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The summer between my junior and senior years of college I had an internship in a city other than the one I grew up in, so I wasn’t able to live with mom & dad and had to be off on my own. I was lucky enough to find an apartment that was willing to rent to me for 4 months, but I knew I didn’t want to fill my new home with expensive fixtures that would drain my already dwindling bank account and would only be used for a few months before they’d need to be stored or sold. Knowing the pickle I was in, a friend recommended Freecycle to me and right away I was hooked.

According to Wikipedia, The Freecycle Network (often known as just Freecycle) is a non-profit organization that organizes a worldwide network of “gifting” groups, aiming to divert reusable goods from landfill. It provides a worldwide online registry, and coordinates the creation of local groups and forums for individuals and non-profits to offer and receive free items for reuse or recycling, promoting gift economics as a motivating cultural outlook. “Changing the world one gift at a time” is The Freecycle Network’s official tagline.

That summer I was able to find a table for the kitchen, a rug for the living room and a completely usable microwave all on Freecycle the first week I was there and I didn’t spend a dime. The items weren’t new and probably weren’t the best looking but they all worked (everything listed in Freecycle is required to be in working order, unless otherwise stated).

Then, when summer came to an end, I was able to “re-gift” all of these items and more (things I didn’t have room for back at the dorms) back to Freecycle users so that they could have new homes and new life breathed into them.

Everyone in the Freecycle community are warm, generous and grateful; it really is an awesome program. With a little bit of work, sometimes a lot of luck and the willingness to drive a little (items on Freecycle are for pick-up only and you’re expected to go get them), you’ll find yourself able to furnish your entire apartment for free.

The Freecycle Network is made up of 4,281 groups with 4,622,000 members across the globe. To find out of there’s a Freecycle group in your hometown, visit www.freecycle.org

Technorati Tags: freecycle, freecycle network, free stuff, money saver, rent, college, graduation

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