Freecycle worked for me!
Over a month ago, I tried to get 50 paving blocks for free through Freecycle.org, but unfortunately someone else beat me to it. That would have saved me hundreds when it came time to add onto my current driveway and create a walkway to our mudroom.
But over the last week, I’ve been successful twice with getting, and getting rid of, items through Freecycle:
Success: Getting some gutter extensions
I’m in the midst of adding numerous retaining walls to our yard (see the Buying Bulk Gravel article), and a gutter extension I buried last year was getting in the way of the first wall. I decided to just remove the extension and try to reroute it, but I need a more flexible pipe. So when I saw the posting for 2 free gutter extension pipes, I jumped on it.
I messaged the person through the Freecycle interface and got a prompt reply back. However, I didn’t ask the right question and it turned out I got the same type of tubing that I already have. However, it’s not a loss because I need to fix 2 other buried tubes as well as add a third and the ones I got are more than long enough to divide up into multiple jobs.
Success: Giving away old lawnmowers
A year ago, I told you the story of the wheels falling off my lawnmowers (rather humorous) and how we saved money when buying a “new” lawnmower. Now that the new (to us) lawnmower has proven its reliability and sturdiness, it’s time to say goodbye to the old mowers. And Sunday I was just in luck because as I was perusing through my Freecycle emails, I found a “Wanted” post asking for old lawnmowers.
Since the engines run perfectly fine on both of my old mowers, I’m sure I could sell them on Craigslist (the bodies are junk though). However, I don’t think it’s worth my time to take pictures, post them for sale, wait for a buyer and deal with negotiating. Since there was someone right then wanting the mowers, I jumped on it. We’re set to close the deal today sometime. However, I need to make sure I drain the gas out of each engine first! That’s liquid gold right thar!
Conclusion
I’ve seen a few more offers for free items on Freecycle that I almost pounced on, but my inner de-clutterbug warned me to rethink bringing more stuff into the house before I get rid of the old stuff. But all in all, I think it’s definitely worthwhile to sign up for an account on Freecycle if only to see what’s available in your area. You never know when you’ll run across something you need (or someone who wants your clutter)!
well draining the gas out was a good thing for transport, but its not really liquid gold, gasoline goes stale and if you don’t add an additive to it, it isn’t good for the engine.
if its been sitting for a long time it will turn into a varnish like substance, a sticky mess that you don’t want in your engine.
if you decide to put it into the car or something, make sure you dilute it with good gas.
Stu, you’re right, and after I wrote this I checked and there’s barely any gas left in it anyway. If it was a whole tank, then I would have drained it (it was used last season) and used it in the newer mower.