Save our environment by giving and getting stuff for free

By Pinyo, on September 13, 2007

Some of you may already know about The Freecycle Network. Over the weekend, my wife and I visited our friends in New Jersey. We discussed how companies make so many products for babies and parents now that it is very easy to overspend. During the conversation, he indicated that many of the baby’s things are hands-me-down, or free stuff from their local Freecycle group.

I did a little research after I came back, and according to The Freecycle Network:

Welcome! The Freecycle Network is made up of 4,111 groups with 3,822,000 members across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them’s good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!

What about other options?

• Trash – Easy. But this is not good for the environment. If it is not picked up by someone before the trash man comes, it is going to the landfill.
• eBay — You have to pay to list the item, monitor the auction, and there is no guarantee that it will sell. Also, shipping is not an option for bulky items like sofas, drawers, and beds
• Craiglist — This is a good option. You buy and sell locally, and usually, there is no shipping involved. Here is Gather Little By Little’s Guide to Craiglist.
• Donation — This is another good option. You can ask local charity to pick up your stuff and you can inexpensively buy stuff from their thrift shops. The total value of donated items is also tax-deductible.

Well, if you have unwanted but usable items, or if you need something and do not want to spend any money, give The Freecycle Network a try. Last time I browsed, I saw bed, drawer, crib, and men’s hybrid bicycle being offered.

What can be more frugal than free?

This article was featured in the Festival Of Frugality #92 – Ideas For Saving Money And Increasing Your Income hosted by No Credit Needed.

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Pinyo is the brain behind Moolanomy personal finance blog and a few other web sites. If you like this article, please subscribe for free daily email updates.

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1. The Friday Gathering for 9/14/2007 | Gather Little By Little
2. Festival Of Frugality #92 - Ideas For Saving Money And Increasing Your Income
3. NCN Hosts 92nd Festival of Frugality on the Festival of Frugality