Freeduce, freeuse...

I'm a newcomer to the world of Freecycle. I was told that you could list a bag of used kleenex on Freecycle, and somebody would come take it from you. That may be true, but sometimes I'm surprised. Somebody came to take away random parts from a propane fireplace, but nobody wanted a free surround sound receiver. It didn't have Dolby 5.1 after all.

I love the concept. It's generally a win-win scenario, where I get rid of something I no longer need or want, and you get something you could really use, or vice-versa, all for free. It's helped me clean out the basement a bit, get rid of some odds and ends that we had no use for, and it's gained me a very small pile of cinder blocks for future use.

I think the chances of a great find on Freecycle depend on where you live, and what you consider a great find. Our local group has a lot of kid's clothes, old furniture, and VHS videotapes changing hands. Most moderators discourage stories attached to listings, but ours doesn't. We get a lot of grandbabies that need carseats because their daddy left, or appliance requests because they can't afford a washing machine since they got divorced, or a story about how they are in "desperate" need of a curio cabinet because their husband doesn't want knick knacks in his gun cabinet any more. Sometimes amusing, sometimes sad, sometimes hard to believe.

Occasionally I see listings from people who, apparently, have never heard the phrase, "beggars can't be choosers." Recently, somebody locally was "looking for a navy blue felt/velvet tree skirt with a satin ruffle around the edge. I would like it to have silver snowflakes." If only I'd known!

In any case, I think Wendy has just earned a blackbelt in Freecycling.