The Buy Nothing Revolution

When Lisa’s kid outgrew her snow boots in October, she didn’t drive to Target. She posted in her neighborhood Buy Nothing group: “Size 3 boots needed.” Within an hour, three neighbors offered pairs. She picked one up from a porch two blocks away, left her daughter’s old boots for the next family, and saved $60.

But here’s the real magic: she also picked up fresh eggs from the neighbor’s chickens, got invited to a upcoming potluck, and learned that the guy in the blue house does bike repairs. No money changed hands. No transactions happened. Just neighbors taking care of neighbors.

Welcome to the Buy Nothing revolution—where the economy runs on generosity, not greed.

What Is Buy Nothing?

Buy Nothing is a global network of hyper-local Facebook groups (and increasingly other platforms) where neighbors give, ask, share, and receive—all without money. Need a ladder for one afternoon? Ask. Have extra tomatoes from your garden? Give. Want to borrow a formal dress? Someone’s got three.

Started in 2013 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, Buy Nothing has exploded to over 7,000 groups serving millions of people worldwide. But it’s more than a sharing platform—it’s a direct challenge to consumer capitalism.

Why Buy Nothing Matters

Capitalism thrives on dissatisfaction. Advertisers spend billions convincing us we’re not enough, don’t have enough, need the newest thing. The result? We work more to buy more, never arriving at “enough.” We’re exhausted, broke, and drowning in stuff.

Buy Nothing flips the script: What if we already have everything we need—we just need to share it?

The average American household contains 300,000 items. Most power drills are used for 13 minutes total in their lifetime. We buy bread makers that gather dust, baby gear used for months, formal wear worn once. All that consumption fills landfills, drains bank accounts, and isolates us in individual consumerism.

Buy Nothing says: what if we just… stopped?

How Buy Nothing Works

The rules are simple:

• Give freely - no strings attached, no expectation of return
• Ask for what you need - without shame or apology
• Keep it local - your specific neighborhood only
• No selling or trading - pure gift economy
• Build relationships - this isn’t Craigslist, it’s community

You join your local group (find one at buynothingproject.org), introduce yourself, and start participating.

Giving looks like:

• “I have five moving boxes, porch pickup anytime”
• “My garden is overflowing with zucchini, come grab some”
• “Cleaning out my closet, size 10 women’s clothes available”

Asking looks like:

• “Anyone have a suitcase I can borrow for a week?”
• “Looking for art supplies for my kid’s school project”
• “Need some encouragement—rough week”

Sharing looks like:

• “My tools are available to borrow, here’s what I have”
• “I can help with resume reviews if anyone needs it”
• “Babysitting swap, anyone interested?”

What Actually Happens

First Month: Practical You get rid of stuff cluttering your house. You borrow instead of buying. You save money. It feels like smart consumption.

Third Month: Social You start recognizing names. Someone you gave books to offers you a plant. You chat on porches during exchanges. You realize half these people live within three blocks.

Six Months: Transformative A neighbor texts when your package arrives. Someone drops off soup when you mention being sick. Your kid finds playmates. You stop seeing your neighborhood as houses with strangers—you see it as a web of mutual care.

One Year: Revolutionary You’ve stopped buying most things. When you need something, you ask. When you have surplus, you share. You’ve saved thousands of dollars. More importantly, you have community. When crisis hits—job loss, illness, disaster—you have a network that shows up.

Real Stories from Real Groups

Seattle, Washington: During pandemic lockdowns, Buy Nothing groups transformed into mutual aid networks. Members organized grocery deliveries for immunocompromised neighbors, created meal chains for healthcare workers, and distributed homemade masks. What started as free stuff became survival infrastructure.

Rural Maine: A small town’s Buy Nothing group saved the local school’s music program. When budget cuts threatened to eliminate instruments, the group sourced 40 instruments through asks and gives. Kids who couldn’t afford lessons found neighbors willing to teach for free.

Phoenix, Arizona: One group calculated they collectively saved over $500,000 in a single year through sharing. But the real wealth? The single mom who never has to buy kids’ clothes, the elderly man who gets rides to appointments, the immigrant family learning English through friendly exchanges.

Beyond Stuff: The Gift Economy

Buy Nothing isn’t just about material items—it’s about rebuilding a gift economy that capitalism tried to destroy.

Gifts Create Bonds Unlike transactions, gifts create relationships. When you give freely, without expectation, you signal trust. When you ask and receive, you acknowledge interdependence. Gift economies run on connection, not scarcity.

Skills Are Gifts Too The carpenter who helps fix fences. The accountant who does someone’s taxes. The musician who gives piano lessons. Buy Nothing groups quickly evolve beyond stuff to become skill-sharing networks.

Time Is a Gift Babysitting swaps. Dog walking. Garden help. Giving time is often more valuable than giving things—and it builds deeper relationships.

The Environmental Impact

Every shared item is an item not manufactured, not shipped, not destined for a landfill. Buy Nothing members report:

• 80% reduction in new purchases
• Tons of items diverted from waste
• Decreased carbon footprint from less consumption and shipping
• Repair culture (people learn to fix instead of replace)

When we share resources, we lighten our collective footprint while meeting everyone’s needs.

How to Start or Join

Find Your Group Visit buynothingproject.org and search for your neighborhood. If one doesn’t exist, start one. You’ll need Facebook initially (the main platform) though groups are expanding to other platforms.

Show Up Authentically Introduce yourself. Be real. “Hi, I’m Jamie, I live on Oak Street with two kids and a very vocal cat. Excited to meet neighbors and share resources.”

Start Small Give something easy—extra hangers, surplus vegetables, books you’ve finished. Make your first ask simple—a jar to borrow, advice on a local plumber.

Say Yes When someone posts an offer you want, speak up. When someone asks for help you can provide, step in. Showing up builds the network.

Give Without Expectation Don’t track who gives you what. Don’t expect reciprocity. Trust the abundance of community.

The Deeper Revolution

Here’s what Buy Nothing really challenges:

The Myth of Scarcity Capitalism requires us to believe there’s not enough—that we must compete, hoard, protect. Gift economies prove abundance: when we share, everyone has enough.

The Isolation of Individualism Consumer culture wants us isolated in individual homes, buying individual goods, solving individual problems. Buy Nothing rebuilds the web of mutual dependence that makes communities resilient.

The Commodification of Everything When we give freely, we remember: not everything is for sale. Relationships, help, kindness, generosity—these exist outside the market. That’s radical.

Common Concerns

“What if people take advantage?” They rarely do. Gift economies run on social accountability. If someone only takes and never gives, the community notices. Most people naturally balance asking and giving.

“What about safety?” Meet in public if you’re uncomfortable. Porch pickup removes face-to-face contact if preferred. Most groups develop trust over time.

“I don’t have anything to give.” Yes, you do. Time, skills, encouragement, surplus food, outgrown items, tools you rarely use. Everyone has gifts.

“This can’t replace the whole economy.” Maybe not. But it can drastically reduce dependence on it. And every dollar not spent is a vote against exploitation.

Start Today

1. Join your local Buy Nothing group (or start one)
2. Introduce yourself
3. Post one give this week
4. Post one ask this week
5. Show up to exchanges with curiosity, not just stuff

This isn’t charity. This isn’t decluttering. This is building the economy we wish existed—one where everyone’s needs are met through care, not cash.

The revolution won’t be purchased. It will be given, shared, borrowed, and received—freely, joyfully, abundantly.

Ready to buy nothing and gain everything? Join the movement. Because when we share, we all have enough.