A penny saved…

Sometimes for me, frugal can mean conserving money but other times it can mean making things happen with no money. For those who are resourceful and frugal, there are a lot of great things that can be had for free.

I’m not just taking about dumpster-diving either (for those that are uninitiated in the scavenging arts, dumpster-diving focuses on dumpsters and their ‘garbage’ as a repository for new and useful things). Freecycle is a group hosted on Yahoo groups that joins together people giving away what they no longer need and asking for what they require. The best part? All free!

Freecycle is a great system whether you are giving or getting. If you have something to offer, you have people that are willing to pick up items from you and quickly. If you are seeking something, aside from the great price ($0), it is a mostly easy process. I’ve found that the majority of Freecyclers are pleasant and helpful in addition to having a great deal of respect for what’s being offered or taken.

My best Freecycle find - a nearly new dishwasher that works perfectly. The former owners were redoing their kitchen and the black dishwasher was the wrong colour. It was a wonderful gift. The only flaw was a small scratch on the front, which a black Sharpie took care of.

Likewise, when I had an extra laser all-in-one printer that was just taking up space, someone had come to pick it up less than an hour after I posted it. Occasionally, I’ve had a few issues with some no-shows, but that has been the exception rather than the rule.

There are also free lists on Craigslist and Kijiji as well as classifieds in local papers. The big difference I’ve found with Freecycling is that because spam is not allowed as part of the group, anything phony is weeded out quickly. Scammers are not tolerated so you can freecycle with confidence. To become a contributing part of this community or to read more about Freecycling in your area, visit their site.

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