Kids and stuff -- they go hand in hand. And the older they get, it seems, the more they need. Starting sports? Get used to shelling out for ever bigger and better equipment. Going to school? Wait till you see the supply list that comes home after you've already done your back-to-school shopping. But there's no reason to buy everything off the shelf. If there's an item you need but don't have the cash on hand to buy, here are four ways you may be able to get it for free.
1. Surf for it
Sites like Freecycle help you draw on the resources of the community around you so someone else's trash can become your treasure. Freecycle and sites like it across Canada, including Kijiji and Craigslist, allow you to search for items you need and let you post requests for things not already offered. Eric Snyder, founder and moderator of Ottawa Freecycle, says more than 3,500 messages were posted on Ottawa's Freecycle in August alone, offering an astounding array of items including children's clothes, toys, furniture and even a bike chariot.
Snyder says that for families with young children, Freecycle can be a lifesaver. He remembers that when the Ottawa site was first launched in 2004, one of the first things offered was a brand-new child's bedroom suite, which ended up going to a family living below the poverty line. Jenn Hall, a devoted Freecycler, agrees. "In the past three years, I have not bought a snowsuit for either of my kids," she says. "The one my daughter has for this year is OshKosh. I'm a stay-at-home mom living off one income; we don't go buy OshKosh."
And you can feel good about Freecycling: By exchanging items you save resources and keep waste out of landfills -- around 275 tons a day, according to Freecycle estimates.
For a list of more free recycling groups, visit www.diversitynet.org.
2. Share it
This works well if you can find someone with children slightly older or younger than your own to pool resources with. It could be as simple as asking each other before you go out to buy new items for your children -- or you can get a little more creative. Make a list of what you have together and what items you're going to need and split the shopping list. You can buy a size four snowsuit that will fit your son this winter and your friend's daughter the next, and your friend can pay for the winter boots to go along with it.
Page 1 of 2
Comment reported
Thank you for reporting this comment as inappropriate.
Back to Comments »