Are you a bargain hunter? Does your car tend to automatically stop at every Saturday morning garage sale? Is your home filled with great items, lovingly rescued from someone else’s trash? If you answered ‘yes’ to just ONE of these questions, The Freecycle Network™ is for you!

The Freecycle Network™ originated in Tucson Arizona, in May 2003. Its purpose was to cut down on city curbside trash and prevent the beautiful desert landscape from being overrun with landfill areas. It was started in hopes that one man’s trash truly would be another man’s treasure.

Since it’s inception, Freecycle™ has grown from one, local community group to over 2800 groups, internationally! The communities are actually electronic forums, which are free to join. A local volunteer moderates each one.

The sign-up process is easy. Once you have located your local forum information, which can be found on the main page of the Freecycle™ site, simply supply your email address. You will promptly receive a welcome email, containing detailed instructions on how to proceed. (If there is not a group in your area, The Freecycle Network™ encourages you to start your own.) Once you have signed up, you will be AMAZED at the things people are willing to give away. In my local area, there have been offers of everything from food items, to back issues of TV Guide, to pets, to computers, to automobiles, to almost everything imaginable… even a baby Degus.

Another great thing about joining a Freecycle™ community is that you are allowed to ask for items that you need. Again, these can be small items or something large scale. Of course, there is no guarantee that you will get these items, especially the larger ones. But as a rule, Freecyclers™ are VERY generous… you might be surprised by their kindness.
(As a fellow Freecycler™, I highly recommend that when subscribing to this list you opt to receive individual emails. Many times, highly sought after items are claimed within MINUTES. If you are on digest mode, you will rarely get a chance to pick up these wonderful treasures.)

When you see something you can use or don’t need but REALLY want, contact that specific Freecycler™ letting him know of your interest. Usually, if you are the first person requesting the item, it’s yours. (Keep in mind that the giver has the right to make the final decision… but this only seems to be the case when someone is giving away a pet.) If you aren’t the first one to request an item, don’t despair. If the original requester does not pick up the item in a timely manner, the giver will contact the next requester, on the list.

There is only one basic posting rule. Everything must be free, legal and suitable for all ages. Happy Freecycling™!

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