Wake the Lakes “Life Hack for the Week” 10-30-23

Use ‘Curb Alerts’ to Get Free Stuff in Your Neighborhood:
A curb alert is an announcement that someone has placed free items on the street, like furniture or old toys, and you’re welcome to come grab them—an activity sometimes called “stooping” or “curb mining.” In other words, if you have some sweat and time, you can get a bunch of stuff for zero money. This isn’t just a way for broke folks to furnish their homes for free, it’s also a way to get rid of stuff you no longer want without the guilt associated with adding to our landfill problem. Some of the most common ways to get curb alerts include:
–Nextdoor. This “hyperlocal” social platform connects folks in a single neighborhood, and it has a whole section devoted to free stuff being put out on the curb.
–OfferUp. Although used mainly to sell unwanted items, OfferUp allows you to list a number of items for free, so filtering listings on a regular basis can act as a curb alert.
–Craigslist. People often put “curb alert” in their listings when they’re dumping free stuff on the sidewalk.
–Facebook. There are numerous public groups dedicated to curb alerts on Facebook, so it’s just a matter of finding one serving your local area.
Once you’ve got a stream of curb alerts coming your way, all you have to do is review them and be prepared to react quickly if you see something you can use. A few things to consider:
–Timing. It’s a good idea to know the trash schedule for your area—folks tend to curb their unwanted stuff around trash time so their discarded stuff doesn’t sit on the curb for days and days. Additionally, the end of the month is a busy time for curb alerts as people moving out will often curb stuff they’d rather not haul to their next place.
–Location. Typically, those who live in more expensive neighborhoods will probably be throwing away better stuff.
–Safety. Be mindful of two facts: You don’t know anything about the people throwing this stuff away, and you don’t know what may have happened to the free stuff while it was sitting in the open. Be prepared to clean and sanitize your picked up stuff(especially upholstery, unless you’re a fan of bedbugs), and be wary about plugging in electronics without having a fire extinguisher on hand, just in case.
–Etiquette. Remember that you may not be the only person interested in an item, and the world of curb alerts is very, very much first come, first served.
–AND Lastly, some people have a side hustle of grabbing free stuff from the curb and flipping it—cleaning and repairing stuff and then putting it up for sale. Since the items were free in the first place, anything you get for them is pure profit, minus any incidental cash spent on parts, cleaning supplies, or stuff like paint.