Use Curb Alerts to Get Free Stuff in Your Area

In these interesting economic times, when unemployment is low because everyone has about four jobs (but still can’t afford rent), you need to get creative . The good news is that no matter how chaotic things get, some fundamental economic rules always apply, such as the fact that you can often replace equity with cash. Using time and effort as a currency is as old as society itself, and you can use this currency more than you think by incorporating limit warnings into your life.

A curb alert is an announcement that someone has put free items out on the street, such as furniture or old toys, and you can come and pick them up—an action sometimes called ” tilting ” or “curb mining.” In other words, if you have a little sweat and time, you can get a ton of stuff for zero money. It’s not just a way for poor people to furnish their homes for free, it’s also a way to get rid of things you no longer need without the guilt of adding to our landfill problem. In the bad old days, you had to drive around town on trash night looking for treasure; but today there are reliable obstacle alert systems that will keep you informed, making it much easier to find the things you need.

How obstacle alerts work

There is no uniform obstacle warning system in the world, so choosing which one to follow largely depends on your region and what people use to convey the information. Some of the most common ways to receive restriction alerts include:

• Next door . This “hyperlocal” social platform brings people together in the same area, and has an entire section dedicated to free curbside pickups.
• OfferTop . While OfferUp is primarily used to sell unwanted items, it does allow you to list a number of items for free, so regularly filtering listings can serve as a warning sign that it’s limiting.
• Craigslist . People often put a “curb warning” on their ads when they throw free stuff on the curb.
• Facebook . There are plenty of public Facebook groups dedicated to limiting alerts, so you’ll just need to find one that serves your area.
• BuyNothing . BuyNothing isn’t exactly a warning, but it’s extremely useful if you want to recycle someone else’s trash. It is a free “global reuse” platform. It supports a network of local communities that make it easy to give away (and claim) unwanted items. Local BuyNothing communities exist all over the world, and you can download their free app to find a community near you.

You can also simply search social media for your local area and the phrases “curb warning” or “lean over”; Chances are, some helpful people are monitoring restriction alerts and relaying them via real-time messages. Instagram is a popular social network for slouchers because it focuses on visuals, making it easy to post photos of limited treasures.

Once a flood of restriction warnings come your way, all you have to do is scan them and be ready to react quickly if you see something that can be exploited. A few things to consider:

• Deadlines. It’s helpful to know the trash pickup schedule in your area—people tend to pick up unwanted items during trash pickup so that discarded items don’t sit on the curb for days. Additionally, the end of the month is a time when there are a lot of warnings about restrictions, as people moving out of their homes often take things with them that they wouldn’t want to take to their next location.
• Location. Throwing things away crosses all socioeconomic boundaries, but people living in more expensive areas are likely to throw away better things. If you’re hoping to pick up some high-quality goods on the street, find out where the rich people live and keep an eye out for their sidewalk warnings.
• Safety. Remember two facts: you don’t know anything about the people throwing these things away, and you don’t know what might have happened to the free stuff while it was sitting out in the open. Be prepared to clean and disinfect your butt (especially the upholstery, unless you’re a bedbug lover) and be careful when plugging in electronics without a fire extinguisher, just in case.
• Etiquette. Curb warnings can be exciting because you’re essentially chasing something. Remember that you may not be the only person interested in an item, and in the world of restriction alerts, it’s a first come, first served basis .

Curb rollover

While home improvement or getting much-needed equipment for free is the main way curbside alerts are used, some people have a side hustle: They grab free stuff from the curb and flip it – cleaning and repairing things, then putting them up for sale. Since these items were originally free, whatever you get for them is net profit minus any incidental cash spent on parts, cleaning supplies, or things like paint.

If you’re planning on using curb alerts to fuel a side business of reselling items, this is how much experience may be required to distinguish a vintage or antique item that has real value from a piece of quick furniture designed to look vintage. piece – and that it’s impossible to say whether that stereo, TV or computer sitting on the side of the road can even be repaired. In other words, make a plan to get rid of these things if they turn out to be less useful than you think.