Freecycle Genius
I joined Freecycle last year, for those of you who don’t know, Freecycle is a regional website where likeminded people (those of us who want to prevent items from being thrown in landfills while also being super cheap) post items to give away or post items they want to acquire. In the past year, I gave away a broken food processor, an old computer monitor, a VCR and a bunch of other stuff – I’ve never gotten any freebies though because usually the people giving stuff away are like “for pickup at my home in Sheepshead Bay” and I’m too lazy to go anywhere but my block. I could get about 5 posts out of this topic if I cut and pasted some of the emails I’ve gotten from people (“I need the computer monitor you posted because while I was at a funeral on Christmas, my house was burglarized and also I lost my job.” “I have to postpone my pickup again, my car is waterlogged. Also, I didn’t get your last email because remember the storm we had two weeks ago? Lightning hit a cable line and wiped out my Verizon so I couldn’t email!” Excuses!)
The basic premise is that if you’re giving something away, say a kitchen table, you write “Offer: Kitchen Table”, if you need one, you say “Wanted: Kitchen Table” and if you already gave the item away to someone you say “Taken” or “Promised: Kitchen Table”. Here’s the thing – there is a goldmine in this website. There’s a lot of material in the crap people give away and their posts about said crap. Overall I believe the concept of Freecycle is great and I’m glad my old stuff has gone on to live in new homes where people can use them, and I’m going to try and steer clear of making fun (or not), instead this will just serve as a place where we can marvel together at the content and at what people think other people might want (and what some of those people have actually taken). I’d post links but I think you need to be a Freecycle member to view them. Ahem:
Offer .. Near New GOLD’N HOT Professional Crimping Iron
Offer: Pill Holder
this is a 7 day pill holder that has 4 compartments per day. i’ve been offering it for a couple of months, someone wanted it blah, blah, blah… you know the story. (this has literally been posted for 5 months. I’m imagining that it’s one of those Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc plastic things you get at the drugstore for $.50)
Offer: Cake Pan in Shape of VW Bug (11217) (ok I would actually take that – adorable!)
Wanted-Elephant Ornament with the Trunk facing Upwards (down-facing trunks need not apply)
Spoken For: Cute Bear Statues
OFFER: Sugar & Sweet ‘n Low packets (Calling all Nana’s!)
WANTED: EXTERCISE BIKE FOR MY COLESTORS AND DIABETES
Offer: Reptile enclosure
WANTED: REFRIGERATOR FOR PREGNANT WOMAN
Wanted: massage, bklyn (honestly, not even the creepiest request on this site)
Taken – Bona Stain (I don’t know what this is but my imagination is running wild!)
condoms – 2 lots of 40 condoms to give
TAKEN: pork shoulder
OFFER: Mannequin arm and calf
Free-12 OZ Can of Enfamil
promised: dog pee spray and layne bryant pants (two great tastes that taste great together)
And there you have it.
Whoisliz? 