The idea of bartering isn’t new, but the way we do it these days is much different from days gone by. No longer do we have to go to a flea market, garage sale, or swap meet. These days, the Internet has made bartering as easy as pointing and clicking. It’s amazing what you can get for free, or next to nothing, if you’re willing to spend a little time bartering online. We got a refrigerator for the kids’ mobile home, Mason jars, cast iron pans, and a whole bevy of other items. Similarly, we have gotten rid of bunches of things like computer monitors, a course on natural healing on cassettes, and gently used baby clothes. If you’re a scrounger, a penny pincher, or just looking for a great hobby, check out these sites:

• The Freecycle Network The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,775 groups with 7,090,000 members across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them’s good people). Membership is free.
• SwapTree You list the books, CDs, DVDs, and video games that you want to trade and the books, CDs, DVDs and video games that you want to receive and swaptree does the rest.
• Craigslist You can find all sorts of things for free and barter, all sorts of things. Exercise extreme caution when dealing with people you meet on Craigslist, especially in the adult section.
• The Free Site A modge-podge of free Internet stuff.
• Tip Junkie One of the best blogs for finding free stuff on the Web. Right now there are 107 giveaways listed, a value of $6,391.  Fabulous products with real value – way better than your average giveaways.

The Internet often gets a bad rap from mainstream media outlets, but for those of us who are scroungers see it as a great tool for finding free stuff. We all need free stuff now and then.

Tags: Free Stuff