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Home » Lifehack & GTD

How to Get Free Landscaping Work Done Using Craigslist

Submitted by G.E. Miller on Monday, 4 May 200911 Comments

Getting Free Landscaping on Craigslist

Put what you want to get rid of on Craigslist. My wife and I are doing some landscape work and we had a ‘Charlie Brown Christmas Tree’ look-a-like in our front yard (yes, that’s it in the picture). It didn’t fit into our landscape plans to keep it and would have taken years to look half-way decent. So I took a picture of it, through it up on the ‘Free’ section of Craigslist and said ‘you dig’, and within 12 hours I had 15 emails asking if the tree was still available. By the time I got home from work today, the tree was gone.

This was really satisfying for three reasons:

free craigslist1. I got some landscape work done at no cost. I didn’t want to dig the tree up, and even if I did, I had no place to put it.

2. I saved a tree’s life! Someone will treat it better than I ever could have. And I didn’t have to cut it down. I don’t know that I could have done that.

3. I paid it forward. The person who took the tree left me a nice thank you note. I got rid of something I didn’t want, and in the process, someone walked away feeling like they got a real find.

So I’m starting to think about what else around my yard or house I want to get rid of, and make others happy in the process. How does this sound for my next Craigslist ad:

“Free weeds. You dig. Leave the grass.”?

Craigslist Discussion:

  • What’s your best Craigslist Free section find or give-away?
  • How have you used Craigslist to save time, money, effort?

If you found this article helpful, you can subscribe to the 20somethingfinance RSS feed, or sign up for free email updates. You may also find the following articles of interest:

How I Saved $1,700 by being a Craigslist Subletting Nomad

5 Ways to Use Craigslist to Save and Make Big Money

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11 Comments »

  • Melinda said:

    Wow, this is really simple, but a good idea. I can think of a few things around the house that I wouldn’t want to end up in the dumpster that I could give away instead.

  • Craig said:

    Pretty lucky. Did it bother you that you didn’t have a set time and meet with the person who took the tree?

  • G.E. Miller (author) said:

    @ Craig – No, not really.

  • Shaun said:

    Hahaha, that’s brilliant. And I’m glad your tree didn’t die. It’s kind of cute. ;-)

  • Neil said:

    Hi

    In the UK we have an organization/site called Freecycle that is just for things that people don’t want. During the last couple of years I have given away a dining table and 4 chairs and received:

    A bike
    A dishwasher
    A Folding bed

    It’s a great way to save the environment and some money!

    Neil

  • Crystal said:

    I love it. I am so glad you thought to put this up on Craigslist. Most people would have just cut it down and been done with it. I love Craigslist and use it all the time. I actually picked up a dresser in the free section. Like Neil, I also love freecycle and have mentioned it here before.

  • Andrea (Recession Proof Living) said:

    BTW, Freecycle is around in the U.S. also. Look in Yahoo groups for one for your city.

  • CD Rates Guy said:

    HAHA simply awesome! In my neighborhood, if you put something of value outside it’s gone even without the use of the internet. ;)

  • LeeLou said:

    Think it’s been mentioned, but everyone check out if they have a local Freecycle in thier area of town … if I’m not mistaken all are found on Yahoo Groups (at least the ATL is).

  • landscaping in gta said:

    Having a beautiful landscaping in GTA is a big investment for every home. It will definitely set your property apart from the stiff competition and will increase you home’s value. It is also a good move to add or remodel your pool. And this project requires some help from the experts.

  • Little House Jay said:

    Yeh im UK using freecycle (www.uk.freecycle.org) I have given away a chest of draws, an old bike, and a guitar!

    I have also got a bike, and a nice rustic table for my kitchen.

    :) All good

    Jay

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