My uncle rescued two or three refrigerators from the dump; there was also a nearly new bicycle -- with no more wrong than one flat tire! That was in an area of Connecticut where the more wealthy live.
Since tending my mother's demise led me to my own, I haven't been able to buy much of anything. The most expensive thing on my bicycle is the lighting system which I configured and built myself (the bicycle was given to me to fix up: cables, brakes, tires etc.); the mounts for the indicator lamps are sardine cans and the battery casing I shaped from discarded, slightly rusted sheet metal (which I sanded and painted). I did a lot of walking during the repair process mainly because of the time involved acquiring parts.
I've also been done electrical and carpentry work and repaired or modified appliances and other equipment, sometimes fabricating my own parts.
I hate to see things being thrown away when they're repairable; unfortunately, there are also manufacturers who would rather make things as unrepairable as possible just to ensure more sales.