A student has earned thousands by saving unwanted items marked for the trash.
Adriana Camacho, 22, says collecting people's items that would usually be thrown away and turning them into something beautiful is a "passion."
The liberal studies student from Fresno, California, US, has made nearly $2,000 in just one month by upcycling unwanted furniture and selling it.
Adriana started transforming second-hand pieces last year when she flipped three chairs she found for free and sold them on for $195 as a bundle.
She continued to look for old furniture for free – sourcing it from trash and thrift stores.
Now Adriana sells on her refurbished items with the aim of saving up to buy a car – a $10k second hand car - after her last two broke down.
She’s flipped five pieces of furniture – including a chest of drawers and a vintage TV – and made $1.7k in just one month.
“Everything is saved from trash," she said.
“In May I decided to dedicate money I’m making to purchase a car.
“It’s not just business, it’s a passion.”
Adriana decided to paint the unwanted chairs she found - to see if she could make some extra cash alongside her studies.
She was surprised when she sold them on for $65 each after putting them on Facebook marketplace.
She said: “I put each one on for $15 but got loads of interest – I managed to sell each for $65.
“I thought ‘that was easy’.”
Adriana continued to find what she could for free and sourced cheap furniture from charity shops.
She started experimenting with different designs to spruce up her own home – before selling items on.
Adriana said: “I’m experimenting with my own look too. In six months, I found my style.
“I wanted to express myself through design.”
Now Adriana has flipped five pieces of furniture since May 2023 – making $1.7k – which she is putting towards a new vehicle.
She said: “My car broke down. Then I got a Ford Focus but three weeks in it would just stop in the middle of the road."
Adriana has now been using her mum's car when she can but wants her own to give her more independence.
She found a chest of drawers for $30 and sold it on for $375 after sanding it down, adding wood panelling and giving it a new lick of paint.
She also found a dresser for $60 - embellished the wood with gold handles and made $450 selling it on.
“It’s fun, I’m trying to keep in the style of the piece," she said.
“I like vintage mid-century modern.”
Adriana has so far flipped chairs she found for free outside a church, selling them for $195, a chest of drawers bought for $20, sold for $260, a vintage dresser bought for $60 which was sold for $450, a dresser for $30, selling that for $375, a free dresser for $360, and old chairs for free on a trash day, selling them for $125.
It takes her total so far to $1,765.
