I love free things, bargains too.  

Have you ever used Freecycle? It is a Yahoo group and they are all over the country. People who have things they want to get rid of post them on the newsgroup and people who want the items email the person getting rid of it. If it is a good match, the item is picked up by the person who wants it. All for free.

And people who want an item post their want on the newsgroup and people who have that item and want to get rid if it email them to arrange pick-up of the item.

I've gotten rid of all kinds of things I didn't want any more. It is amazing what some people want. I've given away egg cartons, cd's that come in the mail [like aol trial disks], plastic grocery bags, aluminum cans, empty inkjet cartridges, even two non-working dehumidifiers!

It is great when you are cleaning out the basement or the garage. Last week I gave away thirty-some 3.5 inch floppy disks. None of our machines use them anymore.

Sometimes there are things wanted by teachers or crafters that would otherwise just be thrown away. I hate to throw anything away if someone can use it. But I also hate to have stuff accumulate forever in my house. So Freecycle is a perfect match for me.

I've gotten free stuff myself. I got four perfectly good maple diningroom chairs, children's books, a punch bowl set, even a roll-top desk. Free. I did have to pay someone to pick up the desk because it was too big for my car. But it was still quite a bargain.

I had to cut down a small tree that was getting too big for between our houses. It was quite a challenge, since I'm getting older and less nimble. Once I dragged it from between the houses I faced the task of cutting off the limbs and cutting everything into four-foot or less lengths for the city to hawl away. It occurred to me that someone might want it for firewood. Before the day was over there was a lady in my yard cutting up the tree to haul away. She even picked up all the little sticks, put them in a bag, and carried them to the curb for me!

One day a college student came to pick up a beat-up charcoal grill. She said she'd got an upright piano that week on Freecycle!

So check out Freecycle in Yahoo Groups to see if there is one near you. You'll love it.

Related Resource: desk chairs