Or hey, maybe you're trying to "Go Green." Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever. No need to lie to me. Not only am I broke, but I am also cheap, so don't worry... you're among friends.
Anyway, regardless of which one of these you are, I have good news: now you can have your cake and eat it too! That's right, you too can get cool stuff for you and your home, and the only thing you'll have to pay is the cost of transportation!
"But Heidi," you say, "how can this be? How can I possibly get new stuff without spending an arm and a leg?"
...are you ready yet? Is the suspense killing you? Can I cut to the freakin' chase already?
Freecycle.org - a revolutionary website that also potentially doubles as a social network. Basically, in order to keep unwanted junk from going into landfills, communities around the country are banding together to recycle their unwanted belongings. Literally, one person's trash is another person's treasure. Like getting hand-me-downs from a distant cousin.
Seriously, it's super sweet! Go to the site and search for a group near you by entering your city and state (they're everywhere, trust me). Find the group that is closest to you, click, and then click again where it says to visit the Yahoo! Groups page.
From here, it'll take you to sort of an online forum thing - anyone who has dealt with Yahoo! Groups before will get it. When you are logged in (you will need a Yahoo! account - it's worth it), you can view posts that people have made of stuff they have to offer, and stuff they are looking for. Think of it as an eBay for the starving artists - if someone has something to offer, you have to race against the clock to try and beat out other people who might want it. You can put anything in a post, so long as it's free and legal. And you will also get these things emailed directly to you, so you know what's being offered - though I recommend the Daily Digest, so you don't get inundated with emails. Unless you like that kinda thing.
I was skeptical at first, I'll admit - it just looked so, i dunno... cheesy. But I don't think I would have survived had I not had it when I first moved to Los Angeles. I was able to snag some pots and pans from someone, a toaster, and even some moving boxes when I was moving from my studio into my current apartment. Every now and then, you can find some gems - I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Mikita Cordless Drill - the kind you get at Home Depot for $200 or some ridiculous price - including the drill, charger, car charger (whoa!), a couple bits, and the carrying case. And all I had to do was drive to West Hollywood.
It can make you feel good, too: I had this bike that I was going to fix up, but it ended up just sitting around and collecting dust. It was too small for me anyway, and when it came time for me to move I posted it, and got hit with a zillion responses, of course. After a few "flakes" (some people in Los Angeles are anything but reliable and responsive) I found a girl in my neighborhood who had survived in L.A. for 18 months without a car - not an easy feat! - and was looking for a bike. She was so happy when I gave it to her; it was so satisfying to see someone benefit from that. I hope she is enjoying her new mode of transportation, maybe one day I'll see her riding around.
Anyway, you get the point. Check it out. And as always, thanks for reading.
May Peace Be Upon You
P.S. I'm getting a sleeper sofa from someone in Hollywood through Freecycle... tune in then to see how it goes. Oh, and wish me luck...
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