I could go on for days about the downsides of Facebook. The endless doomscrolling, the false information, the thing where you’re suddenly perusing through back-to-school pics of that one college friend’s cousin you randomly added 15 years ago. There are plenty of things wrong with the book of faces, but one thing it gets right is the groups. I was introduced to Buy Nothing groups several years ago, but I didn’t take advantage until recently. I joined my local group about a year ago, and it has been a great experience.
What is a Buy Nothing Group?
The Buy Nothing Project started as a social experiment in 2013 by a group of friends in Washington. They wanted to build a “gift economy” where neighbors could gift items instead of buying new things. Saving money, reducing waste, and building community are some of the goals of the group. It’s a similar concept to donating to a thrift store, but it cuts out some of the in-between steps, like actually dropping off the donations and the recipient having to purchase the donated items.
How to Find a Group:
Since one of the goals of the group is to build connections among real-life neighbors, you are only allowed to join one hyper-local Buy Nothing group. I found my group by searching on Facebook. I live in the Bluff Park area of Hoover, so I searched “Buy Nothing group Hoover, AL.” Facebook did a great job of populating a lot of local options. In that quick search, it gave me the options to join:
- Buy Nothing Hoover, AL
- Buy Nothing Hoover, Pelham and Surrounding Communities
- Buy Nothing Hueytown, AL
- No Buy Helena, AL
- Buy Nothing Homewood, AL
- Buy Nothing Birmingham, AL
You should join the group that is most hyper-local to you to avoid traveling long distances for pickups. I requested to join the Hoover, AL group. Facebook will prompt you to answer a few questions, and then you should be admitted to the group.
The Rules:
The Buy Nothing Project has 10 rules that apply to every group. In my opinion, they are pretty standard and can be found at this link.
The particular Hoover group I joined has a few additional rules as well:
- Must be zoned for Hoover City Schools – This is to ensure proximity to pickup locations.
- One hyper-local gifting group – It’s tempting to join multiple groups, but it’s best to only join one that covers the area where you live.
- Give from your own abundance – Meaning only comment on a post if you have something of your own to give. Refrain from promoting local businesses or other selling groups.
- No cash or cash equivalents – No requests for cash donations of any kind are allowed.
The Dopamine Hit
As you are doing your back-to-school and pre-holiday purging, find something to give away and try out your local Buy Nothing group. Maybe you decide to give away last year’s backpack that’s still in great condition. Simply post a picture of the backpack with a little description and where to pick it up. Enjoy the hit of dopamine when someone claims the item and picks it up.
If you’re looking for something, you can make a post requesting a particular item. Simply create a post that says: In Search of (ISO) – water table for kids. If someone has one to get rid of, they’ll comment! Easy peasy!
