scored a free trampoline on Craig's List

Craigslist is a big deal, especially in Dallas. According to their factsheet, this newspaper classifieds-style list was started as an event email list  by Craig Newmark in San Francisco back in 1995. The website now receives 20 million pageviews a month and if you ask most people, they have heard of it by now.  I started using Craigslist in 2004 after I heard about the hilarity and sadness of the missed connections section.  Soon after, I started using the Dallas Craigslist to job hunt and recruit designers and 3D animators for a company.  Contrary to popular belief, the Dallas Craigslist is not just for dating personals and rants, there are dozens of other fun things to do. Read on and you might learn something you didn’t know about the Dallas Craigslist.

1. Be a Reality TV Star – Casting calls and try outs for up-and-coming reality TV shows, as well as movies in pre-production are posted on Craigslist. At one time or another you could try out for Cheaters, STAG, The Real World, MTV shows, and several TV pilots. Try out, but remember to keep it real.
2. Trade Houses – Do a housing swap, some are just for the holidays, other offers for keeps. How about a permanent swap for a house in Costa Rica for one in Dallas? ¡Fírmeme para arriba! Trade up for a tiki hut here.
3. Scalp Tickets – Whether it’s the last Toadies show (we’ve heard that one before), or Slow Roosevelt is getting back together to play at Trees, you can always sell or find tickets high in demand and seemingly low in supply. Some people make a living doing this on Craigslist. Get your scalp on.
4. Find Free Stuff – Need a couch? It’s amazing what people are giving away because it’s too much of a hassle to move or sell. The good stuff goes fast. Six examples posted today: piano, 32” TV, firewood, a trampoline, several couches, and a satellite dish.  Seriously, one man’s trash is another man’s working washing machine. Get your next dining room set here.
5. Be a Promotional Model – You don’t have to be runway material to pimp out new and tried and true brands of beer, liqueur, even beef jerky. Companies need live representatives and street teams. It is fun and easy, coming from a someone who had to ask innocent passersby to, “Step into a Slim Jim” one day at Six Flags.  Bring sexy back here, here, and here.
6. Make friends– Sometimes you need a grocery partner or wingman. Find platonic peeps in Dallas here.
7. Laugh – Remind yourself some people are crazier than you, read miscellaneous rants from one love-struck stranger to another in the missed connections section. Laugh away.
8. Antique Shop -  Go to the Antique Road Show (without leaving your house), check out the collectibles for sale section. There’s less pressure than Ebay. Stock up or dispose of Beanie Babies here.
9. Carpool– Save on gas money, the environment,  and meet new people by using the ridshare section.
10. Trade Stuff or Services -  Got skills, but can’t pay the bills?  One recent bartering example: a Mercedes for concrete work. Do a swip swap here.

A Texas native, Neil Lemons is a 20-something adventurer, Law of Attractionist, and blogger. Read his tips for bloggers and travel adventures on his blog, www.neillemons.com. Addicted to Facebook?  Be Neil’s friend.

Image above via Flickr by jackhynes