FREECYCLE

If you haven’t discovered Freecycle, you’ve been paying too much for stuff. Freecycle is an Internet-based movement that encourages people to give away used items in good condition to someone in their area - rather than throwing them away.

n Here’s how it works: Log on to www.freecycle.org. Click on “Browse groups.” Then choose the group nearest you. Click on the Yahoo group’s link to join. You’ll have to create a short profile and include an e-mail address.

n Each day, you’ll get e-mails about free items or requests for free items. A subject line might say, “OFFER: Girls clothing sizes 6-8″ or “WANTED: blue plaid couch.” If someone on the listserv wants the clothes or has the couch, they’ll send a reply e-mail, and the two parties will agree to meet and swap. The person who agrees to take the items bears the responsibility for picking them up in a timely manner. Money does not change hands.

- Freecycle creator Deron Beal says the site keeps more than 400 tons of a waste out of the world’s landfills daily.

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