I'm Addicted To Free Things

Ranked #9,462 in Home & Garden, #118,244 overall

I'm Always Looking For Free Things

Okay first let me introduce myself for those of you who don't know me...

My name is Karin, I live in Port Kells, BC, Canada, which is just thirty minutes from Vancouver, some people call it Surrey, but actually Port Kells border's Surrey and Langley, so I prefer to say Port Kells, which is it's community name...I live here with my husband Scott, my two dogs Orca and Karma, and of course my two cats Tornado and Twister...We rent our house which is situated on two acres, our house according to the city of Surrey is classified as a heritage house...I don't like the new condos or house's that are being built these days, they have no history...

Now onto things for free, I never gave free stuff much thought until one day when we were losing a battle with our finances...After being in a car accident and having to go down to only one wage, we were barely making enough to pay the bills...The rainy season was coming and my dog's were due for a new doghouse and that's where it all started...

I turned to Craigslist, the Vancouver BC page, and clicked on "free" , I couldn't believe the stuff that was in there...There was so much stuff just being given away, it was incredible...Everything from couches, kitchen table and chairs, to boats, garden sheds, greenhouse's, TVs it was like a giant free mall...

Now I realize that some people might be able to spend hundred's of dollars on brand new things for their homes, and we are back on track to be able to start buying new too...But I'm not much of a materialized person so the free stuff still works for us...Plus if it's something I want or need I'm doing my part and keeping it out of the landfill...

My House Small, Cute And Cozy 

Taking Free Things

Keeps It Out Of The Landfills

Some things that are being given away aren't always what they seem, some stuff is just pure junk, and it's only away for the person giving it away to avoid paying landfill fees to trash it...I have made a few wasted trips only to find it was wrongly advertised...

Then there's the stuff that look's like junk, but you know with a little work you can get it looking like new...I picked up a free picnic table not to long ago just in time for the summer season coming soon...It needs to be sanded and re-painted to our liking, but other than that there's absolutely nothing wrong with it...

Saved This Rocking Chair From The Landfill  

Tarps Are Handy

Especially If It's Raining

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Even The Dogs Are Getting Free Things

Now because my dogs are on the raw dog food diet, I needed a separate deep freeze for their food, I don't like adding their food with ours even if it is frozen...I keep their deep freeze out in the garage...The doghouse is what started my addiction to free things on craigslist...

Please Note: The words under the pictures might seem a little wonky if your viewing this page with Internet Explorer, they work best with Google Chrome...My sister called to let me know, since I don't use Internet Explorer, and she's addicted to using IE...

html borders Oversize Doghouse

html imagesFreezer For Dog Food

Dollies Make It Easier

Especially If Your Getting A Free Appliance

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See What You Can Make

Using Free Wood From Craigslist

Make a step stool with free Craigslist wood!
by stevinmarin | video info

296 ratings | 74,810 views
curated content from YouTube

My Husband Made This Porch Nails, Screws And Wood All Free 

Canadian Craigslist Sites

For A Comparison

Not all cities have a huge free section on craigslist, here's a few different ones to see the differences...If you go into Alberta's free section of craigslist there's hardly any free things...The biggest free section I've ever seen is the Vancouver craigslist...
Makes me wonder if our landfill fees are the highest...
Vancouver, British Columbia Craigslist Free Stuff
free stuff classifieds - craigslist
Edmonton, Alberta Craigslist Free Stuff
free stuff classifieds - craigslist
Winnipeg, Manitoba Craigslist Free Stuff
free stuff classifieds - craigslist
Toronto, Ontario Craigslist Free Stuff
free stuff classifieds - craigslist

Another Free Craigslist Find, We Had To Dismantle & Rebuild 

Craigslist In The News Good And Bad

There is also a bad side to Craigslist so remember to protect yourself

Craigslist is great for getting free things off of, but like all things there's also a bad side to Craigslist...There are ways to protect yourself and help keep you safe while your going after those free things your wanting...

*Never Go Alone
*Always Take Your Cell Phone
*Never Agree To Meet In A Park or Alley
*Beware Of Your Surroundings At All Times
All Of The Materials That Went Into This Sweet Treehouse Were Found For Free ...
But searching for a couch on Craigslist's free section got Allen thinking about what else he might find there. Soon he was repurposing valuable, broken materials like a double sliding glass door (valued at $400) into windows, and an ash hardwood floor ...
State Police warn of Craigslist scam involving offer of free baby
State Police are warning people about a new internet scam, involving an offer of a free baby. Police say the scam involves a post on Craigslist, stating that there is a free baby available for anyone willing to take it. According to police, the ad was ...
Court dismisses Oakland bank's libel suit over Craigslist rant
Rogers contended in pretrial proceedings that his posts were protected free speech. In today's decision, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal in San Francisco ordered dismissal of the case and overturned a 2010 ruling in which Superior Court ...
Freecycling Has Viral Effect On Community Spirit and Generosity
Craigslist, started in 1996, is a pioneering online free-classifieds system used predominantly to advertise goods or services for sale, and it claims to receive 50 million ads a month. "Users of Freecycle make unilateral contributions to other ...

Friends And Family

Give Away Free Things Too

I've even got free things from our friends and family members, a lot of times they'll say "can you haul this to the dump for us", and because we own a truck we get that a lot...Most time's the stuff does end up in the land fill, but there is the odd thing I've decided to keep...Here's a few things that I kept saving them from the landfill...

html borders Barbeque

html imagesPole Lamp

Fish Tank



html borders Conventional Oven

html imagesCordless Phone

Foldaway Table

Update

The fish tank you just saw I sold for $80.00 I was asking a $100.00 still was a 100% profit

Roof Racks

Just In Case You Don't Own A Truck

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A Friend Gave Us This Car Because He Moved To Ontario 3000 Miles Away 

Car Update

I have since sold the car, I was able to get $500.00 for it...

Not Everything Was Free

My personal favorite wasn't free, I actually posted my own ad on craigslist...

The add I posted said: Looking for a scooter, wanting to trade a 20" TV with built in DVD player for it as money is tight...

I ran the ad for something like six months, thinking that nobody would want to make such a ridicules trade, but I thought it was worth the try...You don't know what will happen unless you give it a try...You can see from my picture I was eventually able to make the trade...

A couple with a teenage daughter, wanted to get rid of the bike because their daughter had been acting up and they decided to take away some of her freedom, her loss my gain...

What Else Have I Gotten Free

Greenhouse Update

The greenhouse you see above was destroyed by mother nature and her bad mood she blew so hard that the greenhouse didn't stand a chance "Thank Goodness It Was Free"

What About You

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Free Free And Free

More Things I've Got From Craigslist

What Am I Looking For Now

Now that spring is here and the patio furniture is out in the stores...I've been watching closely for someone who purchased a new set, and is getting rid of their old one that they either just purchased last year or even a few years ago...Some people are just not happy with what they bought or are just wanting a change...You can see from the picture I'm due for a new patio set, wouldn't you agree...When I do get one I'll post the picture here...

That's why I'm addicted to free things on craigslist, just think of all the money I've saved us...Yes it's a little extra work, like in the case of the metal shed since we had to take it down and then do the pain staking re-building...But in most cases you just go and pick the thing up...

Something To Remember: To be able to get free things you have to be quick, all the free things (unless their complete junk), will go as fast as you can make the phone call...

Not much else to tell you about me other than: - I Am An Addict...

Cameras Are A Great Tool

You Get It For Free Off Craigslist - Then You Resell It, You'll Need To Take A Picture

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Have You Gotten Anything For Free?

  • MarcoG Apr 21, 2012 @ 10:21 am | delete
    We don't have Craigslist, but I use Gumtree, which is similar :)
  • davespeed Apr 20, 2012 @ 5:17 pm | delete
    I've never used Craigslist. I'm going to check it out. Thanks for sharing this lens.
  • DarleneN Apr 20, 2012 @ 4:09 pm | delete
    My husband likes to stop and pick up pallets. He takes them apart for the wood, which he uses for all kinds of projects. Sometimes he finds good wood, like oak or cherry! He's saving that for a special project! Great Lens!
  • sockii Apr 20, 2012 @ 2:46 pm | delete
    Craigslist is a great resource. I use it more to sell things and buy tickets to events, but I need to spend more time on it to try to give away things I don't need any longer.
  • bossypants Apr 20, 2012 @ 12:40 pm | delete
    I won something nice once, but that's not quite the same as the amazing deals you've scored! Your experience with the scooter is definitely one for the books. Very much enjoyed your lens!
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Addicted To Craigslist
Addicted to the free section of Craigslist, here in Vancouver BC the free section is always loaded with things people just don't want the hassle of trying to sell...

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I love the word "Free", it turns into a profit for me by 100%...If I can do this so can you...Go get it for free and turn around and sell it, it doesn't... more »

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craigslist 4 Everyone

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