c/free-stuff-alerts

Guy in the parking lot gave away a whole box of old records for free

At the grocery store last week, a man was putting a big cardboard box next to the dumpster. He saw me looking and just said, 'Take them, they're yours.' It was full of classic rock albums from the 70s. Do you ever get the best free stuff when you least expect it?

Vent: I almost missed a free bookshelf in Denver because I didn't check the 'curb alert' tag on the app until my neighbor mentioned it.

Now I sort by that tag first thing every morning, what's your best tip for spotting the good free stuff before it's gone?

People say you should only post free stuff in the evening for more views... but I got rid of a whole moving truck's worth of stuff in one morning.

Posted a 'curb alert' for a bunch of old furniture at 7 AM on a Tuesday in Portland, and it was all gone by 10. I think the early bird really does get the worm, or at least the free coffee table. Anyone else have better luck with morning posts?

Hit 50 free items given away in a single month and it made me rethink the whole 'free stuff' game

I just counted up my posts from April and realized I gave away 50 separate things, from a working microwave to a pile of old bricks. It matters because it shows how much perfectly good stuff gets thrown out when people could just list it. Anyone else in the Columbus area hit a number that made them stop and think?

Our old washing machine finally gave out last Tuesday

It was a Kenmore from 2012, and the drum just stopped spinning mid-cycle. I had to haul a bunch of wet clothes to the laundromat on Main Street, which was a huge pain with three kids. I'm hoping someone in the Springfield area might have a working one they're looking to get rid of before I start checking thrift stores. Has anyone had luck finding a major appliance for free locally?

Appreciation post: I just gave away my 100th free item on the local buy-nothing group this year.

It's wild because I started just clearing out my garage in January, but now I'm hooked on finding new homes for stuff, so what's the best thing you've ever given away for free?

Was looking at old posts from 2012 on a local freecycle group I saved.

Found a screenshot where someone gave away a working CRT TV and a full set of encyclopedias on the same day. The post got two replies. Now that same group gets fifty comments on a free bag of clothes. Found it on a backup hard drive. Has anyone else noticed how much faster stuff gets claimed now?

Found a free bookshelf on the curb in Portland and it changed my whole weekend

I was walking my dog near Alberta Street last Friday and saw a solid wood bookshelf just sitting out. It had a small chip on one side but was in good shape. I ended up spending all Saturday sanding it down and painting it a nice blue. Now I'm hooked on checking the curb on trash day. What's the best free thing you've ever fixed up?

Found a free box of books on Maple Street and it was a total circus

I saw a post here about free books and grabbed a box from a porch on Maple Street, but when I got home I found a live hamster in the bottom of the box! I put him in a shoebox with some lettuce and posted my own 'free hamster' alert. Has anyone else ever found a surprise pet in a freebie haul?

Found a perfectly good couch on the curb in Portland last Tuesday

I was walking my dog near Alberta Street and saw a clean gray couch with a 'free' sign. The owner came out and said they were moving and it had no stains, so I called a friend with a truck. We got it home and it fits great in my living room. Has anyone else scored big from a curb alert?

My friend said giving away old furniture is a waste of time

We were cleaning out his garage in Springfield and he said, 'Just take it all to the dump, nobody wants this junk.' I put his old coffee table on a free site and it was gone in an hour. Why do people think their stuff is trash before even trying? Has anyone else had a friend who gave up on giving things away?

Just realized some people think free stuff should always be perfect

I picked up a free couch from a listing in Riverside last week, and it took me over 3 hours to get a weird smell out of it. Everyone says 'it's free, don't complain,' but I think if you're giving something away, you should at least mention the issues. Has anyone else gotten something free that needed way more work than expected?

Free box of old computer parts turned into a three hour puzzle

Saw a post for free electronics in Tacoma, grabbed a box of random cables and drives. Spent the next three hours trying to figure out which of the seven identical looking power cords actually worked with the old hard drive. My friend watched the whole thing and just said 'maybe it's free for a reason.' Anyone else ever get stuck trying to make free stuff actually function?

Picking up a free dresser in Tacoma taught me to always check the drawers first

I grabbed a solid wood one from a curb alert, but the bottom drawer was stuck shut with something sticky inside. My friend got a similar free piece the same week, and she just asked the giver 'any issues with the drawers?' over text before heading over. That one was perfect. Anyone else have a simple question they ask before driving out for free stuff?

Vent: I spent $60 on a 'free' treadmill from a listing in Springfield that needed a $200 part to even turn on.

Has anyone else gotten burned by a 'free' item that needed way more work than the listing said?

Pro tip: that free 'vintage' dresser I got last month cost me $75 in gas and a new tire.

I drove all the way to the other side of town for a solid wood dresser listed as free. It was huge and heavy, so I had to rent a small trailer for $40. On the way home, I hit a pothole and got a flat, which was another $35 to fix. The dresser turned out to have a drawer full of old, chewed-up dog toys. Anyone else have a 'free' find that ended up costing more than expected?

Just realized how much free stuff gets thrown out on moving day

I was helping my cousin move out of his apartment in Tempe last month. We put a perfectly good couch, a microwave, and three boxes of dishes on the curb with a 'free' sign. It was all gone in under two hours. He told me the complex's dumpster is FULL of good furniture on the 1st and 15th of every month. That's a crazy amount of waste. Everyone says to check online groups, but I think the REAL free stuff hotspot is just walking a few apartment blocks on those dates. Has anyone else had luck with this curb alert method?

PSA: I used to drive across town for a free couch, now I just check the curb on my own street first.

Just realized the best freebie I ever got was a stack of moving boxes from a guy in my apartment building last month.

He saw me struggling with a busted grocery bag and said, 'Take these, my wife will kill me if I bring one more box upstairs,' which saved me about $40 on supplies.

My old Coleman cooler's drain plug cracked on a trip to Flagstaff last weekend

Honestly, I was packing up camp Sunday morning when I saw a puddle under it. The plastic plug had a clean split right down the middle, probably from the cold. I tried to patch it with some gorilla tape from my truck, but it just seeped through. Ended up having to dump the melted ice and water before the drive home. Anyone know a good place to find a replacement for free, or should I just try to fix it myself?

Tried two ways to find free stuff last month and one blew the other away

Honestly, I used to just check the 'free' section on Craigslist for my area, but last month I also set up alerts on a local Buy Nothing Facebook group. The Craigslist finds were okay, but I only scored a couple of things over two weeks. The Buy Nothing group got me a free coffee table, a set of dishes, and some kids' clothes all in the first week because the alerts went off right when people posted. The big difference was how fast things go and having those instant notifications. Has anyone else found a specific site or app that works better than the usual spots for getting alerts on free stuff?

Got a free couch from Nextdoor and it was way better than the one from Craigslist

I got a free couch from a Craigslist ad a few months ago, and it was pretty gross and smelled like old dogs. Then last week, I saw a post on Nextdoor for a free sectional from a family just a few blocks away in the Hawthorne area. It was clean, they had pictures of it in their living room, and they even helped me load it. Using a local neighborhood app where people use their real names made a huge difference. Has anyone else had better luck with one free stuff site over another?

Got burned on a 'free' sofa pickup last month, now I only do porch pickups in daylight.

A warning about the free plant giveaway in Riverside Park last Saturday

I went to that big free plant event in Riverside Park last Saturday, and it turned into a real mess. They said it started at 10 AM, but by 9:30 there was a line of about 200 people already waiting. When they opened the gates, it was a total rush, people were grabbing pots and some got knocked over and broken. I saw one person take five of the same herb plant when the sign clearly said 'one per person.' The organizers looked totally swamped and couldn't keep up. I managed to get a small lavender plant, but my friend left with nothing after waiting for an hour. It really showed how these 'free for all' events need better planning and rules. Has anyone else had a bad experience with a crowded free giveaway like that?

I finally listened to my friend about checking the 'free' section on Nextdoor after the curb alert for a working air fryer in Tempe.

My friend in Phoenix said to always check the 'free' section on Nextdoor, not just the 'for sale' stuff, and yesterday I scored a perfectly good air fryer someone left on their curb in Tempe with a 'take me' sign.