Got Clutter? Don't Recycle It... Freecycle It!

Looking around my home, I noticed that I have waaaaay too much stuff that I don't need. It's all in great condition. I'm sure somebody would love it. But I can't get rid of it. Taking another look around, I noticed that there are quite a few things we really need. But alas, we don't have much extra cash lying around. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to get rid of this stuff while finding the things I'm looking for?

Then one of my friends told me about Freecycle.org. I was intrigued, so I checked it out for myself. It's kind of like recycling, or maybe like hand-me-downs. And you can get all kinds of things, but it's all free. Free plus recycle equals "freecycle." Get it?

How does Freecycle work?

I am loving Freecycle so far. This is how it works. You go to the Freecycle website and search for your local group. Each local Freecycle group has its own page, where you can join for free. You simply submit your email address and tell them what town you live in. This is important, because you don't want to be Freecycling with people that live an hour away from you. That's too much travel time and gas money. Then you briefly tell the group leader why you're interested in joining Freecycle. This sounded a little strange to me. Um, I want to join because... I want free stuff? But Freecycle is serious about protecting its members, so they ask your reasons for joining in an attempt to weed out the creeps, pervs, and spammers.

Once you're a member, it's easy to Freecycle. If you have an item you'd like to give away, simply post it on your local Freecycle group page. You'll need to include a brief description of the item as well as is general location. Again, people need to know how far away you are to see if it's worth the trip. If you want a certain item, same rules apply: just post a listing on your local Freecycle page, with a description of the item you want as well as your general location.

Can I use Freecycle to sell things, or to get items for trade?