DIYAngel

So, you decided to fix up the home you have instead of trying to force the bank to give you a mortgage on a home that you love but they insist you can't afford - sheesh! Now you have to put away all the bank statements, and pay stubs and concentrate on trying to make your boring house the castle you have always wanted to live in, on little or no money.

If you are fortunate to have relatives near by that don't mind if you pillage their attic or garage, you might find some treasures worth keeping and reworking. If not, then you will enjoy knowing about a little community called 'Freecycle'. Freecycle is not new, and it is in most towns around the United States. Even if there isn't a freecycle in your area, there is nothing saying you can't start one up. You will be the Recycle Queen (or King) of your neighborhood. People will know you as the forward thinker that you really are - innovative, smart, beautiful...ok so lets just say it is a boost to your self esteem, not to mention your wallet. Since all the items listed on Freecycle are FREE, you can decorate to your hearts content just by following the rules set forth by the organization. Basically that means no trading and no buying - everything has to be 100% totally free.

So what does that have to do with the pictures of my ceiling? You guessed it, I did it with freecycle. When we moved into our 'dream home' it had white walls and no personaltiy at all! The previous lady of the house said she didn't have a flair for that sort of thing, so she did nothing. I personally would have to be carried off in a straight jacket after looking at white walls all day. Since we had just purchased our house, that meant that we took every dime we had in savings and gave it to the bank. They were all too happy to accept our life savings, leaving us with a hefty mortgage and no more money that they had to pay interest on. I know, seems wrong, but we made the sacrifice for all those white walls.

Enter Freecycle. I immediately signed up for the Freecycle in my area and began watching emails that came to my inbox from neighbors with all manner of treasure to give away. Before you knew it, there was a ceiling fan being offered! Someone just didn't like the way it looked, and since it worked fine, I typed an email with flying fingers to let this person know that I could put it to very good use in my bedroom. Within minutes another email came to me with the same subject line stating that I could come and get the treasure! My first reaction was to jump in the car and race to collect my little freebie, but then another email caught my attention. This time a ceiling medallion was offered. After quickly reading the details, and finding it was near my first destination, I again shot an email to the owner and staked my claim on the medallion that I hoped would adorn my new ceiling. Once again I was the fastest responder and received the address to come collect my prize.

I did spend money on the paint - a deep burgundy color, which is my husbands favorite, but that only cost me about $70 (including a can of gold metallic spray paint) since the local hardware store was having a sale. That along with the gas and time it took to drive over and claim my new acquisitions was all the money it took for me to add some bling and class to my bedroom. Oh that and a little muscle work.

Honestly, the hardest part of decorating with freecycle is finding things to do with all the treasures you can gather. I have seen everything from picture frames to granite given away, all free to the person chosen to receive it. With that said, I might mention the catch here...you have to be on the computer and fast on the keyboard to aquire most things. As soon as you see an email come through with something you want, you have about a second to decide you want it and start sending and email to claim it. Not impossible, it just takes a bit of freecycle savvy, which over time will seem like a skill you always had.

Here is how you find (or start) Freecycle in your area:

Go to http://www.freecycle.org and look up your city or community. Be sure to read the rules of Freecycling and sign up to the appropriate yahoo group. The emails will come to the inbox of whatever address you choose to monitor the list from and voila! You will be a Freecycle Queen in no time, and have the bling to prove it!