Freecycle is just what it sounds like (“free” & “recycle”). People donate their unwanted items to other people, for free.
If you have something you no longer need, you can donate it and take some comfort in knowing you’re keeping it out of the landfill and helping out someone in your community. Likewise, you can search for something you need that others are willing to give for free. No money is exchanged, and advertising items for sale is off-limits.
In addition to providing a great service for your local community and the environment, giving away items can sometimes save you money as well. For example, some communities require you to pay a fee to recycle certain items, such as older electronics, which you can avoid by donating these items to a new home. Also, trying to move very bulky items out of your house might normally cost you labor, storage and/or transportation, but a Freecycler might be happy to do this for you in return for getting the goods.
Freecycle can also be a great way to pick up unique items for free, instead of buying at a garage sale or used goods store. Depending on what’s available in your area this could save you $10, $50, or even $500 per year! If you are very handy this is also a great way to pick up quality items (such as furniture or appliances) in need of repair, where the old owner didn’t want to incur the cost of a handyman.
To join Freecycle for free you apply to the group in your local region (there are regions across the country and around the world). You will then get access to the relevant Yahoo! Groups website, and you can view and post messages there for finding or donating goods.
Looking for other ways to find or donate items? There are plenty of alternatives to Freecycle:
- Local newspaper classified ads are a traditional way to buy and sell goods. Some papers offer free ads for items that are being donated or sold at very low cost. This is also a great place to find items for free or at a bargain in your area.
- Craigslist.org has tons of free listings for everything imaginable, in just about every region of the country & world. Search “free” to find items people might be giving away in your area.
- Donating items to charities not only is a great community service, but it can be a money-saver as well. In some cases you can deduct taxes for the value of the goods you donate. Shop at thrift stores associated with these charities to pick up some bargains for your home.
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A LOZO expert posted this tip. |