CheapCycle and FreeCycle: My Favorite Method to Buy/Sell/Give/Obtain

Last night I took about five minutes to make a post on my local CheapCycle Yahoo! Group. Today I made $200 in about five more minutes when a guy showed up and took a quick look and handed over cash for some used appliances and furniture that I needed to get rid of for a coming move. Dude, that was easy.

CheapCycle is collection of Yahoo! Groups that help people recycle items by buying and selling them to each other locally...and for cheap. I've been using it for nearly three years to purchase and sell all kinds of stuff from a sewing machine to clothe diapers. It's completely free, which means a lot more ads than the newspaper classifieds and a good chance of finding what you need or want. To get in on the super cool action, just log into your Yahoo! account (or sign up for one free), then go to the CheapCycle master list website and find the closest group to your geographical location. Click on the Join this Group! button on the Group website and from there you'll get an email explaining the rest.

Another similar network that I love is FreeCycle. This one is even better because everything is free. You can find your local group on the main FreeCycle website and join through Yahoo! the same as you do with CheapCycle.

The central purpose behind both of these movements is sustainability and helps everyone put the "reduce, reuse, recycle" motto into action. They use the power of the internet to connect people together so more things can be reused and recycled while keeping lots of good stuff out of landfills. Beyond that, they offer you the chance to obtain what you need at a great price (or free!) and get rid of what you don't need while getting you more in touch with your local community and other people.