Free stuff

[jazzactivist]

Hi all, I have just spent all day clearing out my shed and summer house and have put a lot of useful looking things that I don't want on a tarpaulin in my parking area acroos the road, marked "Free. Help yourself". There are all sorts of things from a working wheelbarrow, new woodstove pipes, a fashionable set of drawer handles, nuts and bolts etc, to an old wooden cupboard that I didn't get round to stripping, and a collection of unopened F&B oil eggshell paints. However, there don't seem to be many takers - although I have just heard a car pull up! I am hoping that enough of it might be gone by the end of tomorrow so that I don't have to take it all to the dump. Unfortunatley, my local freecycle group isn't keen on coming up to where I live. If you saw a group of objects like this would you stop and have a browse?

[Crocus]

I think I will yes Jazz! I would probably go for the F&B paints and the cupboard. Mr C will have the wheelbarrow, nuts and bolts.

[Pippa]

The cupboard, paint and wheelbarrow please!

[franbee]

They don't do this sort of thing in my area, wrong sort of people. I would stop and look. OH has to be restrained at the recycling centre, gazes down at discarded bikes and stuff.

[jazzactivist]

Well, when I woke up this morning every single item was gone, even the cane that I used to put the "Free" notice on! My neighbour took most of the gardening stuff for the community polytunnel, and told me that the F&B paint went to the community hall janitor who will use it to spruce up the panelling in there. So, at least some of the items have gone to good causes too, as well as local people making use of them. It was easier to do it like that than phone around asking people.

[Crocus]

Oh that's good news to hear that everything's been "taken" Jazz! Especially those items which went for a good cause. xxx

[jazzactivist]

I put out some more stuff yesterday, and no sooner had a I done so when a well to do looking man and woman stopped their car and asked about it. I told them that they were welcome to have a rummage, and to take anything that they like. Well, they took me at my word as the next thing they just loaded everything quickly into their car and drove away! I really don't like that type of greed. The items were for local people to sort through and just take what they needed/ wanted. Obviously, I'll have to stand around with the next lot...

[Oola]

You'll probably see them pop up on eBay jazz...I think that's really quite naughty. My Mum and Dad did a similar thing when they downsized. They put out office chairs and things, and people would come by saying "are you sure these are free?". They really were surprised, but very happy to take them off Mum and Dad's hands.

[jazzactivist]

Well, last night I put the final group of items outside, including two fairly new canvas wardrobes that we had been using as a temporary measure. I couldn't manage to dismantle them so dragged them out as is. The same couple stopped their car and loaded up the smaller items, but this time I had already asked my neighbour if she knew of anyone in the village who was on the look out for certain things. The postwoman took a pack of night visibility vests for dog walking, and the hotel wanted the multipacks of hooks, and this morning, despite it having rained during the night, a man in a van stopped and took the two canvas wardrobes which it turned out will be used for the local pantomime. So, all in all, this was a very good way of disposing of unwanted items and I would certainly do it again in the future. I can't be bothered with eBaying or car booting,and I like the idea that if people can make use of items that I don't want then they can be recycled to someone else. You are right, Oola, that people seem very surprised nowadays if anything is offered for free - which is a shame, I think.

[dinger]

I find people are almost suspicious when we offer anything for free . I wonder why can't they just accept a kind gesture anymore.