What started several years ago as a way to help the planet has grown into a global movement that's helping neighbors save money and feel more connected.
Have you ever heard of the gift economy? Think old-school trading and bartering on a hyper-local level. Everything from clothes, to garden supplies and car seats.
The trend is taking off in Detroit's Boston-Edison neighborhood. Katelyn Schaffer and her family just moved into their home in the neighborhood, and she's expecting baby number two and didn't have any winter maternity clothes.
Instead of buying something, she jumped on the neighborhood's "buy nothing" group on Facebok.
“When somebody posted on there that they had their entire maternity collection that they were trying to get rid of, I jumped on it. And It lasted to point where I didn’t have to buy any maternity clothes," Schaffer said.
Schaffter thinks it probably saved her $500.
The "buy nothing" concept started nearly a decade ago, and it's exactly what it sounds like.
“Your money is no good here," Leisl Clark, the co-founder of the Buy Nothing Project, said.
The Boston-Edison group started in April 2022 as an off-shoot of a global movement, whose co-founder was focused on cutting down on plastics.
“Try to share more rather than going out and buying something that your neighbor might have that’s perfectly reusable," Clark said.
Globally, the Buy Nothing Project now has more than 7,000 off-shoot groups like the on in Detroit, and an app that can find groups near you. There are several in metro Detroit, from Midtown to Auburn Hills, all hyper-local.
“I found that it’s actually really helped me make connections with a lot of people on different streets because I’m like oh that’s the person who gave me some baskets for my classroom," Josie Silver, the co-founder of the Boston-Edison group, said.
Of course, donating to a local charity or thrift store is always an option. The idea behind this promotes neighborhood connections while battling inflation woes.
Porch exchanges were more popular at the height of the pandemic, and they still happen. But, in-person connections are what's really fueling this.
Schaffer has also given away items through the group. The maternity clothes she won't need, she'll offer up to another neighbor.
“We all want to be a part of a community. The whole “it takes a village” to raise a child, I think it pertains to children but it also pertains to being human and feeling like you have community," Schaffer said.
