Freecycle networks are a great way to get rid stuff or even get stuff for free. The way that they work is that you sign up on a “Yahoo! groups” mailing list, and then when you have something or want something you send out one email that goes out to everyone on the mailing list. If someone on the list has what you want or wants what you're offering, then they will email you privately. Of course, you can also respond to offers or requests that other people have sent out as well. It is a remarkably successful way to save things from landing in the dump. Also, people are often quite willing to give away things that are inexpensive but still in good shape, so you can try asking. The system tends to work best for things that have little to no resale value or very large things that people don't want to pay to get rid of. Please be aware that if you sign up you will probably get a lot of email. You can filter the emails to a folder other than your inbox, or you can simply read the posts online.

One thing to think about if you get involved in freecycling is that often your extra stuff could be used to help others more if you sold it or gave it to a charity thrift store. If you really want to use your resources for others then consider only using freecycle to get rid of the thing that your thrift store won't take and to get the things that you need. It's really easy to just send out an email offering something that you don't need but that usually only means that you're helping someone have more money to waste on other things. Also beware of the fact that a lot of people will ask for things that they say they're going to use for charity. Some of these requests are bound to be genuine but some won't be. At least with a charity thrift store you have a reasonably good idea that proceeds are going to help others.