I joined my local freecycle a couple months ago. I too got some landscape rocks to outline some garden beds.
I think it's a great way to give to others things you don't need or want anymore. The only drawback, if you want to call it that, is the number of replies I get when offering something up. I get inundated, and then I've had several no-shows, which is aggrivating. But the concept is great.

Mindy

Love it - got many plants for my new yard from Freecycle people. I will confess that the last time I advertised I ended up keeping the item (an old but working fax machine) because of all the no-shows. I got so mad I just went ahead and listed it as taken. I'd just given away 2 TVs, so I didn't let myself feel too guilty - and I'll re-list it again at some point. All in all I think Freecycle's a great idea.

Yes, I too think it is great! I have gotten rid of several things by posting them, have responded to a few people who wanted stuff (metal barrells, etc.), and have also gotten great deals - 15 board games one time for my niece and newphew; leftover nursery pots, etc.

I am actually fixing to post for an armadillo trap....b/c i am NOT a great shot - and have a pesky one in the yard...

I joined freecycle also. the only thing is most people only asking for stuff, no one wants to give anything away here. there is another website you might want to check out. www.craigslist.org seems to have better free stuff listed for my area.

I joined freecycle last year. Got rid of a lot of things and received quite a bit of garden related items: garbage cans for making compost bins, miniblinds for plant markers, , shredded paper for compost.

I had a hard time getting plastic buckets, though so I asked a friend who has 4 cats what he did with the cat litter buckets. Know what, I should have asked him a long time ago. He goes through a bucket a week! Now I am a proud owners of 4 bright yellow cat litters buckets. Very handy in the garage. I put my junk in them. Now the garage looks a little bit tidier. :-)

Freecycle is awesome, I joined a few months ago and have gotten lots of great stuff for the garden.... 2 freecyclers even shared some of their perennials that needed dividing!

Todays score beats them all (I think), I just made arrangements to pick up 30 bags (35lbs each) of landscaping pebbles! I'm so psyched, I hope to use them for pathways & borders in my yard & my moms yard, and I will freecycle whats left (if anything).

It's definitely an awesome website.

Millie

I'm jealous. I've been looking for rocks/pebbles/stones forever. You scored bigtime on that one. I did pick up some more hosta just recently. A couple around the corner needed one of their beds thinned, so everybody got something out of it. I'd say about 80% of my plants and garden tools, accessories, etc have come from Freecycle or Craigslist.

I've had great success with Freecycle as well. I've given away tons of clothing and toys. I've recieved a projector, an awesome spinning picture frame, a play kitchen for my kids, very nice TV stand, books, grill guard type thing for a truck. Fantastic concept! Love it.

I am giving away my mondo grass now. It came with the hosue and I don't like it much. Also, I just posted asking for seeds and cutting. I am clearing all my icky overgrown shrubs and can use all the help I can get to fill up my space. Hopefully I can meet some nice local gardeners along the way.

I love freecycle. Nothing better than giving things away to people who need them. It is just so win-win.

I've also become fond of craigslist. They have a "free" category that's very similar to Freecycle. Unfortunately, our local freecycle has become so popular that things are snapped up in a matter of minutes. A few days ago I happened to see something I was interested in less than 5 minutes after it had been listed. The offerer told me she'd had over 40 replies before she got to mine!

I've gotten the following from local freecyclers:
several types of orchids
HUGE clump of daylilies (like 2 feet tall and wide; solid mass of roots/tubers)
massive crinum lilies nearly the size of small watermelons (!)
literally hundreds of various sized nursery pots; perfect for me because I'm a container gardener anyway.

Amanda 'romando'

I found freecycle because I was trying to figure out what to do with a big bag of bubble envelopes we had accumulated over 5 years. They are not recyclable but were definitely reusable. They were snapped in one day. Since then I have replied to a few requests for glass jars and boxes, and all have worked out very well. Reusing saves even more energy than recycling, and I love being efficient with our resources. I will respond to a couple requests for perennials soon, and see if there is any mulch left from a healthy tree which was removed for aesthetic reasons, which got posted a couple days ago.

I love freecycle.... I got a sailboat, playhouse for the kids, lots of bricks... irises, lilirope, 2 liter bottles for winter sowing, bed to make into a bench... I have also gotten many toys clothing and supplies for my very young children. I have given away countless things too. I am sort of like a squirrel and horde things then I look around and decide to give everything away! lol!

Freecycle sounds great I'm always on the lookout for plants and garden items. Is there a freecycle group in and around coastal NC. Please let me know so I can join. (nana) e-mail me.

Hi, yes Freecycle is great. I got some really great plants that way, and gave away many that grow like weeds in my yard such as daylilies, lilies of the valley, etc. I also give away medium sized rocks for landscaping. In return I get things like VCRs and clothes, it is the greatest! No-shows can be a problem the best thing to do there is correspond with the people a little, be sure they say why they want it or whatever. Some people are online all the time, say they want lots of things, but of course don't really have the time or energy to pick them up. I also try to find out people's locations, as if they live near the pickup location they are more likely to show up. I also have gotten a lot of firewood free on craigslist. They aren't everyplace yet, there are more freecycles I think. I have included the address for the top freecycle page, you click on your region and then state etc. to find the ones nearest you to join.

Marcia

Here is a link that might be useful: www.freecycle.org

I learned about Free Cycle from a friend and just in time for me building new flower beds (and LONG LONG ONES) so I posted and asked for compost or manure and I got several responses. The best being a woman who had built a new place with a barn FULL of old decomposed horse manure. We hauled 4 truck loads of it for free. I layered it in my lasagne bed. I also was given several feed sacks of chicken and rabbit poop. I also got TONS of cardboard and newspaper for my base. Got mulch from a tree guy - a dump truck load FREE other than I gave him a few jars of home made jelly.
I've built my beds (they are between 4-10 feet wide and 80 feet long) for less than $100.
It's a great place.
Sunny

When we lived in Tallahassee we had freecycle, where people will rush to get your stuff and go to the flea-market and sell it! But it makes you feel good, just at the thought of overflowing landsfills.
I have to check my area. I use craigslists and also give to the Salvation Army.
If you give something to Charities, I want you to know that the Director of the RedCross [or what is his title] get more than $600,000.00 + expenses a year, The UnitedWay director gets over $400.000,oo and the Director of the Salvation Army gets $14,000 + housing..[Yes only fourteen thousands] and they do the best job, so you know where my stuff goes...and tax deductible.

Habitat For Humanity is also a great place to donate . They have been the largest homebuilder in the Gulf Region since Katrina struck . 93.7% of every donation made goes to build homes . The vast majority of workers are volunteers . Even those who run the thrift stores make minimum wage . They often put in twice as many hours as they get paid which makes their pay way less than minimum . Their stores can be a great place to find frugal items . They can show you exactly where all your money goes too !

Hold on, there, Jenny: The director of the American Red Cross is responsible for LOTS more than just giving away junk. This is also a medical (blood bank) and research (blood products) organization. So that salary, while it seems high compared to the Salvation Army, covers a lot more than just freebies.

There is a large medical component with attendant responsibilities. No, I don't work for them.

Florrie2

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Cross