Freecycling

One man's junk really is another man's treasure.

Freecycle.org is a fabulous website for both getting rid of perfectly useful (and even useless) things you have taking up space in your home and then filling that freed up space with the things you find that someone else no longer has use for. The ultimate goal for is to keep materials out of landfills and occasionally to keep pets out of shelters.

Each "group," which is broken down by geographic area, is run a little differently based on the preferences of the moderator, but here is a brief Freecycle 101.

You'll see two types of listings, Offer or Wanted. Pretty self explanatory.

Usually moderators want Offers to be listed like this - Offer: Box of Romance Novels 63126. Start with Offer give a brief description and end with the zip. This is so people can instantly decide if they wan to read more and if it is close enough for them to travel to pick up. More details should be given in the body of the message. People interested can respond to the message and the person offering will receive their response as an email. Sometimes, Offer-ers will give the item to the first person to respond. Other times, they will state in the message that it goes to the person who can be there soonest "earliest pickup."

Wanted messages should start with Wanted and give a description. A zip code isn't necessary, but in the message give an idea of how far you would travel to pick something up. Don't include a sob story.  Just say what you need.  Some people actually skip posts with sob stories, so while you might think you're making a great appeal, you might be costing yourself something you could have used.

Other messages you might see are PPU: lawn mower 62128 - meaning the lawn mower in 62128 has already been spoken for, but hasn't been picked up yet. ReOffer: lawn mower 62128 means the lawn mower wasn't picked up at the agreed upon time so it's up for grabs again.

Freecycle Safety
Use common sense when arranging for someone to pick up something you've offered or when you go pick something up.  Do pickups during the day. Make sure someone knows where you are going and when.  Don't take kids with you.  They're better off safe at home or school if God forbid something happens to you.  Take another adult with you.  Safety in numbers isn't just for kids.  Only pick up from outside locations.  Don't go into a strange home or building.  Don't go into neighborhoods you don't know or neighborhoods you consider dangerous.  Trust your instincts.  If you're gut tells you it's a bad idea... it is!  Your gut is telling you what your brain should know.  When someone is picking up, get their full name, phone number and address.  Consider doing a reverse search of their phone number at anywho.com.  If the phone is a landline, this will tell you who the phone number belongs to, in other words, if they are who they say they are.  Unfortunately, this won't work on cell phones.  If someone picking up doesn't want to give their address, tell them it a no deal.  There's something suspicious about someone who wants your address but won't share theirs. Remember, ultimately you're responsible for your own safety.