Free firewood--you have to either take down the tree that the generous person wants to donate, and/or cut it up before you load it. ;)

I've only looked at the CL on Maui. Phew! Who would bring someone's upholstered furniture into their home? Aside from the 'bodily secretions', think Bedbugs.

Pallets, mattresses, upholstered sofas and chairs. None of the charities will take them and you have to pay a hefty fee to get rid of them.

I thought it was funny when I read free firewood, but you have to cut it from mamagoose. When I went to see what was free on mine? Couches, and this entitled, more free firewood-and in the description "but you have cut it". To be fair, you didn't have to clean up the mess left from it?!

I don't laugh at the 'free' firewood too much. Some people are willing to work to save a bit of money. It helps the 'giver' out too.

I went and looked. There was some ugly, broken down furniture. I guess if you had nothing else, it'd be better than nothing. What's up with the used concrete? Is there really a market for that other than landfill. I could understand used boxes for moving, but you'd have to have enough to make it worth while to come get them.

I have never opened the FREE category.

I get the best things off CL!!!! Two weeks ago we got 5 garden hoses, all nice and usable. A metal gazebo that had blown down. I'm using the decorative metal to keep the deer and bear out of my gardens. Last year I got a FREE working gas lawnmower(they were using a garden service, didn't need it any more. I left it at my rental).

Most common: free firewood, mattresses, couches....

Remember my porch swing, no seat or cushion(like chisue said, wouldn't want that anyway) , free off CL, I LOVE IT! The little tables, free! (I painted them to match)

I like crafts. It's a hobby....the paint, cushions and Sunbrella fabric I had to buy...so it's not entirely free by the time I'm done. lol

On a move from the Dallas house to the Houston house I found a person who had just moved and had a garage full of the moving boxes for free. She only lived a few miles from me. I was a little scared to go alone and told several people where I was going. They lived in a very very nice area in a huge house. Super nice people. Her husband even loaded up vehicle with as many as it would hold and told me if I need more to come back. I had enough boxes to pack everything I was going to pack. The movers packed the rest and used my boxes. That saved a lot of money. Believe me I know boxes are expensive I have been buying them lately for the flooding. There are no free ones around here after the flood.

I see a lot of really disgusting gross couches. I don't understand why you would think someone would want that nasty stuff. I would be too embarrassed to list it.

I'm not dissing the free firewood thing; it's just obscure to my mind. I got my bed off the floor thanks to Craigslist! I got the mattress/box springs, he got the antique bedroom suite (looked it up and that still looks wrong). My mattress/box springs sat flush on the floor for a couple of months until that nice lady sold me her frame for something I could afford. I can't tell you what joy it was and is not to sleep on the hard, unforgiving floor.

Before I moved from my house I put a sofa bed on CL for free. A woman came to get it and was thrilled to have it I even gave her the sheets and comforter I used for it. Made me feel good and she was happy.

I just looked to see and the most common items are "scrappers alert" (old metal stuff), big heavy tv sets and sofas. Who would ever want want of those filthy looking sofas? Ew. I also see free mattresses. Even bigger ew.

I just checked the first page on my local CL--in addition to two free firewood ads, and a couple of nasty couches, there are free honeybee swarms at two different locations--you remove them, of course.

If you know how to handle honeybees and have the gear for it, then it could be a good deal. Back when I was a kid, some of the older folks used to get excited about finding a swarm in the woods and gathering the honey.

I like to upcycle so some of that stuff could be fun to remake. One of my kids had to make a Rube Goldberg machine one year. The casters on the bottoms of those chairs would have been ideal for their project.

" free mattresses. " I don't know if this is true in other cities, but generally, unless it has gone through a documented process, there is a statute here prohibiting the sale of used mattresses.

I just searched too, CL is not one of my normals sites to cruise.

Same as above, old sofas, mattresses, firewood that you cut to 'size' and pavers...hmmm, pavers :-)

Yes free mattresses since they are so hard to get rid of and cannot be sold. Also leftover landscaping materials like pavers, rock and soil.

Mamagoose in my area the bee people post ads offering to remove bee hives. It is big biz in my area. They don't climb high up on trees but hives on eaves or otherwise within reach are in high demand.

DH cuts the trees and you'd be amazed how many people call about it. Last time it was an 84 YO man wanting our cut up hackberry. We didn't expect anybody would want it and yet this old man, strong as an ox got the entire tree. He made two trips and on his 2nd trip he brought us a huge bag of satsumas. We were thrilled!

trees are big biz here as people cut it up and sell it to city folks and their little fireplaces. I'd rather see them profiting from my discards than seeking social assistance.

CL murderers notwithstanding, I think CL is great. Freecycle, not so much

You are correct--the ads were offering to remove swarms for free. There used to be someone in my area who would remove bees, hornets, and yellow jackets at no charge--I think he sold the venom to labs.

I've found several good deals on Craigslist, but nothing free.

On ours it is usually fire wood too. I have given away an old Christmas tree and a couch that sat in our garage forever. I bought an older, but really nice dining room table for my daughter's apartment that all 4 roommates used a lot and only paid $40.00. We belong to several FB groups that sale stuff and I find that with that and CL that you need to use good judgement of where you are meeting people. In a smaller town, close to us, a police department set up a general, safe place to meet and sale your goods of FB or CL.

LOL, Raven, glad to see your sense of humor is still intact :-) What a mental picture your "free" scenario brings!

Just looked. My favorite is Free Large Rocks. This is New England. Can't picture any one wanting them even for free.

Okay, I looked. Good grief!

More free firewood:

Rocks for pie shells (Montreal)

Dogs and cats, kittens and puppies. Every so often I email some of the people, urging them to be careful about the "good homes" they seek for their animals. I remind them that dog fighting is big business, a fact that is well known in Pennsylvania, and someone might pose as a person looking for a family pet--maybe even bringing along a child--whereas in fact they're looking for prospective fighters. Or, more likely, bait. Horrifying but true.

Oh how awful, wasn't aware of that though in my area very few giveaway dogs

Alisande, a dog-fighting ring was broken up recently in our area. With Kijiji (far more popular than CL in our area, they charge $5 to re-home a dog.

Free kittens are also used for food with people who own pythons, etc.

Very cruel society we live in. :-(

I am very confused why do you need rocks for pie shells? I don't make pies but when I make chicken pot pie I buy pre made crusts. I don't think rocks were involved.

I've never thought of using pebbles for blind baking pie crusts! LOL

I use dried black beans, but I need something heavier.

The most heavily-posted ads in our Free category are people willing to pick up your scrap metal. They get paid for it, and trucks and trailers drive around regularly prior to garbage day scouring for metal.

I too see a lot of people wanting trees or hedges removed......you keep the wood.

I have benefited greatly from people giving away things.

You could run a goat rental biz from your free trailer. (Milk, cheese, and no feed bills.) They are in big demand here to clear out buckthorn and other foliage. They are used at O'Hare and in the forest preserves. (Now I'm trying to think how they could be used by TSA inside the terminals.)

In Chicago people are renting feral cats to deal with the rat population. Also a big market for this.

(Now I'm trying to think how they could be used by TSA inside the terminals.)

Drug-sniffing or bomb-sniffing goats?

Dogs, cats, rabbits, dead cedar tree and this lovely couch:http://lexington.craigslist.org/zip/5589672106.html

There's a old mobile home for free in my little town. Lot of firewood/trees, old couches, chairs and mattresses. Had my old box spring put in the sunroom for months after I took my bed down. Finally put it on the curb during our town's Spring cleaning days earlier this month. Lauren and I crammed the mattress that went with it into her giant SUV and hauled it to the dump months ago. We barely got it in there, lot of shoving, pushing, bending the thing to cram it in there. Along with the box spring, I threw out my old dresser, nightstand, the mirror to the dresser, old coffee table, Lauren's old desk, Alex's old rusty bike, among other things. We were still hauling things to the road when some guy drove by in his pick up truck and took about half the stuff I put out. The guy was going to take my old dresser parts (that Lauren and I smashed apart) and make fake books for people to put valuables in...not sure what they're called. He was loading stuff when I carried the beveled glass from the broken down coffee table that was in my sunroom and asked if he could use it for something, he said yes. He also took the mirror from the dresser which was in perfect shape and kind of pretty. Glad some of it didn't end up in the landfill.

Jasdip please explain to me this pie thing. I don't know what blind baking piepie shells means and using black beans or rocks? I told y'all I have never done a pie from scratch!

Kathsgrdn I have the perfect chair forfor your couch!

Chair from hell

Today there's a precious little kitten free to good home. I don't have room in this rv for an additional animal and litter box. Oh but it's very cute.

Kitten

Omg I can't believe this is free! It is a true classic original Duct tape couch! How could they part with it. And she specifically said Do Not judge! It's a free couch! OK then.

Now I know how I can fix that couch I posted about....

Raven, beans or pebbles are used to bake a blind pie.

Seriously!

Dried beans, pebbles, or other weights are placed in the bottom of an empty pie shell before baking. Empty shells can puff up if not weighted down.

Baked pie shells are used for pies with cold fillings.

Oh I had no idea. I learned something new.

I think you understand that the pastry goes into one pie tin, and then you put another tin on top, with pebbles in it. Wouldn't want you picking pebbles out of a pie crust.

Now...I didn't know it was called a 'blind pie'! (This doesn't have anything to do with triplet mice, does it?)

Chisue, I put parchment or aluminum foil over the crust and fill it with beans. I'm going to start collecting pebbles though! Remove the foil and beans after 10 minutes and continue baking until it's light golden. It's called blind-baking.

I learn something new all the time here! I didn't know that about pie pastry.

In the Houston CL, I see a lot of ads for free cats. Maybe that's everywhere. I feel sorry for those poor kitties.

Several of these in Kansas City CL. Described as Redneck Yard Art.

Ah, the Toilet on the Green! When we did a teardown I wanted to save two Kohler quiet-fill toilets. Nice to drive up to the new construction and see these sitting on our front lawn, 'naked' of their seats. Our contractor didn't understand why I'd want him to move them out of sight. (I was foolish to save these; the 'innards' had to be rebuilt, and they are water hogs.)

I use something like this when baking pie crusts.
Mrs Andersons Baking Ceramic Weights

I used to collect nice flat rocks they were great for weighting down fabric and pattern for cutting out the pieces. In the flood I came across the plastic bin full of rocks lol. The people helping looked at me like I was crazy.