My new addiction: buying nothing

I have a confession to make. I LOVE buying nothing. In fact it has become so addictive that I find myself looking at what I can declutter or get my hands on BEFORE I go shopping. I owe this addiction to Buy Nothing Facebook groups in the Toowoomba region.

Since joining my local Buy Nothing group for the suburb I live in I have found myself checking out what is on offer daily. I also keep looking around my house to Marie Kondo the crap out of it. Things I haven’t unpacked fully in 2.5 years (yep!) and things I haven’t used for a few months. What I find to be most addictive is how gifting things to people in the group feels. You can choose the cadence of which you give back to the community, you help peoples’ hip pocket, you stop adding waste to the environment. It really is a triple whammy. The only struggle I have now is ensuring I don’t get things before I need them.

For those who haven’t experienced the Buy Nothing Facebook groups, it is time to get on the bandwagon especially as house prices rise and cost of living is increasingly stealing more of your income week in week out. To participate well you need to ensure that you are only a member of one group and then follow these basic rules:

·      Gift anything you don’t want

·      Ask for anything you would like or desire to borrow temporarily

·      Use your manners to be considered for the item

·      Accept who the gfiter chooses to give the item to

·      Sit back and wait for someone to tag you in your gifting post so you can give your goods away or wait for the tag to tell you it is collection time for that item you want.

In these groups people genuinely want to give back to the community. They are serious about the intentions of the groups and there is an absence of mass spam thanks to excellent organisation and management from the group admins. All of these things combined, plus the fact that you can have new* things without spending a cent makes for an environment of pure fun.

So, if you are like me and need a few things around the house, don’t want to damage the environment from your wastage and want to keep your head afloat during inflation these groups are for you. Search for one near you and start enjoying it!

Find your local Buy Nothing group today! Go to https://buynothingproject.org/ to learn more and participate in this awesome initiative.