Alex T writes: It’s finally beautiful outside. So the obivous thing to do is go spend your ‘economic stimulus check’ on some new toys. So after you purchase that new mountain bike, kayak or experimental aircraft, you are going to need a place to store it, right. But is this a photo of your garage? Perhaps it’s time to get rid of that table, the four other bikes, the old lawn mower and such to make a little space in the garage. So now, Do you A) pay a company $$$ to come and haul your clutter away for you? B) Spend 3 weeks covered in dust and dirt trying to clean but actually just sitting and leafing through old yearbooks? or C) Chip away at the clutter gently with FreeCycle? C is the big winner! Yes, you probably already have the gist. Mash the words Free and Recycle together and you get FreeCycle - taking things that you own but no longer need and giving them away to whomever! The concept isn’t new or original but has regained popularity with easy to use online tools. The original FreeCycle group has an elegant credo:

“Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.”

Perfect! Giving stuff you have and don’t need away is an excellent way to connect with your community and do your bit to keep functional goods, functioning and out of the trash. Chaffee County has a FreeCycle chapter that has been around for the last few years with quite a few members but not a lot of activity. Craigslist has really been the driving force behind the repopularization of this wonderful idea with many thousands of things listed and given away in their free section everyday. Because we are a small and somewhat scattered community, Craigslist won’t make a section for us (believe me, I ask them every couple of months). Taking a look at the need for this service, ChannelBV took it upon themselves to create this kind space for all of us. If you haven’t been there yet, MidMountainClassifieds is ChannelBV’s Free Classified Ads service. Modeled on Craigslist, we too have a ‘Free’ category where you can post items to be given away to, or hauled away by, someone in your community. There is also a ‘Barter’ category. Offer your items or services to the community in trade. We will be exploring the benefits of bartering in future posts. For now, it’s time to take your garage BACK! Make some room for your new toys this spring, and pay it forward by finding a new home for your useful clutter.

Photo Credits

Editors note: It’s difficult to write an article like this sometimes because I feel like I sounds like a shill, pushing people to try something new. But the truth is, I think that being able to buy and sell locally, person to person, business to business, within your community is a beautiful thing! And being able to do it, online, for FREE @ MidMountainsClassifieds is a great way to have those interations. And did I mention that it’s completely free? You are free to post want ads, items for sale, real estate for rent, job listings, announcements, Yes! Anything you’d like! No Strings Attached! The catch (such as it is) is that, a service like this is only as good as the people who use it. So if it’s interesting to you, please, take advantage, use it, sell some stuff, buy some stuff, give some stuff away, meet your neighbors and have fun!

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