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How to Use a Buy Nothing Group to Save Money

Sarah Li Cain • October 16, 2024

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Saving money can be more than clipping coupons, packing a lunch to work, and committing to a spending challenge.

You can also save money by getting clothes, household items, and furniture for free online.

You read that right. There are people living close to you who are committed to helping their neighborhood and creating a positive impact through their local Buy Nothing groups.

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What is a Buy Nothing group?

Buy Nothing groups are online communities, often on Facebook or apps like Nextdoor, where you can give away or receive items for free.¹

These groups aim to nurture a hyperlocal community – like your neighborhood – where you help each other out without expecting anything in return. Instead of buying new items, you can reuse what someone else no longer needs.

It saves you money, and it also allows you to get to know your neighbors. Plus, it can help you reduce waste. In 2023 alone, the fashion industry produced 97 million tons of waste, and there are estimates of 92 tons of of clothes being thrown away each year.²

Buy Nothing groups are online communities where you can give away and receive items for free.

How does a Buy Nothing group work?

Let’s say your child has outgrown their clothes and your neighbor down the street needs new clothes for her daughter. You arrange a time for her to pick it up after she responds to your post offering to give the clothes away. This same neighbor, after decluttering her garage, finds two small bikes. She offers it to anyone in her local Buy Nothing group.

You can even ask for or request items. All you need to do is create a post in your Buy Nothing group, and members can respond if they have the item you want or post a photo of it to see if you’re interested.

How much can I save? 

How much you can save depends on the value of items you get instead of buying them. However, you can generally save some money, since you’re not buying it new.

In many cases, there are generous neighbors who give away valuable items that are well-loved in and in excellent condition. If you’re willing to be patient for an item you want, you could save a decent amount of money.

Say you were looking to switch up your exercise routine, but don’t want to spend a ton of money buying new equipment. Instead, you browse your Buy Nothing group to see what’s on offer. You see a post from a member offering a set of five and 10-pound weights and you arrange a time and place to pick these up.

If each set of weights costs you about $25, you’ve just saved $50.

Or, if you have a young child, many neighbors on Buy Nothing groups give away baby and toddler items. Many could be in great shape since they are used for a short amount of time. For example, you may be able to score a gently used car seat, saving you at least $100 depending on the brand.

How to join a Buy Nothing group

The best place to start is by heading to The Buy Nothing™ Project website and downloading the app. There, you’ll find registered Buy Nothing groups — you can search for over 128,000 groups with one or more in your local area.¹ Once you sign up, you can start offering or requesting items on the app’s home feed.

You may also be able to find Buy Nothing groups on Facebook — do a search to see what pops up. Some admins of these groups may enforce which areas members need to live in to join. Before being accepted into the Facebook group, some might ask qualifying questions like the street you live on and that you agree to give freely within the group.

Three other places to get things for free: The Freecycle Network, Trash Nothing community, and Nextdoor's "Free Finds."

Find similar resources to save money

There are more places where you can get free items other than your Buy Nothing group.

Dig around these ones and see what treasures you can find:

  • The Freecycle Network™: Browse through towns or local areas where people give away items for free.³ Freecycle also allows you to create a smaller friends circle where you freely give away and receive items amongst friends or acquaintances.
  • Trash Nothing community: Visit the group’s website to see what items others are giving away for free in your area.⁴ The search function lets you look beyond your immediate area and as far as 100 miles away.
  • Nextdoor: It’s more than a place to learn about your neighbors. The website’s “Free Finds” section is sorted by neighborhood, where you can find posts of items on offer.⁵

Buy Nothing groups or other similar communities are a great way to save money, get to know your neighbors, and declutter items you no longer need. Start by finding a group near you and seeing what treasures are out there.

Grow your savings
  • No monthly fees
  • Automatic Savings features
  • 2.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY)~
Get Started