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People with “money to burn” shouldn't bother reading this. As for the rest of us, let's dig in and explore the "Free World"!

My income has been limited to low-middle class for sometime now. When your budget is so tight, you usually have two choices, do without or innovate. I’ve been pretty creative about getting things I need for free or cheap for some time now and I think it's a great topic to share with others interested in stretching their budget too.

The first thing I would like to point out is that the internet has been a real blessing in my quest for “free-dom”. There are many resources available online for those who take the time to look.

“So, how do you find free stuff Jack?” “How do you do it?” You ask.
Well this is how I get started. Listed below is a run down of my resources.
- My Local Newspaper
- Penny Saver (A local Publication)
- www.Recycler.com
- Craigslist at: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/
- Yahoo Groups: "FreeBeesForMe"
- www.Kijiji.com
- Yahoo Groups: www.Freecycle.org
- Friends & Family
- Trash Day

It really depends on what you’re looking for. Out of these listed resources my favorite one has to be Freecycle, it is a perfect resource allowing a large variety of items. I have seen everything from baby food, to vehicles offered, even the kitchen sink and all for free.

Most newspapers and advertising sheets have a "Free" section where people list all sorts of things. And again, most online classified ad sheets have a "free" category.

The best way for you to get the things you need for free is to get organized. Look up and document your local and online resources. Next, your going to have to develop a few new habits if you want to really get some great freebies. In order to do well with most free items you need to be polite, efficient, and reliable. Simply put, you need to be watching the inbox on your email like a hawk, especially from Friday – Sunday (the busiest days). You also need to be polite in asking for items offered. I would strongly recommend leaving very clear and concise messages to the people who are offering something for free. I can’t tell you how many times that I have offered an item and had emails requesting it that were just rude and poorly written. The last thing you need to be is reliable. If you promise to pick up an item at a given time and place you need to do it. Once you get tagged as a flaky person, you can forget about people choosing you from the many requests they get for their items. For most of us these simple concepts are common sense and already practiced. But for some of us, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of the obvious.

My top three resources are Freecycle, Trash Day, and Friends & Family.
Freecycle is a world wide movement, it’s easy to use and join through Yahoo Groups. It is a great way to give and get most anything. Trash day is probably something that you are under estimating. You will have to get into the habit of driving the neighborhood on the night before trash day and also leaving early for work on trash day in order to allow yourself some extra time to scout out and salvage some great things. Dumpster diving is not quite the same thing as trolling about on trash day and picking up discarded items. Personally if I have to actually climb into a waste bin to retrieve an item, it just doesn’t seem worth it. As for friends & family, you never know who you know that is ready to get rid of their old cars, trucks, stereos, movies, etc. And you never will unless you ask.

Getting things you need cheap and free is a key to frugal living and stretching your budget. And if you’re skilled with repairing things than it is a rather easy method to pick up an old worn out item and rebuild it for a fraction of what it costs to buy new. Not to mention the feeling of accomplishment you can get out of making something out of nothing.

Some items that I have picked up and repaired are listed below and I have included the approximate values:
- Delta 6" Disc/36" Belt Sander $99.99
- 2 Cement Mixers $600.00
- A worn out workbench $300.00
- 2 dozen old computers (500mhz-1ghz systems)$250.00
- Commercial Wheel Barrow $99.99
- 2 Children's KettKar Pedal Cars $600.00
- 1986 Chevy Citation $600.00
- 1993 Ford Ranger Splash $1800.00
- 1994 Geo Tracker $900
- 6 Vacuum Cleaners $720.00

1994 Geo Tracker: Here is a pic of the Geo Tracker, The only thing wrong with it was the driver door. It was hit right at the rear of the door. Not bad for free though.

I have managed to obtain many more useful things than these, but these are some of my favorites. And besides, nobody likes a show off.

Look for future installments for tips on how to maximize your chances of finding & getting free items, and also some innovative methods to avoid paying a premium for some of the things you need.

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