(Happy Throwback Thursday! Now that the no- or low-spend February is underway, I thought this post could help some of you avoid spending and/or declutter. It was originally published on Aug. 5, 2018. Ever since then I have been using the heck out of Buy Nothing, both to give and to receive. With luck, your local group will be a great year-round resource to you as well.)
I got a free mini-fridge yesterday. Not for me, for a friend. (Seriously!)
While clearly secondhand, with a couple of scratches and dings, it smells freshly washed on the inside and will help someone out.
Helping people out is the stated purpose of the fridge’s source: a Buy Nothing Facebook group.
Sort of an intensely local Freecycle, this page is a great way not just to keep things out of the landfill, but also to connect with your community.
I’ve gotten so much good stuff from this site, including but not limited to:
- A waffle iron that had been used just once (and it has a beeping timer – no more scorched waffles!)
- A never-before-played “Game of Thrones” board game, which became a Christmas gift
- A pair of slippers for DF’s grandchild to wear when she visits (this is Alaska, and shoes go off at the door)
- A wraparound-style fleece poncho (very soft and cozy)
- A bright-red colander (which I use to drain my homemade yogurt)
- Plastic storage totes
- Lots of food: apples, powdered milk, flour, dried beans, yeast, lentils, baking powder, pasta, split peas, and canned vegetables, fruits, fish and Spam (some of which we donated to a food bank)
- Dig-your-own horseradish roots (always looking for new garden challenges)
- A huge roll of parchment paper (a crucial ingredient in making that ridiculously simple, ridiculously delicious rustic bread)
It also helped me find an elementary school teacher who was delighted to take some empty Altoid tins off my hands. She’s also stoked about receiving fidget spinners, slap bracelets and any other fun items I bring back from . (Teachers are always looking for things for their classrooms.) DF and I have given away a bunch of other things, too, such as books, clothing and fresh rhubarb.
My niece has been able to find new homes for some decorative items (she’s changing décor), some outgrown toys and kids’ clothing, and a big bag of shredded bedding for pet cages (her snake died). Recently she picked up a big bag of clothing for her younger son, and also a major holiday gift (again, can’t say exactly what in case the kiddo is reading). She and I both check the page regularly, to see if anyone’s giving away something useful.
Or looking for something useful – the Buy Nothing group runs both ways. If you don’t see what you need, you can ask.
For example, one woman was looking for a bike helmet for her 5-year-old. My niece told her that a nearby fire station was giving away children’s helmets.
Another woman wanted books for her granddaughter. A member provided the location of a Little Free Library set up specifically for children’s books.
Maybe the first woman was on a tight budget and a free bike helmet gave her a little wiggle room. Perhaps the grandmother needed to gift carefully because her retirement goes only so far. It could also be that both have resolved to go secondhand in order to reduce their impact on the Earth.
Either way, the Buy Nothing Facebook group is a great resource.
The theory of Buy Nothing
“Give where you live” is the idea. Buy Nothing is based on the idea of the “gift economy,” in which people share items, talents and time.
“True wealth is the web of connections formed between people who are real-life neighbors,” according to the Buy Nothing website.
Modern life being what it is, meeting your neighbors isn’t always easy. Hence a Buy Nothing page. From the enthusiastic messaging that occurs on the group I’m in, people are meeting people this way. Instead of making the trip to drop stuff off at Value Village or Goodwill, they’re connecting personally with others who can use it – and in the process, finding others who also have kids or who share the same hobbies.
And that red colander that’s been so useful to me? When the person giving it away messaged me to give her address, it turned out to be….two doors down from where we live. They were new to the area and I hadn’t met them yet.
I expect in truly ritzy areas, like Manhattan, the pickings are mighty fine. (Ever been to a garage sale in an expensive neighborhood?) But the stuff I’ve seen locally is pretty great.
A beautiful red sari, hand-made in India. Children’s boots worn just a few times before being outgrown. A full-sized stove. Toys still in the shrink-wrap. A freezer. A push mower. Hard-sided suitcases with a cheerful op-art print. A two-week pill organizer, a pair of decorative baskets, a Disney Princesses sleeping bag. A portable greenhouse. Shelving, a child’s raincoat, board games, chicken wire, a breast-pump shield.
Again, some of those items were offered and some were being sought. The beauty of a Buy Nothing page is that it lets you give and receive, lets you boost your budget or shore up someone else’s.
One particularly resourceful person said she had a bunch of junk that had to go to the landfill. Apparently none of it was reusable. So….Did anyone have one of those free dump passes that come with the annual property tax bill?
How to find a Buy Nothing page
Like Freecycle, the Buy Nothing groups don’t exist everywhere. Organizers and moderators are needed to get them going and keep them running.
To find out if there’s one in your area, visit the Buy Nothing Project’s “Find a Group” page and click on the country in which you live. From there you’ll be led to find a neighborhood page. (Fun fact: The city of Perth has more than 100 groups.)
If there isn’t one in your area and you feel there’s a need, talk with friends about starting a Buy Nothing page. If all goes well, the money you save on buying new stuff (and paying dump fees) will more than pay for the time. You might even make a new friend or two.
Readers: Have you participated in Buy Nothing, Freecycle or some other version of the gift economy?
From Freecycle I have received a new yogurt maker with all the little cups, a breadmaker, plants, office chair,and a bunch of cast iron skillets, plus other things I cannot remember.
Thanks for the heads up! I’d never heard of this group before, and it sounds fascinating. I’ve asked to join the group in my city. 🙂
You’re welcome. Maybe you’ll see something you need/want, or maybe you have Perfectly Good Stuff you just can’t use/no longer want but that someone else would gladly take.
I had such a great experience with the Buy Nothing group in San Diego, CA I started a group in my new area.
I joined the group shortly almost a year before my unexpected cross country move. I was able to re-home my large pieces of furniture, book collection, clothing, and just about everything I didn’t need in my new home including a refrigerator and freezer full of good food.
When it became time to stage my home for sale, I was able to get most of what I needed to make my empty home look reasonably lived in, and was able to have people in the group pick up the items before my move.
I made friends with wonderful people in my neighborhood. I loved the sense of community I got from my local Buy Nothing group.
Since I moved to an area without a Buy Nothing group, I became a volunteer admin. It’s been a labor of love since I am getting to know my new neighbors by giving and receiving items.
I am continuously surprised by the generosity of my neighbors, and try to give as much as I can of my time to help keep the group functioning properly. I recently met a member who has really impressed me with her generosity.
I am so glad you have happened upon your local Group!
I’d hoped you would leave a comment! I recall your telling me about a group you were in (although I thought it was one that operated on a points system?) and was hoping you’d share your experiences.
And yes, giving is important: I’ve received several things, so I’m going to be on the lookout for things I can donate. Maybe copies of my books?
Thanks for being such a consistent reader and commenter.
I love the idea of this. No group in our area yet, but I could always start one.
You could! And it could turn into something wonderful.
We have only Freecycle and it has slacked off in recent years.
Recently I scored moving boxes from a lovely couple who had just moved to the state. I couldn’t get rid of those boxes to save my life! Several people expressed and interest, but there was no follow through and we ended up sharing a couple of the rolls of packing paper with art teachers and recycling all the rest along with the boxes. I advertised art supplies for teachers and got no bites and no one answered. We took some by schools unsolicited! There is no traffic on Freecycle. I searched Facebook and there wasn’t a local group. This all made me sad. I hope more people get back into the swapping. It all seems about making a buck these days. I gave away many ($$$) treasures, and I think people will buy them at Salvation Army only to resell them.
I wish I had known about the buy nothing group at the end of the school year. My fellow teachers were throwing away literally TONS of good new (NOT USED) school supplies. I scored 500 new, never sharpened pencils which advertised the world’s largest retailer, 6 new tiny calculators, still in the box, 500 sheets of wide lined paper,many never used pens and little pencil sharpeners, 5 never opened bags of magnetic letters,etc. All of this was from ONE teacher. I filled my Jeep and these much needed items are now on the way to the school I support in the Dominican Republic, where they will be received with gratitude and joy. I was not able to get what the OTHER 20 teachers were throwing away, and a full shipping container was put into a landfill.It is true that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Arrggghhhhh! I hate to hear about perfectly good school supplies being trashed when your kids in the DR would line up and plead for them.
And…Won’t those same teachers be buying new stuff for the following school year?
Could be that the teacher did not want to advertise the world’s largest retailer and as for the calculators,doesn’t EVERYONE have one on their smartphone? Um, no, not in a third world country. In fairness to the teacher, she and another teacher were combining 2 classes rooms, as each one will be teaching the same class next year, sharing the job on alternate days. But still, think of this being repeated in 20 classes rooms times 1000s of schools in the USA.
I do think about this. It makes my head hurt. 🙁
Thank you for sharing about the Buy Nothing Groups on FB. I just requested to join the one for my local area. I have been a member of FreeCycle for several years and have both given and received through the group.
I live in NYC and participate in their Stop N’ Swap program. The gist of it is that you get to travel to different boroughs of the city and swap gently used items with other like minded people. My husband and I replace our jeans, t-shirts and sometimes coats this way. I have scored a lovely set of drinking glasses, original art and jazz cd’s this way. We usually make a day of it with cheap eats (another NYC specialty) and sight-seeing. Thanks for the info on the Buy Nothing Groups. I will look into this as well.
That sounds like great fun.
I lived in a co-op, where in our large common room we had what we called a “Sharing Box”. You could drop off anything you didn’t need any longer and/or pick up something that you could use. It worked really well and it was fun to see how things you no longer needed were scooped up and used by others.
Oh this sounds wonderful! I’m going to look for a group in my area now
I’ve been on my local buy nothing for a year in Los Angeles and love it! I’ve been able to rehome a lot of things that I no longer needed, from plants, to pots, to kitchen utensils and small appliances, even some old costume jewelry I no longer wear. I’m trying to simplify my life and it helps me get rid of things if I know they are going to good use. I’ve also received a lot of fabulous clothes, some with the tags still on! I’ve received cat food and cat carriers as well!
My niece just gave away a large-sized dog kennel on our Buy Nothing page. It’s the kind that folds up easily so you can take it with you on camping trips et al. Someone would have had to pay a pretty penny for that.
Like you, I enjoy being able to “rehome” things; it makes de-cluttering not just possible, but exciting. I still drop off stuff at a charity thrift shop, but I also like the idea of helping someone in my neighborhood boost his budget. These pages are great for those just starting out, too; someone is giving away a barely used set of Farberware pots and pans. My eyes lit up and then I realized, “You already have pans and they work just fine. This cookware is for someone else.”
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
I’ve been a member of the local Freecycle for years. Unfortunately, our moderator had a family emergency and was unable to approve posts for a while, and a lot of people dropped off. The group’s never really recovered.
Our church has a weekly email exchange where members can offer or request items, and I’ve posted several items there. More convenient than Freecycle, as I’m usually able to meet up with people at church to drop off items.
MrH belongs to a local yard sale group of Facebook, and sometimes people post free items there. A couple years ago, a local food pantry received an entire truckload of sweet potatoes, and they invited the community at large to come fill a bag. MrH filled a plastic grocery bag, and I believe we got four or five meals out of those sweet potatoes.
The Buy Nothing groups sound like a great idea! I’ve been inactive on FB for months now, but maybe I should poke my head in and take a look.
Donna,
We don’t have freecycle. But I belong to a second hand fb selling group.I’m not quite sure how I managed to be a member, to be honest, facebook baffles me. But I’m glad to see people not wasting things, and occasionally someone will offer free stuff. I’m thinking of de-cluttering. This might be a good way to do it. Thanks for the reminder.
Those Facebook selling groups, garage-sale groups or whatever you call them can be big budget-boosters. And yes, putting something on there — for a low price or for free — would at least get it out of your space.
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
There’s also NextDoor. It has pretty much decimated freecycle in my area, because it’s better. You can select neighborhoods and post pictures. We’re flipping a house and have given away tons of salvaged landscaping materials to members of our community. Better still, the groups are made up of nearby neighbors, so you don’t have to go far to give/receive something and you get to know your neighbors.
For things that we want to offer to a broader pool of buyers/takers, we still love good ol’ Craigslist.
The Buy Nothing groups are also strictly delineated as to neighborhood. The idea, as you noted, is to give to “nearby neighbors.”
A friend of mine is part of NextDoor, but she uses it mostly to be apprised of bears in her neighborhood. #alaskalife
Hmmm… Interesting. The only Buy Nothing groups that come up in a search on Facebook are limited to the Coronado neighborhood and the downtown area. Since the greater Px Metro Area is larger than L.A. County, that’ makes ’em pretty exclusive. Ohh well.
As Dicey mentioned, sometimes people in NextDoor will give away things or offer them at yard-sale prices.
Update: We finished the flip house and sold it, hooray! The buyer did not want anything, so we had a big garage sale, which got rid of a lot. I donated the remaining small stuff to my favorite thrift shop and sold the rest of the big furnishings via NextDoor. I estimate that I’ve recouped 75-80% of what I spent, which isn’t too shabby, because the $2k investment in staging helped us get $42k over the asking price.
We met some interesting people. One guy who was buying something I offered on ND had a name that seemed familiar, but I didn’t think much of it because it’s the same surname as a local sports superstar. I didn’t recognize him until he started speaking. Yup, we worked together twenty-five years ago. I recognized his voice, not his face, lol.
Another person bought a mattress for his daughter. I posted a rug about an hour later and he responded again. I was bit confused because he didn’t seem to remember that he had just been at our house. Turns out it was his other daughter. They were furnishing a house and his kids were shopping for their own rooms via ND! If you want ’em to be frugal, start ’em young.
Finally, for two years, DH and I have been gradually making over the librarian’s break room as part of an ongoing community project. I wanted to find a table and chairs that fit the space better. Without realizing it, what I purchased for the flip house will be quite suitable for the library. I could easily resell it, but I think I will dedicate it to finishing this project for a place I dearly love. That’s worth far more than recouping the modest acquisition cost. I love that being frugal gives us more choices.
What a swell update! Thanks for sharing it.
My tent was stolen I was wondering if someone could help me out with a tent if all possible thank you and god bless
Darrell: Use the link in the article to find a Buy Nothing group in your area, and post your story as an “ask.”
Wishing you luck.
We apparently don’t have a Buy Nothing group in my area. However, I regularly get rid of stuff I don’t need by carting it to the Reuse it Shop. It is located right next to the local recyling center. They take in usable stuff and sell it very cheap. I have donated all kinds of unneeded stuff that was in my house when I moved in and gotten many dishes, bowls, utensils, planting pots, and storage containers, among many other things. Thank you for putting this out there. I think this is the type of thing we need in every community, especially during a time when everyone is hurting due to being sick, lacking for work hours (and therefore income), and just generally down.
I like the idea of reuse-it shops and any thrift store, really.
Is there a Habitat ReStore in your area?
https://www.habitat.org/restores
The closest Habitat ReStore is about 30 miles away. I have been meaning to go there, but I just have not gotten around to it.
The office where my son works has a free stuff table. People bring things they don’t need or want and others are free to take them. He has brought me home an adorable chicken figurine for the kitchen and, even better, a big handful of Burt’s Bees rose hip facial oil samples. I have sent him with a few books to put on the table in return.
I wish there was something like this that doesn’t require a facebook account.
I miss Freecycle, through which I got and gave away a bunch of stuff.
My neighborhood has a private FB page where neighbors can post items they no longer need or want. They can sell or give away the items. Several years ago I sold my “too large to handle by myself” artificial Christmas tree to a neighbor. And sometimes a neighbor just needs to borrow an item – folding table for large family gathering, etc. And of course if someone is looking for a specific item, they will ask. We also use the page to ask for recommendations for plumbers, electricians, etc.
A couple years ago I asked if there were any teenagers interested in mowing my lawn – 2 teens responded and have been mowing my yard ever since. Then they decided to start a small yard work business within the neighborhood. They cut grass, dig up plants, help homeowners clear unwanted brush, and even help older neighbors with heavy lifting. They don’t charge much – and sometimes let the neighbor pay whatever they can afford.
It might not always be free, but it’s been useful in helping neighbors get to know other neighbors. And sometimes save a little money.
Just last night, I picked up a fancy lunch bag that looks more like a handbag or tote from my FB Buy Nothing group. (Frugal in the acquisition and frugal in the use!) Ours is a very active group. I was able to give away some office stuff this summer when I was moving offices, and have given away lots of stuff from home. I also recently got a barely-used cast iron frying pan!
I am proud to comment that I initiated the Buy Nothing in my area. I was off Facebook for a period of time so I handed the reins over to some new Admins.
In addition to helping out several families I was able to make friends with some very nice people with whom my husband I are friendly.
It’s a great resource. There is a member who’s circumstances are very fragile and I jump to drop off whatever she needs when she posts.
I have received some very nice items: a great Asian cabinet for my Zen room, lamps, bedding, and other decor items that go with the decor in my various rooms.
The connections you make with your neighbors are priceless though.
My local group (no longer under my stewardship) has grown to over 500 people and encompasses 5 local communities.
I’m pretty proud of myself in that I made it happen initially. I don’t go on Facebook too much anymore, so I’m also glad I handed the Admin duties off.
At some point it’s not a bad thing to let some other people do the work. Kudos to you for starting it, though. As my BFF said to me recently, “What did we do before Buy Nothing?”
You mentioning it a few years ago actually got me to look into our local ones. Since there wasn’t a Buy Nothing group for the area my house is in, I went through the official process along with another lady I hadn’t known before and now we’re in year 2 or 3 of our group. It’s chugging along but people definitely give more away than post about needing anything. We’re in the suburbs so that was expected. I recently picked up a new-to-me electric water boiler and have given away alot of clutter to me that was exactly what someone else needed!