Web Site Helps You Buy, Sell, Rant, Laugh, Love

As a recent college graduate, it's no wonder I am willing to sing praises to Craigslist.org. After all, if it weren't for this community-specific classified site, my apartment would still be unfurnished.

Whenever I've wanted or needed for anything, someone on Craigslist has been there for me. Last minute tickets to the Smashing Pumpkins? A new coffee table? A job? A lover? A kitten? Whatever you are lacking, someone on Craigslist is bound to deliver. It's a year-round garage sale for your entire city.

The design is simple and uncomplicated. A cool grey background with lists of blue text links you to a menagerie of junk and treasures in your area. From Pennsylvania to Pakistan, you can find the metropolis near you and get in on local events, meet people with similar interests or just skulk around the free listings until you find something you want to try and sell on eBay.

Where else can you nab a free piano, discuss science on a forum with locals, glance at personal ads and check out the nearby music scene? Why throw out that old desk when someone in your area will pick it up and pay you $10 for it? Post, pick-up, and repurpose!

Perhaps one of the most enticing aspects of Craigslist is that although these are all classified ads, there are no pop-ups, flashing boxes or any other assortment of Internet ads that plague our browsers today. You select the ads you read, and when you need to post an ad it's completely free!

With Craigslist's location-centric organization, waiting for packages to arrive from eBay or Amazon seems absurd. You can pick up your finds that same day, because what you need may be in your neighbor's garage. Your need of a new sewing machine may not come out in your morning hellos, but Craigslist can open the conversation.

Craigslist also helps if you need to get rid of something in a hurry. If you need to purge the remnants of a messy break-up, just toss the debris on the curb, make a quick post, and watch people walk away with the pieces of your shattered romance.

The site's appeal isn't limited to us penny-pinching pack-rats and forum junkies. The "Best Of" section offers many hilarious rants, open letters, and anecdotes to help you wile away the hours of procrastinating on your homework or house chores. While they may not always be safe for work, or even PG-13, they're good for a giggle or two.

In short, Craigslist is a one-stop-shop in your area and it doesn't cost you a cent -- unless you find something you can't live without.