I’m not quite sure what I did before I discovered Freecycle and its offshoot groups, like “Recycle It.” Wait, yes I do–when I had stuff to get rid of and which I couldn’t donate to charity, I either threw it out or tried in vain to sell it on eBay. When I needed something, I never thought outside of the Big Box store–I just went shopping and bought more stuff.
But along the way to this green-and-frugal lifestyle, someone told me about Freecycle, and I decided to give it a try.
At first I was a bit nervous about joining my local Freecycle list–what kind of freaks would I be dealing with when giving away or getting items? But quickly I realized that, like most groups, there were some off-beat personalities, but overall mostly everyone I’ve dealt with has been super nice, friendly and generous.
If you’re not familiar with Freecycle, here’s the basic concept: since many people want to keep their unwanted items out of the waste stream, they choose to recycle them (really reuse or repurpose them) by giving them away for free to others. Freecycle works both ways–people can post when they’re giving away items, and people can post when they want items. I wrote a piece a few months ago about Freecycle etiquette, which can help people become familiar with the protocol involved.
Just this week I put Freecycle to good use–for getting rid of something I no longer needed and acquiring something I did.
What was I getting rid of? A half-used bag of dry dog food, a brand that my vet recommended but which my dog rejected. Rather than toss the remaining food (which was not cheap, thank you very much), I decided to put an offer up on Freecycle. The first person to respond was a women who fosters dogs. Perfect.
And what did I need? Ribbons, all kinds of ribbons. As I was thinking ahead towards the holidays, I realized that I was going to need a lot of ribbons and string and yarn for various projects around the house, including decorating and wrapping presents. I thought I’d give a “wanted” shout out to my local group to see if anyone had any ribbon I could take off their hands. Turns out a women who works about 20 minutes away had three big shoeboxes filled with spools of ribbon that she’d been holding on to for years. She was more than happy to give them to me for free. Terrific.
In addition to these two examples, here are other things I’ve given away and gotten via Freecycle:
* Moving boxes (gave away)
* Bubble wrap (gave away)
* Computer desks (gave away)
* Plants for my garden (received)
For anyone who is budget- and/or eco-conscious, Freecycle is the way to go. That’s why this week I’m giving the Suddenly Frugal Seal of Approval to Freecycle. (FYI, this link will tell you how you can find a Freecycle group that’s nearest to you.)
READ LEAH ON HOME GOES STRONG
I *heart* Freecycle!
In the past week alone, I have asked for and received moving boxes, including around 50 boxes from a local vineyard.
I have given away: bamboo flooring that we won’t be using (we had gotten it off of Freecycle ourselves), terra cotta pots that are not moving with us, and a huge bin of quilting fabric.
I feel confident I’ll be giving more stuff away soon!
I love freecycle. I’ve gotten lots of plant pots, gardening books, pallets to make a compost area, and a tv/dvd combo (didn’t work but DH fixed it). I’ve given away magazines, packing peanuts, boxes, and just yesterday a box full of clothes hangers.
what is recyle it?
Here are some of the things I've given away with Freecycle:
my mother's treadmill
2 packs of party invitations
2 big ferns
field hockey & soccer stuff
an old Mac laptop
an old Mac desktop computer
a home-made devil costume cape
teen clothing
This is what I've been given by Freecyclers:
3 gigantic clumps of hostas
10 smaller clumps of hostas
8 clumps of sedums
brand new fleece lined clogs
3 wallets
brand new in the box glass creamer & sugar
hand-painted olive oil dispenser with spout and saucer
2 like new wood bar stools
I was also offered a fruit dehydrator but it was too far away.
I used Freecycle to find someone to come take away all the compost we made. He took it for his garden and it was the most wonderful feeling to see all our “garbage” go to good use!
Oh my goodness!I would have loved to receive the quilting fabric and the hostas. These are just two of the items I have been looking to have. I need to join Freecycle.
Freecycle is awesome! I tell lots of people about it. I am amazed that most people have never heard of it.
I have managed to find a yogurt maker, mini trampoline, and wool; and have given away magazines, Xmas lights, kids lifejackets and more.
I freecycle lot. Got my composter and holiday decorations that way, and I’ve given away a shed (they TOOK it away, which was all I really wanted), clothes, purses — you name it, people took it. My favorite exchange was a ballerina wall hanging that I had as a girl. I didn’t need it, but it was still in great shape. A woman picked it up for her daughter, and emailed when she got home about how much her daughter LOVED it and immidately put it on her wall. Good stuff.
[...] forget about Freecyle or Goodwill. Do you remember my post before the holidays about how I used Freecycle to get boxes filled with ribbons for free? Who would have thought that someone would be willing to give me ribbons I could use on Christmas [...]
[...] previous bullet point), donate to charity or give away on Freecycle. As you know from my earlier Suddenly Frugal Seal of Approval for Freecycle post, I can’t get enough of this notion of keeping items out of the trash stream by giving them [...]