It really is true: One person's trash is another person's treasure.

When it comes to looking for great deals and bargains, I don’t settle for less. I love cutting coupons, looking for sales, shopping at garage sales, and browsing through items at the thrift store. I like to think that one person’s trash will eventually be my treasure

As a college student, who is financially independent, I rely on bargains, thrift stores and coupons to help me get the things that I need but can’t afford. After all, I’m 23, do I really need a matching dining set, or a living room set? Like a gypsy, I never stay in one place. Every year, I move from one bug infested apartment complex to the next.

Currently I live at a pretty decent place: a spacious 2 bedroom apartment, with a huge kitchen and a good sized living room. Note: Dekalb isn’t that well known for their FABALOUS complexes. Before I moved in, I realized that I needed to get furniture. Working anywhere between part time and full time, all that money earned was going towards bills. I only make min. wage, so it really isn’t that much. I figured it wasn’t a big deal that I didn’t have couches, a dining room table, or an entertainment stand. I’ve doing well without them for several years. That was until I found about Freecycle. From there I got a free couch and love seat, a dining room table, an old t.v. (perfect AND working) and an entertainment center. I got a lot more items, but I didn’t want to exhaust you with my extensive list.

Now you may be wondering, what exactly is Freecycle? If you are familiar with the site, or have participated in it, then you can probably agree that it is a great place to get things for free. For those that haven’t heard of Freecycle, let me take a few minutes to explain what it is.

Freecycle is a non-profit organization, and it’s nature is entirely grass roots. The purpose of the organization is to have people recycle their unwanted items by giving it to people that would actually use it. After all, why throw away a perfectly working stroller when someone else could make a good use of it? A single mother raising 2 children may find this stroller as a blessing. Another purpose is to keep the landfills from getting, well, FULL. We always throw away things that WE don’t use, but rarely do we think if other people can use it. Not only am I receiver of valuables on freecycle, I am also a giver. I have a bad habit of accumulating junk I don’t need, so it’s a relief that when I post up my items, I have at least 10 people who would be willing to take them off my hands. I know I could give my items to Salvation Army, but I don’t have a car. This is another reason why I love Freecycle. People can pick your items up at any location of your choosing.

I have been spreading the word about this site to everyone that I see. I recommended it to a few people on a forum I am a part of, and already they had made arrangements to pick up a few items.

To join this wonderful Grass Root movement, visit http://www.freecycle.org. It is a truly wonderful site, and you’ll feel smart knowing that you were able to snatch up a great looking dining room set without paying for it.