What Your Trash Says About You

FROM THESTREET.COM:

Your trash reveals a ton about how you handle your cash.

I know because I spent several days sifting through the garbage bins of random people who are probably pretty similar to you.

I went dumpster diving to see what exactly people throw out. I found that you can figure out a lot about your personal finances by doing so—much more than you probably thought.

Here's how people are literally throwing away money:

1. You Don't Care About Identity Theft

The Internet is full of warnings that you should shred all your documents that have personal information on them before you throw them away.

But, let's be honest, you don't do it.

Even the Consumer Response Center from the Federal Trade Commission lists dumpster diving as the No. 1 way thieves steal your identity ahead of skimming, phishing and changing your address.

Since dumpster diving is perfectly legal in most cities in the U.S. (if you ever decide to try dumpster diving, be sure to call the local authorities to make sure it is legal and follow the basic rules of courtesy), it's up to you to keep your information from falling into the wrong hands.

I came across numerous papers that had useful identity information including photos, IDs, passwords, applications and account numbers that anyone could use to steal your identity.

While you may think that the chances of having this happen to you are small, providing any type of chance when there is an easy solution doesn't make sense.

Buy yourself a cross-cutting shredder (other shredders are better than nothing, but a committed identity thief can piece together the information if he really wants to) and then shred all documents that have any personal or identifying information on them before putting them into the trash.