Freecycle rocks

We have gotten hundreds of dollars worth of baby and toddler supplies (ranging from furniture to clothing and beyond) via Freecycle lately, which is so amazing. We don't have a lot of extra cash lying around and are also big on minimizing our consumption of new items when possible for environmental reasons, so it's great to be able to reuse all this awesome stuff (some of it brand new or barely used, all of it in great condition). We've gotten a glider, a changing table, bags and bags of baby and toddler clothes, great baby toys, a Boppy, formula samples and more. It's also a fun way to meet new people. Folks have been very supportive and offered us lots of supplies when we've mentioned we were becoming foster parents, too. In fact I connected with another local foster parent on Freecycle when I posted in a posting looking for baby clothes that we were about to become foster moms. (Note to self: You owe her an e-mail updating her on how things are going.)

If you've never checked it out, I recommend it... You can find the official local lists through the site linked above, but there are unofficial Freecycle lists on YahooGroups, too. It's easiest to turn e-mail off so you only read the posts on the YahooGroups site, but the problem with that is you miss the chance to see new listings as soon as they post and try to be the first responder (first responders don't always get the item but they have a better chance). So when I have time to read the e-mails I have them come to my inbox individually, and when I don't I either do digest version or web-only. It's a little overwhelming at first if you live in an area with a busy Freecycle list, but it's well worth it. People give away a lot of junk but they also give away a lot of awesome things in really great condition and are unexpectedly generous. I think Freecycle is a foster parent's best friend.