I love Freecycle

Check it out- 6 pounds of FREE CHOCOLATE!! Enough for 6 batches of Toll House cookies. Wow.

I know I’m coming to this phenomenon late. So many people have been raving to me about Freecycle, and now I’m a convert. I registered a couple of weeks ago and posted a WANTED: CLOTH NAPKINS ad. I didn’t get any responses and that was that.

But then about a week ago, I opened one of the “digests” that lists all the recent ads, and how could I miss the one that said “OFFER: FREE CHOCOLATE?” My pupils dilated, I started salivating, my heartrate probably rose. I’m pretty much a chocolate freak.

I responded with a short essay about “why I should be the one to receive the chocolate” and got a response that it was already taken. After all, the ad had been up for over an hour. But a couple of days later, I received an email asking if I still wanted it because the other person had flaked out. Of course I still wanted it!

The address was right on my way home from work, so it was super convenient. And the bags are filled with chips- just a little flatter than regular Nestle’s chips. I’m sure they’ll be fine for baking, I’ve already tasted them. I usually get those bags at the market for about $2.50, so I saved about $15. But it’s more fun because she was moving and they would have been thrown out if she hadn’t used Freecycle.

On that same digest, I saw a WANTED post for magazines. The girl was doing a scrapbooking project for an art class, so I was motivated to go through about 20 magazines and leave them out for her. I’d been meaning to start going through the stacks of magazines anyway, and doing it for someone else made me get to it right away instead of putting it off. Plus they’re not going in a landfill!

It’s a great win/win, and I love those. I received free chocolate and got rid of magazines that were gathering dust. What are your best Freecycle or Craigslist scores? Please share in the Comments section.

Comments

  1. Angela says

    Hey Steph-

    I thought you were being a funny girl, but I guess Craig’s List is much bigger than Freecycle, and I think that’s what you use. It seems to be pretty much like free Craig’s List, which I haven’t used yet, but it will have stuff you would never think of donating- like these free chocolate chips or tea bags or magazines- stuff that someone could use but would end up in the trash if you’re moving.
    Thanks for stopping by!

  2. lala2074 says

    I have only joined Freecycle this year.

    I posted a wanted ad for a slow cooker. I was thinking that at best, I might be able to find an old one.

    However, I received one from a young woman who had a lovely stainless steel one that she had only used once or twice, and was now downsizing her kitchen appliances.

    I use it every week and I love it!

    I will be posting “give away” listing soon on Freecycle for some of my daughters toys and books she no longer needs.

  3. Ellen says

    I got a full set of darkroom supplies off of freecycle! They’re in my shed right now waiting for me to move somewhere with an extra closet that I can convert into a darkroom, but I was so excited when I scored it all! Also got a salad spinner once off freecycle that I’ve never used–I should probably re-post it. Craigslist–seen lots of animals listed there. I did once get some stained glass supplies off craigslist, but I don’t troll that site often.

  4. Kristen@thefrugalgirl says

    Oh my goodness, you are just going to LOVE freecycle. I’ve gotten so much wonderful stuff and gotten rid of so much stuff too!

  5. thefrugalmusician says

    Hey Angela- I registered for freecycle.org a long while back but haven’t checked it out lately. I will definately do that! Especially if there are folks giving away free chocolate….free…chocolate…chocolate…ummmmmmmmmmmmm

    😉

  6. WilliamB says

    Giving away a full-size working fridge on Freecycle.

    Giving away a full-size fridge turns out to be hard. It’s not something one accepts just because, and it’s not easy to have space for it. In economic terms, it’s not a liquid market. I posted several times to Craigslist (trying both free and for $50) and Freecycle, and finally found a good home for it.

    My favorite acquisition was a pressure cooker regulator – that little thingy that goes on top. With that, I could use the hand-me-down pressure cooker. Without it I would have to buy a new one.

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