Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Do you Freecycle?

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Who says you can't get anything for FREE? Can you believe I got this ficus tree for free? I got it from Freecycle. If you are not aware of freecycle, it's a place where you can give things away that you no longer need. It was originally started to keep things out of the landfills. There are groups all over the U.S. and even outside the U.S. You sign up on their website and then you receive email with all the things people are giving away. I suggest you set up a separate email address because you get a ton of email with this, although if you live in a smaller town you probably won't. You can find out more and sign up at http://www.freecycle.org/ Then on the left you will see "groups in your local area"

So here's how I got the ficus tree about 2 years ago. I saw it on freecycle and I replied back to the person who posted it. Since there are so many people trying to get the good stuff it's a good idea to say more than "can I have that?" I told her I had just moved into my new place, that I'm a single mom and I have a big empty corner that I really wanted to get a ficus tree to fill in that area. I didn't hear back until the next day. She said she had about 30 people that wanted it and she didn't know what to do. She asked her mom how she should chose the right person. Her mom told her to pray about it and make a decision....and she chose me. The tree originally belonged to an elderly lady and when she moved she donated it to her church. She told me that the lady loved this tree and hated to leave it. It wasn't doing very well so they decided to give it to someone that could take better care of it. It looks a better than when I first got it so I think it's pretty happy in our home. I sometimes wish I knew that elderly lady so I could tell her how much I enjoy this tree.
(I should add that I didn't get the blue and white pot with it, I bought that but it was a great deal. I think it was originally around $100 and I got it for $30.)

9 comments:

diana said...

Cindy, I have never heard of freecyle... what a great idea to save landfills. Your ficus is wonderful... and of course I love love the blue and white pot... but then you knew that !

Anonymous said...

You're so right, it does look like your tree is doing very well. I like it :) I had never heard of freecycle either but what a wonderful concept and for so many reasons. I will definitely have to schedule some time to take a looksy at freecycle. Thank you so much for letting us now about it.

For Love Of Home said...

Love, love, love your blog and your energy!

savvycityfarmer said...

Oh my!!! Free trees..... good for you....start a trend , my dear

Susie Q said...

What a wonderful idea! This was a new site for me and thanks so much for sharing!
Your tree is great! : ) It has a happy home now doesn't it? It is in a blue and white pot! Wha is not to love!
My, you have been a busy bee! I got tired just reading your posts! You amaze me!
Hope your week is a good one...stay well!
Love,
Sue

Retroboutiques said...

I signed up for free cycle about 2 weeks ago while cleaning my garage..its wonderful! There was a girl who had to leave her now ex husband very suddenly last year..poor thing, she had 2 children and was living with her mother. Now her mother is selling the house, so she is starting all over...she needed everything...I had sets of dishes, towels, bedding...she was soooo happy! And my garbage man loves me now too, since he did not have to dump it...and my garage is now clean! I love freecycle!

Unknown said...

GigoIt.com is a site similar to Freecycle where free items are listed. It has a lot of advantages over Freecycle like pictures and search and it's easier for beginners to pick up.There are lots of advanced features too, like RSS, a Google Earth layer, and gmail-style conversation views.

Unknown said...

I HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF FREECYCLE FOR YEARS AND THE SINGLE MOM SOB STORIES MAKE MOST PEOPLE SICK JUST SO YOU KNOW. YOU ARE NOT POOR. YOU ARE A SHOPPING HO. YOU ARE SNATCHING FREE ITEMS FROM PEOPLE WHO REALLY NEED THEM. I HAVE GIVEN AWAY TONS AND I AVOID THE SOB STORIES YOU ARE TELLING PEOPLE TO USE. YOU ARE A FAKE.

Cindy said...

Bernice! You are one angry person! Relax and tell me where on Freecycle does it say that you have to be poor to get something? I've given more things away on Freecycle than I've taken! I haven't got one thing from Freecycle in years! I don't even subscribe to it anymore! Also, read through my blog and tell me if I ever said I was "poor"! I said I'm a single mom on a budget! I never have said I was poor. I'm not! When I got this tree in 2005 I was really struggling financially, things are much better for me now thankfully!

Thanks for leaving all the rude comments...I got a laugh reading all of them!