Stories from Freeglers

I freegled the entire contents of my late Dad's bungalow and had it cleared in just over a week. A house clearance lady said it wasn't worth anything so I just freegled everything but coat hangers and his cutlery. Refurb at Fleetwood took those . Everyone who came was very pleasant and friendly.

I have been using Freecycle/Freegle for many years now. I moved to St Leonards on Sea twenty years ago and it has been very helpful in finding useful items that I can use around the home. I picked up a food steamer for the kitchen about ten years ago and am still using it today! I am almost retired but still work part-time in the mornings for a local charity so am on a low income. I sometimes help out at a food bank. When they moved to new premises they had to refurbish the place and there were two very heavy fire doors that needed taking away. I left a message on Freegle and they were collected a couple of days later by someone from Eastbourne, who drove all the way to pick them up! Last year a friend asked me if I could find some things for a young single parent with two children. She had just moved into a flat and had very little. I asked her to give me a list of what she needed. To my surprise, I was able to find EVERYTHING. She was over the moon! I was interested to know that the Freecycle movement exists in many other countries too. I have a Kurdish friend in Istanbul and it's even available there!

I came across this website years ago because I love the power of giving a new life to things. I am now using it because I am renting a room in Chelsea but due to the Covid-19 restrictions my landlord (and his family) are stuck in Sardinia atm. The house needs a lot of work but they helped me so much with the rent that I am hoping I will find here a lot of things here for them so I can completely self fund the project and they will find a Surprise Free Redecoration for Christmas. Thank you for creating this platform and to every user. Namaste <3

Although this story did not actually occur on the Freegle forum, it fits in the spirit of Freegling, which is why I wanted to share it with you. In the Summer of 2018, I went camping with a group of friends 9from a parenting group). On our camping trip we had a Give And Take, for people in the group to freegle items they no longer wanted. Someone decided to freegle a load of fabric scraps. But when we were packing up no one particularly wanted the fabric scraps. However I felt they should not be wasted, which if they were merely put in textile recycling would be a bit of a waste, far better to reuse if possible. So I decided to take them home with me. This quilt is the result of some of them. Incidentally the checked fabric on the back is pieced too, though I am not sure how clear that is in the photograph. The odd arrangements of blocks on the front are simply me trying to work out how to best use whatever squares I could cut from the scraps.

Given away lots and collected items mainly for work or other people but am passionate that as little as possible goes to landfill and although the economy needs help at the moment try to avoid buying new when I can

Hi all love to pass on who might need the stuff I needed and didn't wear it out enough so it helps us all out

A freegler wanted a large, strong flat shaped cardboard box to help move his very large TV. I had one spare, but with lockdown it was too far and not feasible. So I had advised him to go to a Halfords store near him that does bikes and ask for an empty Carrera bike box. They are huge and would do the job. He was very happy, problem sorted. (These bike boxes cost £15 and Halfords chucks the away, recycle that is!) Thanks for this amazing initiative, I gave away items and picked up odd items people did not need, fantastic for the environment. Well done volunteers, you are as valuable as NHS key workers!

We've given away many items as a family on freegle. It's convenient and benefits others in need, so I can't think of a better place to help declutter.

Our Panasonic Breadmaker had been baking flat, unrisen loaves for months, so we decided to advertise it on Cardiff Freegle on a ‘spares or repair’ basis. After a few days, I had a message from a gentleman called Geoff, who advised me that he’d had the same problem with his breadmaker, and had cured it by purchasing a small piece of electrical equipment called a capacitor, which he’d fitted himself. Cutting a long story short, I found the necessary component on EBay for around £2.50, took the Breadmaker apart (nothing like as tricky as it may sound), soldered the new capacitor in ........ and we’ve had perfect loaves ever since, probably even better than before the original capacitor failed. A case of one Freegler helping another; a lovely bit of networking! Many thanks to Geoff for his help. Off now to make a sandwich.........!!!!

Before the Covid pandemic hit us with lockdowns, I was an I.T. volunteer for Age UK, helpiing people who were having problems with their laptops, tablets, etc. I have continued to do this by using Freegle to obtain these devices, and make them useful, being successful in about 8 cases out of 10, with more in hand just now. I have met generous givers and happy recipients, and clever folk who have assisted me. It has helped me, too, as a widowed 91-year-old, to fill my lockdown time with interest, usefulness, and new friendships.

For the past few months I have been collecting toys, books, games, teddies for kids in the community i really enjoy doing it, also been collecting kids and adults clothes, footwear, household items.its a great honour to help disadvantage families

This year my parents’ apple trees had a bumper crop, too many for them to eat. I’ve brought probably 50 or so large supermarket bags down to Freegle in Eastbourne, and I wanted to say thank you to the 20+ Freeglers who have all turned up and many of whom have shared with friends and neighbours (as has also postie). Thank you for spreading goodness.

I am making the effort to de-clutter, but don't want to just dump stuff that could be useful. There is a use or re-use for everything, it's just about finding the people who want my unwanted stuff. I have just Freegled over 100 Kilner jars, and they have gone very quickly. I am a Happy Bunny! I have more stuff which I intend to sort out and Freegle when I have the time. Current lockdown is a problem, but Freegling seems to be a good way to socialise, too.

I love freegle, I’ve given lots and received lots, it’s nice we can help each other rather than send to landfill. Some thing are really decent condition. It’s great. Keep up the good work everyone x

I more or less furnished my house years ago. It was great to try some things that I thought would work - but they just didn't. So re-freegled what didn't "fit" for me. It's great when having a clear-out. It's great when you see something that you keep meaning to get and never remember to purchase. It's great to share surplus plants in spring and crops in autumn. It's great for that little bit of something that you need to complete a job and you don't want to buy (and waste most of) a big piece of wood, plasterboard, roofing felt, fabric, paving slabs, etc. Added bonus: you get to meet some really lovely people who have the same ethos as you regarding waste. You might even make some new friends!

Thanks to a kind Freegler, my elderly and infirm friend now has a shiny, almost new and (importantly) lightweight vacuum cleaner to replace her broken one. Living alone and increasingly frail, the generous donation means a lot to her not just because she could ill afford to replace her old vacuum but because a stranger so generously gave one away

Overtime I’ve given away so many things from the wooden gazebo to a box for the garden with a hole in it shelving for someone’s garage parts for someone’s lights there is so much that is so easy to get moved on to another home Freagle makes it easy with a simple photograph description I’d always ask people for a phone number and then it makes it easier just to clarify that what you’re giving is what they want and arrange a time to pick it up safely or leave it out so it doesn’t just disappear happy freagling everyone. This carpet was rehome to a man on a draughty barge!

we have been freegling for years - through 2 house moves (AND COUNTING!) This year we gave a way a few kitchen bits to a dad who was moving house. We told him that we had started going to a new church before lockdown in Manchester ( !Audacious - I know) As we handed over the goodies, we asked where his new house was - only the same street as our church! So we'll meet again! (Or was that Vera Lynn?????) God Bless Sue CEO Lookingforlove.org.uk

Searching through freegle and spotting two items that I could benefit from so contacted the givers to claim the items turned out to be the best day so far when I met the two most lovely ladies that were giving away my items not only did one deliver them to me but insisted on doing so at her own expense. The second lady turned out to be just as grateful that I was taking the items , but added some more to make my life so much easier. To them both a million thanks , and your items have been truly recieved and are being used daily , thanks to you and freegle , my lot is now easing , keep safe and have a nice xmas .

I love freegle especially in this disposable era we live in. The generosity of people never fails to touch me and I am so thankful for the incredible things I have been freely given. My house and garden has been greatly enhanced by the things that have been passed onto me. It gives me enormous pleasure to re use something that has been pre loved. I’ve also met fantastically kind people too on my freegle journey. I feel I’m helping the planet too be upcycling other peoples no longer wanted items and I get a great feeling of satisfaction from doing so. As a disabled, single lady of a pensionable age, who has been in the shielded category seeing very few people during this covid pandemic, it has helped me keep my sanity. It really has. It’s given me something to get up for in the morning. I’ve also passed my things on too, so I’m doing someone the favour that was done for me. I love this group!