I will be the first to admit that I can be a bit of a packrat. My family will say that I come by it naturally and that I just take after my late Aunt Genie. That woman knew how to fill a house with stuff! But, I’m trying to get my clutter under control.
The problem is that I don’t like to throw things out. I mean if it’s trash then yes, out it goes. But if it’s something that could still be used, I hate to toss it. I was surfing the internet looking at yahoo groups in my area, just seeing what was out there… and came across something that would solve my problem.
Freecycle is pretty much summed up as a recycling effort for participants. If you have something you no longer need, someone else in the group might want it and have a use for it.
On their website they say “The Freecycle Network is made up of 4,608 groups with 5,813,000 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.”
Best of all, it’s all FREE! There are some rules, obviously it’s family friendly so it’s moderated for language and content. All items listed must be free, offering for sale items is not allowed. And, you should give as much as you get.
I personally have found homes for some household items that were collecting dust and taking up space, some clothing no longer needed… and as strange as it sounds, the old 1970’s wood paneling that I ripped out of my house. I listed the paneling and a woman came and picked it up to use on the inside of her son’s tree house they were building.
I haven’t received much through it, not that nothing was available, but I simply didn’t need more clutter at the moment. However, I have received things like sandbox toys for my niece and nephew to use at Papa and Nana’s farm.
Also, there are people who are genuinely in need of assistance for some very basic items. But, with the economy the way it is, it’s sometimes tough to get the basics. I’ve seen people list “want” ads for stoves, furniture, cribs, school supplies, anything really. I actually saw someone list a “free” older car to anyone who needed it.
I’d suggest checking this one out: www.freecycle.org
