India, March 5 -- With shopping bills piling up and the cost-of-living rising, a Florida woman decided to look for an alternate way to buy essentials. Her search for a low-cost solution led her not to any stores but the dumpsters behind them. Now, she claims she has saved over $50,000 ( Rs.44 lakh) by "dumpster diving" for clothes and other essentials in the last two years, according to the New York Post.

Cost-conscious content creator Melanie Diaz said she got a taste for trash after she watched videos of people salvaging trash from garbage on social media. Surprised by the low-cost method, she decided to try it out for herself.

The 22-year-old's first dive led her to a trash treasure filled with books, toys and other reusable items. S...