Buying Nothing

"The propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another is common to all men and to be found in no other race of animals." --- Adam Smith 

 I am 100% Irish, going back at least 4 generations, so the concept of bartering, working out exchanges, and making a good deal comes naturally to me. We Irish have the "Gift of Gab" or, as my father always put it, "Brenda, you could talk a dog off a meat wagon." It's been a helpful skill at times, to be able to negotiate and talk to people and come to an agreement. When anyone in our house needs to buy a new car, I am the closer. When that moment comes and the dealer slides a piece of paper over the desk with the price for a car? That's when I come off the bench. Ask anyone who's ever sold me a car, I'm ruthless. 

 However, my friends will tell you that if they need something, I will not hesitate to help them. It's never a negotiation when someone I care about needs something. That's when I show up, requested or not, and say, "What do you need?" That doesn't make me special, not even a little. It's just what people do. I've been on the receiving end of it and helping someone is never something that I view as an earning opportunity. Still, I have benefitted from being given help, whether it's an item I need or a recommendation, and I hope that I have always been willing to help others when they need something. 

 Recently, the concept of bartering and helping others came up. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have a more than minor addiction to online shopping. Whether it's eBay late at night or the local garage and closet pages on Facebook, I'm there, on the daily, scoping out the deals. The clothing pages aren't a big deal, because, apparently everyone except me is a size triple zero, so items that would cover my big Irish butt don't come up that often. If you need any Lululemon pants in a size 2, however, check out Marblehead Closet. The local Buy Nothing page is another matter altogether, however. I love the rules. It's not about being number one in line to say you want something. It's not about first dibs. It's about someone having something they don't want to just toss away. It's about trying to reduce, reuse and recycle. 

Back in the day, when my kids were little, I refused to buy the Little Tykes climbing structures, the Cozy Coupe cars, and other outdoor toys, because I just knew I could find them at yard sales. Why buy all that new plastic, if I can buy something someone else isn't using anymore? I'm not Sustainable Susie, but I try to reduce my consumption when I can. This week, however, I had something to give away. I purchased a great blanket on a local yard sale page. It was precisely what I needed for my "writing nook" in my living room and I was thrilled to get it for a low price. I didn't realize right away that it had fringe, and fringe bugs me, so I was looking for someone else who might want it. I listed it on a local free page and the interaction I got was amazing! Not everyone wanted it, but that wasn't the point. The point was, I had an item that I didn't need, and maybe there was someone else who could use it. 

The Buy Nothing pages are a national trend, set up as local outlets for people to offer what they have, to someone who might need it. It's been referred to as the old scenario of going to a neighbor and asking to borrow a cup of sugar. Of course, when you do that, you are nice, and you ask politely, and if you have extra sugar, you happily give it to your neighbor because that is what decent people do. So, I offered this blanket, and it now has a new home, and I'm thrilled. I think sometimes we place too much value on the "stuff" we own. We remember what we paid for it when it was new, so when we consider getting rid of it, we think it must be valuable. Not always. Not everyone would appreciate the gold-painted pottery pug dog I got or my martini shaker that looks like a penguin, but they are both on a shelf I can see when I'm working in my writing nook. They were items someone else didn't need, and now I have them, and they make me happy. That's a win in my book. 

 Are there items in your home that you just don't need or want? Maybe someone else would give them a home? Maybe if you offered something to the community, in a karmic sense that would come back to you? That's what I think anyway. The thrill of looking for items you need, finding just that special something, and having someone gift it to you is quite something. Try it sometime. Oh, and items are not sold on Buy Nothing pages, so please don't say sold. Tell your story, explain what you need, or what you are offering. It's a way to connect, and I promise you won't be sorry you did. Cheers, and happy gifting!