on a shoestring budget. It just means you never get to retire. You work until you die. Or die when you're too sick to work. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Considering the life you get to live before, a lot of people think it's worth it.

So no, they're not going to come knocking on your door for free handouts. Most of them make just a little too much to get on medicaid or the usual benefits as well, so you don't really have to go attacking that either.

The major problem for me, philosophically, is that to live a full life in our modern society, even if you try to be incredibly frugal, you usually end up being a... well, parasite to the larger society, or at least, very dependent on it. You can't get cool things if people didn't buy and throw them away. Most of the really cool arts involve horrible things for the environment in the long run. Higher end arts generally sell to people with disposable income, usually from careers that are anything but green.

It's the kind of lifestyle where you have to just accept that you will never be "perfectly" green, and just admit that you're making responsible choices in parts of your lifestyle to make up for the other parts that are less sustainable.

i like seeing the interesting choices people make. Reminds me of the Hornby Island dump or freestore (as the hippies called it). There's so much STUFF out there, you can always find something you need on the street.

This would work in Australia where we have free health care and a high quality free education system, but I'm thinking it's a LOT harder in the States? Am I right?

What's "free" about your healthcare in Australia? Don't the doctors get paid? What you mean is tax-supported healthcare, and the taxes come right out of your pocket.

I'd rather pay for my own healthcare directly, thank you, than let the government spend my money for me.

@Kaete: very well-composed analysis. Who knew a home and garden article would spark such a heated political debate?

They have an 18 month old child, so health care would seem to be a priority. I really dislike articles like this that romanticize poverty. They clearly have other resources.

Did I miss the part of the article that says they don' have health insurance? Maybe I did, but regardless, I think I'll stick to worrying about my own lifestyle and not worry so much about judging others. People who live in glass houses...

Medusa, poseurs? really?
Just because she picked up a pricey sheet to make a sofa slipcover? Bringing the total cost of the sofa to $275?
Crappy cookie cutter covers at Bed Bath and Boring (which I will happily shop) start at $60, or so.
Duvet covers often run above $100.

Reread the article: they are frugal so they can buy a house. They sound more like Amy Dacyzyn than bo-bos.

I assume the "I'll pay for my health care myself" people have cash for a transplant or cancer treatment. If not, I guess they had better read this article for tips.
Of course, the rest of us should, too, because we will most certainly pay for it.

I cannot believe how harsh people judge and criticize others' life choices! I think their home is beautiful, proof that just because you are poor doesn't mean you don't have style!