Whenever I need something, I usually ask the following questions: Is it on sale? Can I buy it used? Can I get it for free? Luckily, Seattle has vibrant communities like Freecycle and Craigslist that answer the free question and regular save my wallet from imminent drainage.

I have received the following for free: my son’s entire 18 month - 2T wardrobe, toys, Enfamil formula (unopened), cloth diapers, a Bauhaus couch, Keratase hair products, etc. Hundreds of dollars saved right there–dollars I can spend elsewhere like on my expensive camera needs!

It is easy to become disheartened by how quickly things can be claimed. There are freecycle ninjas who station themselves at their computers and snap up items. I have cobbled together some tips that have helped me succeed in gathering items for free and can help you wade through the fill dirt, fleece fabric remnants, and broken printers to get to the good stuff.

1. The five mile rule

I never drive more than five miles away from my home or work to pick up an item. It’s not worth to make a 23-mile trek just for a DVD. You don’t need to watch ET that badly, even if it is the Director’s Cut. However, if it is an item that you desperately need and no one else has posted it, then fine, drive to the Canadian border for a Bratz Doll collection, but don’t blame me if you have to fill up your gas tank mid-way.

2. Ask yourself, “Do I really need this?”

Do not become a hoarder. You don’t want to be like that woman I saw on Cops whom the Health Department had to forcibly remove from her house because it was filled with dead cats, newspapers from the 70s, and junk her neighbors had set out for garbage pick-up. It’s exhilarating to find so much out there for free but if you don’t keep that giddiness in check, you can become a hoarder.

Never pick up an item with the intention of fixing it up or using it for something later. You won’t. Do not receive anything because “you want to give it to someone.” That is hoarder talk. Only pick up items that can be used in the condition you receive it, not in pieces for your potential macramé project unless you want to live in a house so full of junk you can’t close doors and you have to sleep in the space you dug out between the stack of computer monitors and Christmas decorations.

3. Work your search-fu

This is a Craiglist tip. You will find free items mixed into the other for sale sections despite there being an entire free category. To cherry-pick these finds takes some specific search requests. Entering “free -smoke -pet” without the quotation marks highlights those sweet offerings that are–wait for it–free!

4. One man’s junk is another man’s junk

I generally avoid free piles because the listers rarely detail what is included and what is included is most likely junk. I do not have time to hunch over the side of the road and pick through what someone was too lazy to schlep over to Goodwill. If the listing is in my neighborhood and the person includes a picture or at least some mention of items I’m interested in, I will drive past. This is resulted in awesome freebies only a few times, so I rarely do it now.

5. Don’t flake

That should be simple enough yet many experience the irritating pangs of no-shows. If you do decide to jump on an offering after figuring that it is within your area and you actually need it, follow through. If you cannot make it, contact the person right away and apologize. Don’t be a jerk and ruin it for the rest of us. It’s common sense, yo.

6. Catch more freecyclers with honey

With the aforementioned freecycle ninjas using their stealth refresh page skills, you have to fight to stand out in a swamped inbox. If someone has posted multiple items and you only want one, offer to take everything and you can sort it out at home or better yet, in front of the Goodwill donation bin. Be polite and honest in your reply. Forget the sob stories about how your grandmother is in the hospital and her dying wish is to play Sonic the Hedgehog on a circa 1989 Sega Genesis console. People see right through that.

7. Protect yourself before you wreck yourself

With all the crazies and weirdos on the internet, it’s important to protect your privacy. Don’t be cavalier with your address or phone number. Ideally, it would be best to meet in a public location, but I don’t have time to wait at Starbucks with a used Exersaucer in tow. If I’m offering something up on freecycle, I can easily search the archives to see if the person has listed in the past. Seasoned freecyclers are the least likely to flake so they get first dibs with me.

Do you have any freecycle/craigslist tips? Find a gem so wonderful you have to grab the nearest person and yell, “High five!” Share away!

Mona is a Saipan-born, Seattle-based blogger and mother of one who lives out her adult life on a college student budget. Read more of her inappropriate tales at Hello Insomnia or email her with any tips, comments or questions at mona@seattlemomblogs.com.