How to take part in the ‘Buy Nothing’ movement
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2024
- Saving money and being sustainable are at the heart of the “Buy Nothing” movement where neighbors connect online to give and get items - all for free! Reporting for TODAY, NBC’s Vicky Nguyen shares a look at its powerful impact on communities.
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#buynothing #trending #sustainability
I absolutely love that we are slowly moving away from the shame of getting something for free.
No one has ever been ashamed😂😂
Everyone likes free things. Ppl just stay anything on the internet to sound trendy
@@deec3561there was a time before the internet and people were actually very looked down upon for going to get things secondhand. Being bullied has always been a thing.
Yes! My Grandma always talked about "borrowing" from people back when there wasn't so many things to go around. I feel we're back in those times now too. So, even if one can't give, lend kitchen items or tools.
My grandparents lived in a community of "Oh, you can mow my lawn? I'll fix your family a meal!"
❤Money didn't have to be exchanged for people to get what they all needed.
Law 40 of 48: Anything offered for free is dangerous. It usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation.
My parents always said "it costs no effort to ask. All someone can say is no".
“How did you get in my house?”
Amen
Your folks didn’t lie.
My mom used to say that too. She’s been gone for more than twenty years but I can hear her say that still plain as day. 😊
I bet they’d be proud of the cardboard sign mafia at all the intersections.
Finally the news covering an important topic that will help the environment
😂
Sorta. Electronics and all that it takes to build them including the energy and electricity all horrific for the planet‼️ fyi including the yoga pants many lazy attention seeking people wear and many other items. 😂
@@Whatnok I hope your life gets better for you so you stop taking your anger and frustration out on random people
That will help the people. Families are suffering. The big corps and renewable petrol will never stop what they are doing. Making more profits than ever before.
LOL
I love my Buy Nothing Group. Save money, reduce waste, help your neighbors. It's the "Can I borrow a cup of sugar?" neighborly/community feeling.
The govts like what’s free?
Same here. Also love getting rid of things I don’t need on mine. Pantry clean out, garage sale left overs, etc. Feels good knowing my items are being reused or used by someone who could use them. REDUCE AND REUSE , not just recycle. 🙌🏾
Some neighbors will Stop buying and have no sugar to give away for free.
To which I'd probably reply, wow I thought that was just something they say on TV or something! Just like when someone actually objects at a wedding most are probably like "wow, I didn't know anyone actually did that"! Or that scene in the Simpsons where Bart's dog really does eat his homework!!
@@TanoSmith-yd8lxwe live with such abundance that we are FAR from that issue. And besides, people will buy stuff when no cup of sugar is available to borrow.
We should've done this a long time ago.
I love the idea of not wasting things. The amount of stuff we collect is ridiculous.
Stop wasting money folks!
I did this 13 years ago with my first car lol I got a completely free passenger seat
I love my buy nothing group. I post things and sometimes I pick up things. Cycle economy is so great. We are all a community and trust each other. I feel blessed for that.
"We need much less than we think we need" - Maya Angelou. I've been living a minimalist lifestyle for the past 5 years and won't ever go back to overconsuming. If I need anything I check FB local groups or thrift stores before buying new. Prices are insane these days.
Very smart in so many ways. Save the planet, save money
I’ve started going a few days a week when I spend zero dollars. I’ve cut back on fast food, coffee daily . Subscriptions.
Buy nothing days are a good habit. Which days do you do that on?
@@LisaSoulLevelHealing only on days that ends in Y. It's amazing
@@LisaSoulLevelHealing paid Fridays, so pay any bills, weekly shop and fill car with gas, then , still like to eat out and do movies on a weekend, but Mon Tue We’d , take lunch into work , drink coffee at home. Spend nothing .
I went back to a traditional coffee pot instead of a kuerig and that seems to help save some money.
As a member of a Buy Nothing group, I love that we’re moving toward an “It-takes-a-village” mindset again because that’s how it used to be. A proper community must all work together to make sure the needs of the group AND the needs of an individual are met for everyone to successfully thrive.
Exactly! 👏
Absolutely beautiful. I love it.
Bartering was what was done back in the the day when money was scarce. If we could go back to that as a nation, maybe we could gain positive relationships and help others in need. Socially it would be great to meet your neighbors. We don't communicate like we should.
This is better than bartering. It's communicating and sharing. It's letting your neighbors borrow something they need for a party. Or giving food that you accidentally got the wrong kind of or something your kids don't want to eat. The idea is that you communicate and say why you are asking for something or why you are interested in something instead of saying "want" or "interested " like people do on buying groups.
Umm...its called bartering ❤😂
Bartering is expecting something in return before you give something or having to give something in exchange to get something. In Buy Nothing Groups people give and receive, but they don't expect someone to trade something for a gift or a receive. People just give and receive freely within the group to help each other. Or they lend out their stuff when needed.
Bartering requires negotiating so there is a fair exchange. If I ever get something from my BN group that is less than satisfactory and it happens, it's no big deal. I'll pass it back into the group. I do think there are groups on social media that trade. Which is totally fine. But with BN its so much easier/
They always turn really mean after my Dad gives them things. They're scared to go after him directly, so they harass me and my Mom pretty aggressively.
I need neighbors like that
Be the neighbour like that.
It’s also cool that niche items can get to a person who truly values the item, like that sowing machine was special to her and will be cared about, where it would be trash to a guy finding it in his aunts attic after she passed away.
Considering this economy who can afford to be buying anything beyond basic needs to survive? For a lot of people, it's not a choice to buy nothing...they can't afford to buy anything.
exactly. we are being gaslit that this is a choice. if you can reuse great, but that isn't always an option.
Yes to an extent. If you are making 35-40k+ you absolutely have the means and it comes down to how you spend. A lot of people have to make due with a much lower salary of 15k or even 20k in my state. Not because of the economy, but just because my state has always been high in the poverty rate and cost of living is a bit lower than most the country.
Have you ever heard of price gouging, corporate greed? "This economy" is mostly unregulated companies charging whatever they want for everything you need, paying richly to CEOs and stockholders, but the less possible to the workers.
You might want to take a look at the channels More Perfect Union, or Richard Reich, but also to videos of American migrants who are discovering that in other countries they have rights that in the USA are called benefits, privileges, or commodities.
And I'm not talking about rich European countries, but Latin America.
@@MariaMartinez-researcher please take an economic class and a government class. price gouging is illegal and free markets set the value. Communism is a failed system.
Exactly
I love my local buy nothing group. I’ve given and received several items over the last few years. In fact the reclining chair I’m sitting in now was from the group. 🙂
Haha nice!
Aren’t you worried about bed bugs, and the other stuff that can come along with used furniture?
@@Arbysroastbeefjuice You're dealing with your actual close-by neighbors... and because of that people disclose things that might be wrong. Like "from a home with dogs" or "back side is scratched up from my cat." I can't imagine my neighbors sitting in a bed bug infested house any more than I can imaging that for myself.
I've been a part of a buy nothing group for a year now and I LOVE it. Whether its the items I give or receive, all-around we're giving a second life to items that might otherwise end up trashed. Its also been a great way to meet the neighbors!
Thanks for highlighting Buy Nothing Groups and how awesome they are! I’m a moderator for my local group and it has been fabulous in so many ways... not just saving money but meeting neighbors who can turn into friends and helping find items for your kids. I use unexpired foods posted to the group, which I'm chosen for, to fund a Free Little Food Pantry that I adopted. It keeps so many things out of the landfill and allows neighbors to enjoy items without having to pay for them. You can also offer and or ask for favors. Multiple wins all around, imo.
What children did you exchange yours for younger or older 😂
When you donate to Goodwill, people are still having to oay something for it so this is great.
And so much at Goodwill is overpriced. or in bad condition And the clothes smell bad. I think they spray something on them
Goodwill is also a big corporation. Don’t let the name fool you.
When you donate to Goodwill, Goodwill now sells your items for profit online
Goodwill is a scam. So is most those donation driven organizations.
I love this. It’s what we do at clothing swaps. 🙌🏾 People bring nice clothes, shoes, and accessories that we no longer wear or maybe never did and offer it to other swappers. It’s a win win!
I joined a buy nothing group a week ago and needed some beads for friendship bracelets I’m planning to pass out at a concert. A few ladies were really nice to give me theirs.
Those groups are great. Your individual chance of getting something posted that you want isn’t super high, but your chance of getting rid of something you no longer use and that someone else near you wants is extremely good.
I have furnished a new immigrant family’s entire apartment from Buy Nothing group … a few if my neighbors even bought new items & donated to the family as well.
if they're illegal you should have provided them a free plane ticket home
@@Big-Government-Is-The-Problem As long as you don't call yourself a Christian;)
@@Big-Government-Is-The-ProblemI think it’s important to still treat others like human beings since they’re already in our community
That's great.
@@Big-Government-Is-The-Problem I am so happy I do not know you
Years ago we had neighborhoods like this, dare I say “the good old days” when everyone helped each other out. This is a wonderful thing helps in so many ways. Bravo❣️🙏
This is probably the biggest reason that I still have a Facebook account! My Buy Nothing group also has a swapmeet in a neighborhood park in the summer. Bring to give away, and take away what you can use. And you can chat with neighbors and meet new people.
Yep! I'm mostly off of social media... but BN and the fact that part of my job is running a FB group keeps me on FB.
Less trash in world for future generations too❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Sadly, 2 of our local buy nothing groups were completely taken over by resellers! You may want to give to someone who needs, but iti s often someone who wants to resell it! Vultures.
That shouldn't really come as a surprise, given the trend to "flip" things like houses or cars that people buy for low prices and then turn around and resell them at higher prices. Everyone is out to make a profit these days.
Same thing at Goodwill. It's obnoxious.
I've heard that about people who run a local food pantry
Yup. If the mods don’t keep out resellers the stuff doesn’t get to people who need it.
Our mods are super strict and vet everyone thoroughly! It takes a lot of work and we sure do appreciate our mods!
Love my Buy Nothing community! Great way to purge items you no longer need and help someone out at the same time. ❤
This is awesome. I’ve never heard of this. My family donates to a veterans organization but they don’t pick up furniture (no organization in my area does) even though it’s in great condition. I’m about to join a group and post everything. This is the best thing I’ve learned this year. ❤❤❤
Same. I always give to the veterans group by me…but I think it would be great to help my neighbors! I have tons to give away because I am simplifying and down sizing my life.
I was able to furnish my whole house with like-new items from the buy nothing group lol love it
I love this....but the way my trust issues are set-up......
Our local precinct has a designated area outside for pick ups. Others do porch pick ups where the item is left outside for pick up. Sometimes it's done just between friends and neighbors
A lot of people in our community set up a public meet place like a Wal-Mart.
Im in a middle class very safe family type neighborhood so its very safe. I totally understand that not every place would be like that. There are creative ways to make it work.
Almost everything my sister got for her baby. She did not pay for she actually joined one of these groups and it’s so amazing so many mothers and no longer need some of the products they originally purchased. Maybe the only needed it for a few months and the product still works great there’s no need to throw it away so many mothers benefit from using it. So thankful for all the others that are willing to put in the effort to give these items away to mothers that will truly appreciate and need these products. This is what they mean with it takes a community to raise a child. This is a virtual community and they may not see this child, but their contribution has greatly benefited them.
Yes so much clothes and toys that I have that I’m willing to give to other parents
My slogan for years has been use what you have rather than what you have to get. I am super creative at up cycling, so it works for me.
I want to join.
I am going to look into this. This looks cool.
I have gotten so many things off the buy nothing groups just picked up a Christmas tree someone didn’t want anymore and am donating it to a daycare that wants one for Christmas time!!! I’m sure the kids will love decorating it
I been garbage picking as a hobby the last few months and I’ve found over 2k of things I needed around my house. Fridge, power washer, 2 iPads, full carpet sets, kitchen and bathroom sinks, all in one hp pc, and much more it’s crazy what people throw away these days and don’t bother donating
This summer after taking out our summer clothes and puttin away our winter clothes I realize we have so much clothes and its so tiring and takes up so much space that were not buyin any clothing at all this summer. Were gonna use everything we have and also donated many things we no longer like or doesnt fit
I love this! And this story empowers me to want to do more 😃
Our community has had several "No Sale" Days where there are tables filled with things, anything at all, that people don't need anymore that anyone can take. The only rules are: Only take what you need, don't resell once you don't need it anymore and bring something you don't need to the event if you can 🙂Keep paying it forward.
I loved my buy nothing group in CA
Gavin Newsome has COMPLETELY DESTROYED CALIFORNIA
In my apartment building, we have hallway tables on each floor. The residents in here randomly leave things for free on the tables for any of us to take if we want it and I think it’s amazing! They leave all types of household items out there.
I had been needing some new hangers for awhile, and one time I walked into the hall and saw literally a whole pack of hangers on the table. I took them right up to my apartment. It’s such a great idea!
I’ll be sure to leave out stuff I don’t need anymore as well to return the favor! 😊
Also, I was able to acquire SO many things for the GrDaughter who is 2 now. They outgrow all that baby stuff SO FAST. The neighborhood has lots of families. I got car seats, strollers, toys, loads of books and loads of clothes. And more. After the Daughter in law (baby momma) was done, then she passed on to her friends. I am so grateful to the lady who started this all.
I love that Buy Nothing groups are getting the publicity that they deserve.
That Kenmore sewing machine is a reliable workhorse!!
I really enjoyed my Buy Nothing group, I gave and received so much great stuff! My issues are: I don’t want to have to be on Facebook. And so much of it, in my neighborhood, is baby/kid stuff. Almost every post. So I barely go on anymore.
Been using my local buy nothing groups for over a decade! There are official and unofficial ones. Most of them are great, but once in a while you get a group that's a bunch of friends just giving things to each other but most of them are great!
Been in mine for 7 years. I moved to a new state/city and was buying something off of Craig's List... the guy I was buying from told me about BN and I was hooked!
I am in a buy nothing group. I just hate it when people don’t show up when they said they would. Or let you know if they will be late.
I love my buy nothing group. Here are some of the interesting experiences I've had! I've received a dresser, a coffee table, & other things. But I have given away groceries to a mom & child in need... Some toddler clothing to a guy who took in a young child from a mother was in active addiction & the child had come from several states away with nothing but one outfit... Several household items to a family who was starting over after a house fire... Some baby items to a parent living in a homeless shelter.... Items for recovery to someone about to have surgery. I also gave away lots of school uniforms. I also had someone show up to pick up their items, and brought me flowers!!! It was the nicest thing ever, I was so shocked. Buy nothing is amazing.
I'm so surprised mainstream media aired this promotion of an anti-capitalist, community centered way of living. Yes, to all of it!!! Thank you for this important information. ❤️🙏
Once the dollar collapses and without manufacturing, this might be the only way we can get things in the future
There will always be stores. You just don't need all of these stores. A mid size mall has 120 stores / restaurants. That's an obsessive amount of stores / restaurants plus more stores outside the mall. Why do we need all of this? Something has to change in our society. Even with all these stores, I still can't find what I would want to buy. The stock market isn't going to be happy though because that's what they love - shopping / hoarding (people being miserable with their stuff - Repeat the cycle).
Nice to see, most people nowadays throw out perfectly good usable items. There's another benefit to this, the less you buy from retailers the sooner they'll lower their prices. If we bought our meat, eggs, and produce from local farmers we wouldn't be in the mess we are now.
Here in Japan, such groups tend to be called "Mottainai [name of city]", which means something like wasteful, regretful, or "it would be a shame" (a flexible word). I've given and received many things through the Mottainai Osaka group. Since most people travel by train, we often hand off portable goods at a train station convenient to the giver (even just handing it over the rail at the ticket gate so the receiver doesn't need to exit and re-enter). If it's something larger, of course the receiver has to arrange a car/truck and come to the home. In this very urban area, most people live in apartment buildings that have locking entrances, so meeting out front is not a security risk.
Love this. It’s a win, win, win. Spend $0, reduce landfill waste, give an item a second loving home, reduce someone else’s clutter, and last but not least - increase trust and community!! ❤️
Another way to score free stuff is to wait outside your local goodwill and kindly intercept and ask for the items before they give it to goodwill… it’s a win for everyone and it gives a middle finger to that greedy corporation. especially if you need furniture
This group started in the Seattle area over 10 years ago. It’s a great concept.
SURE when they do it it’s a cool trend when I do it it’s called dumpster diving in apartment building trash rooms
We have a neighborhood Facebook page and have been doing this for years! Safe and convenient..
It started as “No Buy July”.
WoW🎉
Whatever. Yeah your life dictates when you need or don't.. this is a great spi n on bidens America.. it's great this buy nothing is great but it's become necessary in a bad economy. ..ppl should do this in good economies to help out the less fortunate .. .. this is the necessary steps to tale in this bs climate of the world today
I love this idea! Hopefully folks who get items for free aren’t flipping them for money though 😕
I'm in favor of this movement. It'll save lots of people money and reduce waste.
I *LOVE* my Buy Nothing group and HIGHLY recommend everyone to join their local BN group! You get to give away items to people who actually need/want them AND not donate it to corporations that claim to give back more than they do (ex. Value Village & Goodwill).
I live in a great community and we have a Buy Nothing group. I love it! Giving and seeing someone enjoy my things and saving money myself. Win win!
Oh, and it's my number one tip for those who are decluttering their homes. Donating is not the best solution. Sure, it is better than just trashing useful items. But we know that most of what is donated is not rehomed. And we really need to work on our environmental footprint because we only have one planet, and when we throw something "away" it doesn't go away, it just goes to another place on our planet. The best thing you can do, is try giving your items directly to someone who can and will use it. And buy nothing is a perfect place to do that.
I'm in a very active neighborhood BN group in Texas. You can actually put things out that are damaged and broken--- as long as you say it in the post. Like maybe something needs a simple repair. I just picked up a toy chest. It needs a big scratch repaired. I'm good with that. And today another neighbor gave me some wood filler. A few days ago, I gave away a bunch of jewelry and the gal who picked it up is going to use it for parts for her jewelry making hobby. I would say proper etiquette is to disclose the condition, and even show a pic of the concerning area.
For sure! Our group is good about showing damage or saying, "It's broken and needs this but maybe you have the knowledge to make it work" kind of thing.
I love my group. I get stuff and get rid of stuff.
Our neighborhood just posts free things on the neighborhood group, so people aren't *total* strangers. It doesn't matter what you are offering for free. Someone wants it. I love recycling or donating items and reducing waste
I started recycling and up cycling things in 2016. I've picked up good finds in the neighborhood for free and swapped items for zero money. It feels good to not throw things away and reuse good things.
Happy to see this is happening in the U.S. now. They been doing this in Europe. The U.S. is behind on a lot of things.
I usually just put stuff on the curb on a sunny mild day that isn’t garbage days. Usually it gets picked up within 48 hours. Got rid of most of my baby stuff and no inconvenience to me. Just hope to keep the thrifters and resellers out of these groups.
Buy nothing and you’ll force unemployment and prices will come down. The people/consumer can bring house prices down.
Works well in certain neighborhoods. Sadly, isn't easy in others where you can't let random strangers in your home.
📢 ~ I swear my phone is "listening" 👂 / reading 👀 my texts; as I was JUST talking to my friend about needing a connection like this - realize these groups have been around for quite awhile; but I need to find something similar in San Diego! Thank you for the reminder ~ 😊
Love it! We got our 3 year old a bike that was sitting on the side of the road with a free sign on it. All it needed was air in the tires and a good washing.
I’ve just always have given my stuff away when I’m done using it. I had a cricket with all these extras one day my youngest came to me and said that at school there’s been trying to up lift others. This teacher was spending all her free time cutting out cute little animals or hearts what ever she was making it was with great time and tons of effort. So I donated it to her but for the school to use it to. It feels good to me to help others I feel if we all shared no hunger has to happen children get there care needs met. That’s a win for all. God bless you all great idea for the community to help build a more loving neighborhood. 🙏🏽💕
The whole concept sounds wonderful, except there are so many people out there that will take advantage of this group and the people that so lovingly give to it and turn around and take these things and sell them on social media. It’s hard to trust anyone to do the right thing anymore.🤷🏼♀️
The groups are hyper local and we all get to know each other. That really doesn't seem to be a problem in the BN groups. We would probably notice if Mrs. X had been gifted 17 dining room tables in the last year.
we love buy nothing, we have gotten SO MUCH STUFF, especially kid stuff that people go through quicky, that still have plenty of life left. We also give away a ton of stuff.. We have even had luck just posting, something we are looking for and people will respond, of i have that and not using it anymore. We feel so much better about giving away things and seeing things go directly to another family, instead of just putting it in a goodwill box, where it mind end up in a dumpster. One of the only reasons I keep Facebook
Ma sha Allah~ I am loving this~ With people especially the young ones becoming addicted to social media as their everyday bread ; this could be a solution for them to connect and engage in their community in positive ways! Teachers could take notes and implement this idea in their room with strict rules and precautions of course ! What a wonderful idea
I was thought about this but there aren’t enough people doing it but now it’s a movement!! Beautiful 👏🏼👏🏼
It’s called, “Thrifting!!” I’ve been doing this for over 40 years❤😂☑️
"Moving the chi." I've given away stuff I've had in a drawer or the attic for years. It's a great concept and community.
No good deed will go unpunished
Been a part of BN for years. There are so many groups in my county. I think mine spans a 2 mile radius. There’s a listing right now for a piano! People also gift brand new stuff if they missed the return window.
Isn't this the same thing as Freecycle, which has been around for decades?
Yes! Same idea with a different name. Yet here it is on the Today show, like it is this brilliant, original idea that no one ever thought of before.
A little different because you have to join the group for where you live. It's super localized, maybe a square 2-5 miles or so, depending. And you deal with a lot of the same folks. But same concept in that it's free stuff. But because it's your neighbors, you're less likely to list something that's just falling to pieces (like I used to see on Freecylce).
This is wonderful because the thriftstores are getting so greedy in charging full price for used items.
Barter and trade systems have existed forever! Love this!
I'm part of the same group. Around my way, we call it trash nothing/freecycle.
If this hasn't been ruined by greed and sales people I promise it will be. Hopefully these groups take on implementing strong requirements on locality or reputation to keep out those looking to exploit them for free inventory.
I've been giving away my stuff for years. It's a good feeling to give away things to people who can actually use them.
I'm right there with you, spend nothing, pay off all debts until free!!!!
Love this so much, (instead of Goodwill getting rich) we help each other out. Awesome!
What buy nothing app is best? I am not on social media.
Yeah- here’s the stinker. We’ve left “free” items out and I can’t tell you how many times we had to stop thieves from using the opportunity to walk toward our garage to take bikes on the side, or plants off our porch, or porch decor. It was really bizarre and put an end to me doing house front donations.
That's why I do face-to-face handouts. I live in a big(ish) city and you never know who will help themselves to things. That being said, I often pick up from someone's apartment building where they've left things in a bag with my name.
Buy nothing has been one of the best things I've been introduced to. Have given away and received so much good stuff.
This is pretty cool. I often toss stuff that is still usable, I just don't want it anymore, maybe I'll post it here.
It's called trade. It's what we used to do before convenient store or department stores were created.
No trading allowed on BN, though... just giving.
My wife and I have actually use this, we got some stuff for our patio for free 😊
This is literally so cool. I’m happy to see community members coming together.
It warms my heart. I've been doing the same thing. I put foods outside and wrote "still good for eating", and i see people took it. I also do the same with shoes.
Just remember to check your items for hidden cameras
In most cases, you pick up the items from the person's house... often face-to-face (though porch pickups are a thing). I doubt my neighbors are going to hide cameras, especially since I know where they live.
Im always at any community agency that offers free clothes hygiene items, diapers, formula, you name it. Whatever i don't want or use I'll give away to someone who does.
That's how it supposed to be ..
If money didn't exists, that is how we should get things ...
If you don't use it, give it to someone
If u need something, ask someone
Don't be "a consumer" !