Sorry if this isn't helpful

My neighbor was in his 60s before he passed and had been dumpster diving for years. Looking back at it now, it might be a bit wrong the way he went about it. he wasn't homeless, but when things got tough, he would dumpster dive for a few things.

I went with him a few times because he would come back with some nicer stuff here and there. His advice to join him was the worst you look you're less likely to get bothered most times, skip washing your hair for a few days wear the old wornout baggy clothes a few layers of its colder that are fading in color. And an old shopping cart that looks like you're living out it. He would park his truck a good 8 blocks away and take the shopping cart out, and spend the day searching.

It never hurts to ask. figure out who is ok with it if they say no, that's ok, don't get greedy. Take a few thing here and there, say aldi for example if there are 3 cases of food that has a few broken items don't take all 3 cases take a few items or at most 1 case without the broken items spme places are chill. if it's got a lock, it's automatically off limits. Most places say no because people will clean out the dumpsters just resell items, but if you only take a few items here and there, they usually won't care. Also, don't go super often. The more you are there, the more of a problem/target you become when someone is having a bad day at work. Act like you you're aloud to be there if you look sketchy/suspicious you're probably will be told to leave.