The best things in life are free

First published on 5 May 2009. Updated on 29 May 2009.

Julien Radcliffe, Waterloo FREE BIKES
"We [give away free bikes] so we can get more cars off Sydney streets; that way more people can enjoy cycling. I don't own a car; I prefer human power and save thousands of dollars a year. If Sydney had more bikes than cars on the street it would be a friendlier community, you would stop at red lights and speak to each other. Parked cars are a problem; they stop cyclists using the left lane."

Juan Mann, 27, Newtown FREE HUGS
"I offer Free Hugs in Sydney's Pitt Street Mall every Thursday from noon. A Free Hug is a simple thing, takes no time at all and it's a great way to make people smile. As for why I do it - there aren't many free things in this city, it's my way of giving a little something back that doesn't have a catch. And besides, who doesn't like to see a friendly face in a busy city?"

Andreas Proestos, 54, Belmore STREET COLLECTOR
"Recycling furniture, clothes and other household objects is beneficial to the environment and it breathes new life into things that have been discarded. As cliché as it sounds, one man's trash really is another man's treasure and you might even get lucky and end up on Antiques Roadshow or find an Ibanez electric guitar for your son, like I did a few months ago."Recycling Near You has a list of council collection days.

Kathryn Howard, 44, Darlinghurst BOOK CROSSER
"BookCrossing is a free global bookclub where you register a book online and leave it in a public place (park bench or coffee shop) to be picked up and enjoyed by others, who then do likewise. This is called 'wild releasing'. The travels of your book can then be tracked online. The bookcrossing community is very social, swapping books at monthly meetups and annual conventions in cities all around the world." Meet Sydney bookcrossers informally on the second Tuesday of every month. See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcsydmeetup and www.BookCrossing.com for more.

John Eggleston, 24, Southern Highlands COUCH SURFER
"Couch Surfing is the way to find free or cheap accommodation and meet locals while travelling who understand backpackers; it's just a big ball of fun. I do it firstly to save money so I can travel longer and secondly for the experience of meeting the wonderful people open-minded enough to open their homes to people from all over the world."

Sybella Stevens, FREECYCLER
"I saved a few hundred dollars by sourcing a double futon sofa through freecycling. In return, I'm about to freecycle a fridge. What goes around comes around."