KENT COUNTY, Mich. — As inflation continues to put a strain on finances, everyone is looking for ways to save. And what’s better than free stuff? In this Money Guide report, we’re focusing on the Buy Nothing movement and how it can help you save big.
“The idea of Buy Nothing is, you know, neighbors helping neighbors, community helping community,” said Brittany Wilson, moderator of the Buy Nothing Grand Rapids FB page. “It is kind of a combination of the idea of like the old freecycle pages where ‘I have this item, I'm giving it away. Whoever comes to get it, comes to get it.’ But it's also a place where people can ask for community assistance.”
Common items you’ll find on Buy Nothing Grand Rapids are diapers and baby formula, but there’s also furniture, electronics and everything in between. Wilson said an entire hot tub was recently given away. In most cases, the items are claimed on a first come first served basis.
“We don't really stipulate how people give away their things. Occasionally, we'll have someone who's giving away something that, you know, they know they're going to get a lot of asks for, and then they'll say like, you know, I'm going to put everybody's name in and do like a raffle or something,” Wilson said. “But a lot of times it is, you know, first come first served.”
The concept of Buy Nothing serves two purposes, she said. It helps people get rid of clutter, and it allows others to get things they need. The Grand Rapids FB page, which now has more than 12,000 members, also encourages the reusing of items, so nothing gets wasted.
“The environmental focus is trying to reduce the consumption of new products when there are products out in the community that aren't being used, that are still perfectly usable,” Wilson said. “A big one that's pretty much every day is ‘I have all of these moving boxes,’ and then people saying ‘I'm moving, I need a bunch of boxes.’ And so I'm sure there are some boxes that have gone through five or six people in the group.”
The Buy Nothing Grand Rapids Facebook page is not affiliated with the nationwide non-profit organization, but it uses the same concept. As moderator of the page, Wilson keeps an eye on what’s being posted and how the members are interacting with each other.
“We ask people to, you know, be kind and not be judgmental. We have people that come in and ask for some of their basic needs that they're struggling with,” she said. “Overall, the community is very positive, and everybody really works together to support each other. They work together to support sort of the moderation team as well. And it's just been really positive.”
There are no cash transactions, and, in a lot of cases, you never even have direct contact with other people. You just leave the item outside to be picked up.
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