I just registered for an account, but don't understand how it works. Could anyone fill me in?

Freecycle is the greatest thing! People give away things they don't need; they also post messages stating what they need, in case somebody out there happens to have it and is ready to part with it. It's mostly give-aways though. The first thing you need to do is make sure you join a very local freecycle group-- I subscribed to 'Cambridge Freecycle' so that I don't have to go to Boston or Medford to pick something up. If you have a car and don't mind traveling a little further, you might want to subscribe to a few local freecycle groups.

The trick is to be the first to reply to the posting that you're interested in. As soon as I see a freecycle message about something I really want (very seldom, but every so often something greatt pops up), I immediately respond. Otherwise someone else will beat you to it. This requires you to subscribe to individual e-mails, not a digest--- the individual e-mails will arrive quicker in your inbox.

It feels great to give your old stuff a new home where it's really needed. And it's a real rush to get something you need for free, knowing that someone else really wanted to get rid of it.

You might also want to check out the Craigslist 'barter,' 'free,' and 'for sale' features. It works the same way, but I don't subscribe; I just go to 'Boston Craigslist' every once in awhile. I got a beautiful juicer a couple years ago for $10 that way. Craigslist is also where I found my Arts Council job that I've been working now for 3 years.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

i love freecycle... someone just came and took a big styrofoam fruit
box off my hands that a friend had given me full of oranges. that thing sat
on top of the fridge 2 months cuz i couldn't dela with it going to landfill.

they also took the leftover wood from when i converted a futon sofa into
a table.

i didn't even have to leave the house.