The best things in life are free. And with Freecycle and Craigslist, you can actually score high-quality items for absolutely nothing! We did. And now we’re sharing our results with you.

Here are some great items we scored from Freecycle and Craigslist.

 

 

Freecycle.

What is Freecycle? Freecycle is an email-group based network where people can offer things they no longer want, or ask for things they need. It’s easy to use and is all over the country. Recently, I responded to a Freecycle offer that read: “OFFER: Cat Litter. I have (2) 25. lb cartons of cat litter that I can’t use. They are brand new, unopened.” Since I have three cats, I jumped at this opportunity to score new boxes of high-end cat litter – approximately $25 worth total! The person offering them even brought them to me! This was a total score.

I was also able to obtain a new, unopened basket of baby bath products that someone received as a shower gift and didn’t want. At the time, my children were small, so I knew we would use all these baby and shampoo products (which can add up – $$).

But it’s not all about receiving – sometimes it’s great to have someone take something off your hands. Maybe a large item that you’d otherwise have to have hauled away. Or a non-working item like a TV or computer that someone would gladly take for parts. My sister got rid of an old sewing machine this way. She simply left it on her curb and the person who wanted this item (which was listed as not working) came and happily took it away.

And sometimes it’s just nice to help others. This holiday season, a Special Ed teacher listed on Freecycle that she was looking for pinecones for a school art project. I was more than happy to gather up a bag of pinecones from my yard for her students’ project.

Check for a Freecycle group near you at:  www.freecycle.org.

Craigslist.

Did you know that under the “For Sale” section of your local Craigslist site, there is a listing for FREE items? Browsing through my local Craigslist site, I see the following items that are available for free: a working clothes dryer, lumber, bookcases, a pet fish, a bearded dragon, a treadmill, a smartphone, a working refrigerator, an antique piano, scrap metal… and plenty of other items.

A friend of mine shared, “I got a beautiful roll top desk – solid wood, dovetail drawers, finished back. It’s honestly the nicest piece of furniture we own. And it was free off of Craigslist.”

Often people who list their garage or estate sales on Craigslist will start giving away items after the sale is over. Sometimes the next day, sometimes immediately after the sale. Estate sales usually do it the next day and there is almost always a crowd waiting for the doors to open. A Bargain Babe reader told me, “I have gotten tons of stuff doing this. It’s a great way to get Christmas decorations, picture frames, and baskets and storage containers. My most valuable find was a Conair Infiniti Curl Secret Curling Iron worth $120 retail.”

Check out Craigslist in your area at:  www.craigslist.org.

What items have you scored for free from Freecycle or Craigslist?