I’m a dumpster-diver and I earn over $5K in seconds — here’s how you can, too

One person’s trash is another person’s income.

A dumpster-diving mom claims she earns thousands in mere seconds, according to her viral TikToks.

Megan Godinez, a 31-year-old from Dallas, Texas, says she’s unearthed $6,000 worth of goodies in the garbage over the past two years, selling it online to turn a profit of $15,000.

The stay-at-home mom has racked up millions of views and thousands of followers on TikTok, where she regularly boasts finds from her “dives.”

One dumpster diver strikes gold, showing off her prized finds on social media.

“It started as a hobby that turned into a full-blown job, and it feels good to save so much from landfill, as well as donate back to people who can use it,” Godinez told NeedToKnow.Online. “I am able to keep up with the time I put into it by selling items on my website and at local garage sales, where it’s become a whole community.”

Apple watch bands — Godinez found 60 unused Apple Watch bands in the dumpster.

As a mother to four kids — Donovan, 11, Julianna, 9, Isla, 5, and Elias, 3 — it can get “lonely” being at home constantly, but her dumpster-diving hobby was the cure.

“When I came across an Apple store dumpster, it was just another night out, and we checked a new one in the area we were diving in,” she said. “We saw the boxes, so we started digging deeper and pulled up a bag that was really heavy, and to my surprise, 60 watch bands were in there.”

Watch — She also discovers pricey items, like kitchen appliances, jewelry and high-end beauty supplies.

She claimed to earn $6,000 within seconds following the prized discovery, since she believes the bands sell for $50 to $99.

In a viral clip, she shows her followers the various bands that were tossed in the trash, telling her fans the bands were labeled as “demo” and couldn’t be sold to the public. But just because they’re labeled as unsellable doesn’t mean they’re unusable.

makeup — She claims she’s racked up thousands in cash, selling many of her precious finds online.

For Godinez, it was like striking gold.

“Whhhyyy can’t I have friends that wanna do this?” one user wrote in the comments.

Megan's family — A stay-at-home mother of four, Godinez said it can be “lonely” without a hobby.

“GURL CAN I GO WITH YOU,” agreed another.

“Better sell em think BIGGGG,” encouraged someone else.

“I’ve never scored at Apple before, so this was a first,” Godinez continued. “I had been diving on and off for about four years, with the last two years being more serious.”

Consistency is key for her because it increases the chances of her lucking out.

She’s unearthed a variety of different items from dumpsters, including books and journals.

“There aren’t really any tricks, but if you aren’t consistent, then you probably won’t get too lucky,” said Godinez, who touts more than 381,000 followers on the app. “You have to be consistent if you want those good scores.”

Other clips on her TikTok page show her finding high-quality speakers, a Breville espresso machine and even Olaplex hair-care products from Ulta.

truck full of trash — Her coveted finds fill up her truck bed, then are later sorted and sold on her website.

Godinez isn’t the only person dumpster diving for goodies. A father of five previously went viral on YouTube for giving back to his community — by selling his treasured trash — while others find ingredients for their meals in the garbage.

Godinez’s hope is that she’ll inspire others to try dumpster diving after showing off her surprising finds online, advising those interested to keep trying even if they strike out.

“The first time I went diving, it was just to try and find anything good or worth value,” she said. “Now, I have so many goals I want to accomplish with this, and to me, the sky is the limit.”

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