Most of us have it: that pile of stuff that occupies too much space in our too-small apartments and in our minds. Sometimes it’s a bag of clothes you have been meaning to take to Goodwill for ages, a defunct printer you keep attempting to fix or an appliance you think you’re going to get some use out of some day. For me, it was a brass industrial lamp that sat in the corner of my living room for six months.

In January, I discovered the Buy Nothing project, a movement with groups all over the world that provides a community platform for gift economies. In these groups, users can give away or lend any item, or they can ask for something they need. The main rule is that everything must be given for free — no buying, selling, trading or bartering. 

“Buy Nothing exhibits this philosophy of reaching out to neighbors, building relationships and sharing whenever possible,” said Arwen Lavengood Davis, co-administrator of “Buy Nothing Eugene (South), OR,” one of Eugene’s three Buy Nothing groups. 

The goals of the movement are to reduce unnecessary consumerism and encourage fostering relationships with members of your community. Whether one is giving a screwdriver or a couch, Buy Nothing views “all gifts as equal; the human connection is the value,” according to the Buy Nothing project website.

Scrolling through the group feed will give you an idea of both the community’s generosity and what kind of items are given in the community. In short, you can give or request almost anything. In a few weeks of scrolling through the page, I was amazed at the range of items people offer to give: children’s clothes, cooked meals, packing peanuts, bookcases, live chickens, house plants, kitchen appliances, rain boots and a deer carcass, to name a few.

“Buy Nothing was the perfect way to align my values with giving in the community,” Merry Love, a co-administrator of the group, said. “I love the minimalist, Marie Kondo-esque philosophy and regularly parting with possessions I don’t need. On the flip side, the anti-consumer, second-hand loving side of me was excited to have a way to find things I might need that would result in purchasing less new stuff.”

Being a part of Buy Nothing has made me rethink the way I determine the value of an item. This group brings new meaning to the phrase “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” One person claimed a tangle of broken guitar strings for an art project. Another offers trash bags full of empty plastic bread bags to use as dog waste bags.

A couple weeks ago, I finally decided to snap a few photos of that lamp and post it on the group. Five minutes later, it was claimed. Two hours later, it was out of my house and in the home of someone who was excited to use it as their new reading lamp. I was amazed at the lack of effort that went into making someone else’s day.

In terms of sustainability and ethical exchange, giving directly through Buy Nothing trumps giving to Goodwill or other thrift stores, because it guarantees that an item will go to someone in your community who will use it and not to a store that would either sell it for a much higher price than free or may not even sell it at all. 

“I feel strongly about the model of a gift economy and of reducing, reusing and recycling whenever possible,” Davis said.

The classic saying goes that it is better to give than to receive. Even better than getting a gently used air-fryer for free is helping to ensure that everyone in your community is taken care of and receives the aid they need.

“We all have personal resources to share, whether they are things, skills or knowledge,” co-administrator Hillary Avis said.

To find a local Buy Nothing project group, visit buynothingproject.org.