This LADY: MOM; stripper::: Should be commended for having the courage to do what she is doing for her family. She's using what she has to provide for her children. She in no way be ashamed of what she's doing. She should be proud. All the snooty ones who will say she has no class have never wanted for anything. They might think so, but no way. If i had the chance to do a dare to take care of my darling Julie i would do it without question. I have cirrosis and probably wont live a long life. If someone would give me a task to perform i would do it without question if i knew it would make her life comfortable after i'm gone. So all you people who think shes wrong,I hope you experience NEED someday. You will learn a lot about life from this LADY

Just reading from the web site, this is awesome, I am thinking of all the wealthy people in this nation who are so greedy, and make way over 6 figures incomes.. nothing wrong with this lady.. shows wisdom and the means to work for it..

As with all Oprah fans, we must have an interest in MOST of what's on or the fan base would be small. Your shows seem to touch every part of my existance. This is a thank you for "Living on the Edge" bringing to the attention what I'm embarrassed yet most proud of....our ability to be freegans! As I peer across my room I can't find a single stitch of furniture that was purchased! Everything came from twincitiesfreemarket or craigslist free site. Our business is also run the same way. We are the epitome of a freegan family. I can't say we have made a meal from a dumpster but if you've ever had to use the food shelf 'as we have' you know that the stuff is close to expiring; the vendor just chose a better venue than the dumpster. What we have created is a beautiful home full of somebodies trash. A good example, My 'O' Magazines. I found an old wine rack that looks like a barrel, put a piece of glass from an old medicine cabinet on top, rolled the magazines and placed one in each hole that a bottle of wine goes, newest ones sit on top of the glass pieces, yep next to the toilet. Freegans may appear to be on the bottom of the food chain and shuned when seen plowing through trash, ask yourself these questions....Do you think the landfill space has benefited from us Freegans? Whose more "GO GREEN"? Thanks again for such great topics. Looking forward to the Largest Classroom in the World. See ya there.

I would rather my mom be a stripper some days than a lawyer!

I can easily see how the lady that is a stripper did what she needed to do in order to support her family. As a single mom of two children working in travel/tourism, there is no way possible I could make it on that salary alone. I work for a catering company almost every weekend for 7 months out of the year. You do what you need to do to pay the bills that is reality for many single moms. Don't be judgemental until you have been put into our situations. We are educated, dedicated hard workers that picked a profession that believes 3 people can live on a salary under $40,000 per year.

Bravo to the Stripper Mom - there isn't anything I wouldn't do for my children and I commend her for realizing there is another way to be parent and make the money to provide a safe secure life. I can only wish if I were in her situation I would have the bravity to put my children before my own self image. She is a more pure, honest and beautiful person than many we know who are living the "lie" that has become the norm in our society!!!! Talk about deciding what is important and then living the life that honors what those things are - namely her children - she's is one of the few people who got it right!!!!

I would be proud to be her friend!!!!!

Hi just joined oprah.com but about todays show i have actually furnished my whole apartment with stuff from the alleys in chicago i didn't believe other people actually did the same thing that i do but i don't do the food thing but they have a really great point. I think more people should try to do something like this it is actually liberating to know that i saved money with other peoples trash. you reall wouldn't believe what you can have just rummaging through someone elses trash it is amazing

I think the mom who has to strip is a very brave woman. To get out onto the world and support her children any way she can is wonderful. I am Happy to see she is not another lazy mother out there collecting welfare when she can physically work and take care of her own. Although I am married, there have been times I HAD to go out and work to help with finances. I have realized my Real Estate License never paid as much as my bartenders license!!!!!!!!

I cant wait to watch the show today ..I am a single mother of 4 . ages...29 ,28 , 23 and 16 ..the last 2 still live w/ me.. 2 boys and 2 girls I get SSI cause I am disabled but still hard to make ends meet sometimes and I have always taught my kids that 1 man's trash is another man's treasure. My oldest and his father ..My ex used to dig in garbage just to get by at 1 time in their lives ...They say God Loves those who help themselves ..or at least try to . I have gotten some very nice and still usable clothes and furniture ...Coffepots brand new, electric skillets, humidifiers etc .. from the curbside when people have spring cleaning in our small town and also from rummage sales...I believe that God helps us and may God continue to bestow his Mercy and love on Oprah and all my fellow viewers out there just doing their best to get by..thanks for this show and so many others including all with Dr .Oz that are so helpful .. God bless you.. Lucille Quick Iron Mountain ,Michigan

I've never dumpster-dove for food, but I regularly shop thrift stores and garage sales and pick up stuff off the curbside despite the fact that we have a 6-figure income. Mindless consumerism is, indeed, pointless. Most of my clothes and furniture are "pre-owned" and look darn good nevertheless. I am continually amazed at lower-income people who say they can't afford clothes or furniture when there's tons of good stuff to be had cheap or free.

Oprah seemed very shocked to hear that when you don't eat the cheddar biscuits they get thrown away. I thought I might add that we as consumers are guilty for that problem. It's because the guy seated in the booth next to you yelled at the waitor for 'cold biscuits he came for the warm biscuits'. Or what about the person that was grossed out because he saw the woman next to him sneeze on her biscuits and was afraid they would serve him those. Our rights as consumers and ability to be 'the customer that is always right' is what led to such waste.

Actually I know how this woman Miriam feels. I was a dancer for 4 years and it is very funny cause when I was a dancer I found myself saying the same things she is saying that she is a christian and believes in God. Yes I believe she is a christian and beleives in God. Yes it is a job that makes good money and not too much like it but there is also alot more that comes with it. I justified dancing with the fact that I was making really good money and had more family time and it made me feel good about myself because it gave me confidence. I would see what it was really doing until years later. I am now 27 years old I am a single mother and I am trying to make a living. However I have been through bad relationships and what I thought was confidence would later on be insecurity. When ever any guy would show interest in me, I would assume that all they wanted was sex (let me make one thing straight. I never had sex or did any sex acts while I was a dancer, I was just that a dancer. But I was looked at as a sex obeject). Because this is how I was viewed for so long, I began to set my self worth at that and I then begin to believe that myself. I became premiscuous (sp?) and I really had confidence in all the wrong things. My heart aches for this woman because I know how hard it is to raise kids, being a single mother. I am now in college and just took this last semseter off for a break after having to big of a load. But dancing is not okay and not because they are bad for doing it but because of the effects from it. I know how she is thinking I said the exact same things. I am going through the healing process and learning that what I did in the past does not define who I am. I am learning to establish boundaries now and in order to do so I must know that I matter and know my self worth which is something that I had lost through dancing. I dont frown upon what she is doing, she is providing for her family but through it whether she reallizes it or not she is loosing herself.
Just a little inside note...... I dont judge people by what they do but when it has a chance of hurting them it breaks my heart. In dancing you loose your sense of self worth. Two great reads Messy Spirituality by micheal yaconelli and Boundaries by townsend and Hall!!!

Oh this woman is so brave!!! . I am in the same situation, same age. Horrible marriage horrible divorce, left me to face the same dilemma. Soccer/stripper mom is awesome. I still have not told anyone , except close friends and my sister. People are soo judgemental. Oprah, I love you girl! But even Oprah had judgement in her eyes at the end of the segment. You didn't look her in the eyes when u shook her hand and still recommended she get a regular day job. "Don't judge lest thee walk mile in my shoes{or perhaps in this case my stilettos!}" Thank you Oprah for shedding light on this woman. Thousands of women live this life and we live it knowing that we are judged harshly. It's painful, but like the mom said, atleast I'm home with my kids .They get straight A's and have kind hearts. How many moms can say that about their bratty kids today? I am in college to become a social worker, I'm home with my daughter, she's kind-hearted gets A's in school and I work at a strip club when she's at school or sleeping. she is cared for by my sisters when I'm not home so I know she's safe. This segment made me feel much better about myself. Thanks soccer mom! You are beautiful!!!!!!!!!

I just wanted all freegans to know a better place to get items of interest. Warehouses that package goods, always supply extra product and when an orders are complete the left over product is thrown out. For example. My mother works in a warehouse that supplies Walmart and other places with their promotional needs. Over the last two year Pampers have been promoting their new style of diapers (Cruisers, feel n' learns). I haven't yet bought any diapers yet and I have a 2 year old and a 6 months old. I've also have/had enough Parents choice formula for both kids plus my cousins baby and I've also donated a lot of stuff to the Canadian food bank. I've also had enough Enfagrow toddler drinks for 3 or 4 kids. Other things I've accumulated are baby wash, lotion, baby wipes, chocolate. Most the things I get are baby related because the other client they have is Procter & gamble and when they are done whith a promotion, they have it in contract that all left over product is to be place in the compactor and destroyed. Proctor & Gamble also violently test on animals. Please consider boycotting this neglectful company.

Today's show kinda hit home for me. One of my neighbours works for a waste management company and is currently disposing of the one cereal company's waste (which i will not mention) and he generously gives us the cereal that is still good but thrown away because its over weight or under weight or the box is is damaged etc.. At first I was completely against it and told my husband we were eating 'garbage cereal' but then I thought that ill try it, you only live once right?...Now I welcome the 'free' cereal and i found today's show a perfect example of how much good food is thrown away. I'm not saying ill go in the dumpster but i do remember how proud I was when i served a meal that was completely grown on the farm I live on. Also I my husband does not throw away the veggies we grow he throws it on the field to break down and grow crops.