Give it away give it away give it away now

I am deep in the black hole that is Facebook’s ‘Buy Nothing’ group. Got stuff to purge? Post it here. Need something you just KNOW someone wants to offload (cardboard moving boxes, coat hangers, pet carriers, old iPhones)? Just put out an ask and your wish will be gratified.

Buy Nothing groups are hyper-local — usually just a couple of kms square — so there’s no driving around the city hording up crap. I am a deep-dish cheapskate but since Buy Nothing I’ve become an even more extreme tightwad. Why should I pay real money for some stupid plastic thingamajig when my next-block-neighbour already has one they want to get rid of, that just needs a little scrub-up to be good as new? 

My friend Ariel’s auntie just moved here from Scotland with a truckload of fine European yarns (thousands of dollars’ worth), a box of pattern books, and a crate of knitting needles. She fobbed the stuff off on Ariel, and Ariel offered it all to me, knowing that wool is my consumer Achiles’ heel. I declined the needles and books but couldn’t turn down the wool. Jenn and I selected what we wanted, then I divvied the remainder into 4 big bags and posted them to Buy Nothing. The fine green wool went to a baby-blanket knitter, the chunky red to a sweater maker, the pinks and blues to a newbie with an offer of knitting lessons, and all the synthetics to a teacher for children to learn knitting. Spreading the love.

It is rare that something goes unclaimed: a plastic clock shaped like an elephant, clock not working? There’s takers! A half box of Borax? Bidding war! Quality furniture or a bra that’s lost its stretch – almost everything finds a (new) home. I’ve given away a bunch of art textbooks, a shower curtain, a window blind, a rolling pin, a quart of ice cream and a bag of frozen chicken bones. Have garnered a hair clipper, a foam roller, wood to make shelving, a dictaphone to borrow, and a bag of Turkish delight.

I meet my neighbours. I visit their homes. I hear their stories. It’s not just thrifty and enviro-ish, it’s also social and fun.

Stuff is a burden, it needs to move. Set your stuff free. Ask for what you need. Sell your soul to Facebook and buy nothing.