Free to a good home...

As I have been writing this blog over the last few months, and reading the other PF blogs. It appears that one of the easiest way of getting ahead in your finances are to save your money by minimising spending. Well, I was thinking about the flip side of this concept, the concept of giving away things. From year to year, I would typically move through various items, in particular mobile phones, clothes and kitchen items.

Why should you give your items away? Let see,

1. No good sitting in your shed or cupboard - The items are probably sitting in your shed or the cupboard gathering dust. Someone else might as well get some use out of it.
2. Help others - There are plenty of others out in the community could benefit from our items that are not used. If I coupled that mobile phone sitting the cupboard with a pre-paid SIM, it could be a very useful item.
3. Society is too cash driven - Our society is very much cash/money driven. I believe that our society would be better if we less cash dependent and return to a society that is closer to our agriculture background.

I wrote about Freecycle in one of my first post, and it is a really good resource for advertising what you want to give away. I believe that craig list is also a very spot for free giveaways, although I haven't use it yet. You can also do the following.

1. Donate it - Your local church group or charity that runs a opportunity shop would gladly take what you have. Be aware that some won't accept electrical items as they don't want the public liability of selling faulty electrical items at their shops.
2. Post a notice at work - Your workmates will more likely to take these items off your hands as there is a certain level of trust they have of you and your items.
   
3. Leave it on your nature strip with a "FREE" sign - you will be surprise how fast the items will disappear. We left a roll of chicken wire and some sheets of roofing covers in the morning on our nature strip and it disappear that evening!

Go on, give it away...You will feel better for it.