TAKING out the bins on collection night, Chloe McIntyre turns on her mobile phone torch.
But the Melton Mowbray native, and mum-of-one isn’t prying to see if her neighbours have been recycling properly – instead she’s doing her Christmas shopping.
Chloe, 28, looks for presents to gift her nearest and dearest in her neighbour’s bins.
And she strikes gold, nabbing two empty wine bottles and five glass jars.
Further up the street Chloe spots a dozen loo roll inserts and adds them to her ‘bin night shopping haul’.
“I am a rubbish gifter and proud,” said full-time mum and former receptionist Chloe. “I have spent hundreds of hours delving into other people’s bins and ransacking the neighbours’ recycling.
“I am giving my friends and family rubbish for Christmas and they don’t even know it.
“I know trolls will turn up their noses at the thought of it but I don’t care.”
Chloe said she’d made huge amounts making and selling what other people deem junk.
“I’ve made £255 making items and selling them to friends from rubbish,” she said.
“I have saved £480 on Christmas gifts upcycling, recycling and using my rubbish gifting technique.”
“I have only spent £40 on gifts from actual stores.”
And she scoffed at people who bought gifts from traditional stores.
“I get the last laugh,” she said. “I find the most amazing gifts this way and I’m able to create jaw-dropping presents.
“Yes, it’s sometimes smelly, but who cares?”
According to Chloe, who lives with her fiance Jack, a gym instructor and their 18-month-old daughter, Clemmie, most people think she is simply a nosy neighbour ransacking their bins.
How to save money on Christmas shopping
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save money on your Christmas shopping.
Limit the amount of presents – buying presents for all your family and friends can cost a bomb.
Instead, why not organise a Secret Santa between your inner circles so you’re not having to buy multiple presents.
Plan ahead – if you’ve got the stamina and budget, it’s worth buying your Christmas presents for the following year in the January sales.
Make sure you shop around for the best deals by using price comparison sites so you’re not forking out more than you should though.
Buy in Boxing Day sales – some retailers start their main Christmas sales early so you can actually snap up a bargain before December 25.
Delivery may cost you a bit more, but it can be worth it if the savings are decent.
Shop via outlet stores – you can save loads of money shopping via outlet stores like Amazon Warehouse or Office Offcuts.
They work by selling returned or slightly damaged products at a discounted rate, but usually any wear and tear is minor.
“I’m not,” she said. “Bin day is Christmas shopping day for me and I don’t spend a penny.
After her unique ‘shop’ Chloe dissects her haul of jars, bottles, empty tins and more.
Then she gets to work creating her unique finds.
This year Chloe has created a silver wreath made from used loo rolls.
“I cut the rolls into segments and then glue them together before spraying them silver and adding a bow,” she said.
“I made one for my door last year and my friends saw it and wanted to know where I had bought it.
“They were gobsmacked when I said I’d made it from used loo rolls I’d found in the bins. Two asked me to make them wreaths.”
Wreaths made from rubbish
So this year Chloe’s made her loo roll front door festive offering as gifts for two relatives and two friends.
“I also used the loo roll to make star style ornaments and we gifted sets to mums I know from soft play.
Chloe stuck old plastic animals to glass jar lids and spray painted them different colours.
“I filled them with wrapped boiled sweets and chocolate bars. They make funky gift jars using Clemmie’s old plastic toys as toppers for aunts and uncles.
“People think they’re from Harrods or Habitat.
“I used some of Jack’s old plain shirts and cut them up into strips to cover cardboard cones I made from boxes and created a mini minimalist Christmas tree display for one friend.”
She’s also used loo rolls to create unique advent calendars, selling some on eBay.
Chloe, who likes to call herself a ‘rubbish gifter’ has also made candle sticks filled with sand and shells or covered in upcycled shirt fabric.
She said she can never walk past a skip without delving in.
“I have found mirrors, books, unopened pencils and pens, a side table and trays,” she said.
“I found an old colander someone had chucked away which I turned it into a cool clock,” she said.
“Jack earns just over £25k a year as a PE teacher and as new parents we’re terrified about winter and the catastrophic rises in gas and electric costs.
We rent our two-bedroom flat for £750 a month and everything else goes on basic essentials including groceries, baby items and nappies.”
Taking inspo from Super Scrimpers
“I love the American show Super Scrimpers and it really struck a chord with me.”
And she’s not alone in making her own pressies.
Three in five Brits are planning to get creative to save costs this Christmas.
Research by St James Place, a financial services firm, revealed more people than ever before will be making their own gifts or decorations and offering their time instead of buying presents.
“I know I am not the only one getting creative,” she said. So, troll me if you like, but I am the one being creative and saving cash.”
