How to be notified of free stuff in your area.
There are many resources available to help people get real time, instant notifications to help them find free items in their community, maybe even in their neighborhood. Several apps, websites, social media sites or networks, and even Google alerts can be used for instant updates of who is given away items and where to get them.
All of these services, whether an app or website or forum, are free to sign up for. In addition, they are all widely used by millions of people for notifications on many topics. Find details on how to get real times updates about giveaways, freebies, and opportunities for free stuff.
Email alerts for free stuff
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Google Alerts is a free, powerful tool that can keep people informed about specific topics. It is possible to set an alert for anything, whether a local financial assistance program or a place (or person or local event) that is passing out free stuff. Here’s how you can set up a Google alert to be notified of free stuff in your community.
- Navigate to the Google Alerts section. Note you can set up an alert with any email address - you do not need a Gmail account.
- Create an alert to be notified of free items: Always be sure to include the area too, such as your city or town. In the search bar, enter keywords related to what you want to be alerted too such as “free giveaways of school supplies,” “free samples,” “free toys events,”.” In all those examples, be sure to add your city, zip code or town too. For example, it would be “free Christmas toys in Los Angeles CA” or wherever your area is.
- Customize settings: Adjust the settings to fit your preferences. You can choose the frequency of alerts to be notified (e.g., as-it-happens, once a day, or once a week). It is also possible to pick sources (news, blogs, web), and of course your preferred language.
- Finish the process to create the alert: Once those steps have been done, click on “Create Alert” to activate your notifications and save it. You’ll start receiving emails of where and when free stuff, which can be in real time if selected (based on your settings above).
Some of the main benefits of Google Alerts is it is free, it will email you in real time (if selected), it covers local communities and it is fairly simple to use – only a few steps as noted above. You can also decide to be alerted less frequently, such as daily if want. The service is versatile tool because anyone who need help in finding free items can tailor it to their specific interests, whether they are looking for free food, Christmas toys, diapers, housing vouchers, school supplies, or household items.
Get alerts to free stuff from websites and apps
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The Freecycle App is a locally focused app that helps people find free, often gently used items in their area – often right in their neighborhood. It provides real time alerts to all types of items.
- The company that makes the Freecycle app was created by a grassroots movement of people who are giving (or getting) stuff for free in their local communities. One of the goals was to help reduce waste / trash and, at the same time, to help the less fortunate find the stuff they need. Many people use it to give away items in a “green”, environmentally friendly way vs throwing it out.
The end result of those efforts, Freecycle app is an extension of this network. The app, which is offered in the Google play store and the Apple store, makes it easy to find and offer free items, including furniture, toys, computers, school supplies, clothes, appliances and so much more that can benefit low income families. Learn more on the Freecycle App process.
Freebies Alert is another free app that was created to help users find the latest free samples, coupons, and giveaways in their local community. It will connect people giving away unwanted items, including school supplies, furniture, beauty samples, clothes or Christmas toys in real time. The app is available on iOS (Apple) and Android (Google/Samsung phones).
- The app will “alert” members to places in their local community that are giving out free items, whether it is a store, community event, charity like Goodwill or somewhere else. Remember, online resources like Freebies Alert update quickly, so be persistent in your search and check back often for new listings. Find how to use Freebies Alert.
 Eventbrite is also a website or app that can be a useful tool for finding and receiving alerts about free events or giveaways. As with all these services/sites, create an account first. Then use the search bar to look for free events by entering keywords such as "free," "school supplies", "giveaway," "Christmas toys", "free admission," etc. You can also filter your search results by selecting the "Free" filter under the price options. The site has three effective ways to be alerted.
- One is to follow organizers as many organizations and individuals regularly host free events or giveaways. This can be a local charity or non-profit or any group. By following these organizers, you can receive notifications whenever they create a new event. Or, as another option (or at the same time), set up alerts.
- Eventbrite allows users to set up email notifications for events that match their interests, such as for a school supply giveaway. Angel Tree program, or some other real time event. To do this, go to your account settings and navigate to the notifications section. Here, users can customize their alert preferences, such as receiving daily emails about new upcoming events that match their interests.
- The third option is to join Eventbrite Communities. Users can participate in Eventbrite communities or groups in their city, town or neighborhood that focus on free events. These communities often share information about upcoming free giveaways.
Reddit Forums can be used to find free stuff given away today in your local community. Whether you love or hate it, at the end of the day Reddit is a treasure trove of information. There are tens of thousands of local communities, or "subreddits," dedicated to publishing source of (in real time) places to get free stuff. Some popular subreddits include the following.
- reddit.com/r/freebies: This subreddit shares links to free samples, products, freebies in local communities and even free services, such as health care check ups.
- reddit.com/r/free: Users of this forum give away items they no longer need, from tech products or furniture to household items.
- reddit.com/r/beermoney: Although not exclusively about free items, this subreddit often features opportunities to earn gift cards, products, free money promotions and more for free.
To use Reddit effectively to be alerted to free giveaways, of course the first step is to create an account. After that, subscribe to Subreddits (such as those noted above). But also search for others that have real time information or giveaways. Subscribe to relevant subreddits to have new posts appear on your homepage.
Craigslist can also be an effective source or real time giveaways. Similar to Reddit above, whether you like it or not, Craigslist has a dedicated “Free" section where users can post items they want to give away and if you are signed up, the alerts are real time.
- To use the service, of course go to Craigslist and select your city then search for/navigate to the free section. Under the “For Sale” category, click on “Free.” Then it is a matter of browsing and setting up alerts.
The Facebook Marketplace has Buy Nothing Groups, and FB by default said notifications to your email, smart phone, etc. The Buy Nothing Groups on Facebook are excellent resources for finding free items in your community, whether it is a local back to school supply giveaway or charity that is passing out free Christmas toys or holiday food baskets.
- To find a Buy Nothing Groups for alerts, access the Facebook Marketplace from your homepage. Then filter for free items for your city and/or neighborhood name. If needed, use the search bar and filter options to find items listed for free. Then message the person giving away the stuff (the “seller”) to arrange pick-up. There is also a main FB buy nothing group.
There are also many Websites dedicated to helping people find free stuff. They in effect aggregate information about free items, charities, and even companies that give out free samples. They may list free school supply giveaways or Christmas toy programs. Or use sites such as FreeStuff.com: to find places that give out diapers or beauty samples and so much more. Find more examples of websites listing free items.
Free daily pop up food and meal giveaway alerts are available as well, and while the options include some of what is listed above the fact is there are other steps too. As a number of local and national charities, as well as businesses such as grocery stores, restaurants, etc. give away food or surplus stuff daily. Find details on alerts to mobile pantries, soup kitchens, and pop-up food in your area.
Conclusion
There are multiple apps, websites and tools that will help people find free stuff in real time. As noted above, there are email services such as Google Alerts or specialized apps or websites, community forums or other ways to be notified about “freebies” in real time. Using one, or all of these, will help you get the items you need before anyone else.
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