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When LiMin Hang Fields was fixing a leaking toilet in her Northern Virginia home, she got stuck about halfway through the task.
She then did some research and realized there was a specific tool that she needed to finish the job. She logged onto Facebook and immediately went to her neighborhood’s “Buy Nothing” page.
She crafted a post, asking someone if she’d be able to borrow the tool. But then, the person who had it ended up meeting Hang Fields at her home and fixing the toilet for her.
“He was handy with that kind of thing,” Hang Fields said. “That saved me the cost of hiring a handyman to fix this. There’s the gift of items, but then there’s also people willing to give the gift of time.”
And that’s largely the point.
The Buy Nothing movement has over 7 million participants, according to its website. It uses social media pages, often Facebook, to help neighbors give away or pick up items that they may need.
But it’s less about getting an item for free and more about establishing a connection.
“The idea is all of these things have value, and that the real connection that we’re getting from giving a paper clip or a car or pots and pans or whatever it might be, is the human connection we’re making in between,” said Kristi Guidry, who was a part of Reston’s Buy Nothing pages before launching a different variation, Reston Shares, using the same principles.
Hang Fields first learned about Buy Nothing when she moved into her first condo in Old Town Alexandria after she got pregnant with her first child. Someone mentioned it would be a helpful resource for baby items and maternity clothing.
She quickly used it for that purpose, seeking out baby clothes and toys. Her kids are now almost 6 and 4 1/2 years old, “and I still haven’t bought clothes for them, because I just keep getting hand-me-downs from the group. And then from there, it kind of expanded to everything else,” Hang Fields said.
The logistics are simple. Somebody in the neighborhood page, in her case Alexandria Old Town North, suggests that they either are searching for an item or are giving one away. It usually requires an administrator’s approval to join a social media group.
Some people give an item to the first person to respond, while others wait about a day. The two parties coordinate logistics, Hang Fields said. She usually leaves items she’s giving away in a bin in front of her town house.
Some neighbors give away kitchen items or furniture, Hang Fields said, and she received a half dozen eggs recently because somebody bought too many and was giving some away.
‘Put yourself out there a little bit and we can all win.’
Many of the things hanging on her walls were received through Buy Nothing, Hang Fields said, and she got furniture through the group too. She’s even picked up items as small as sticky note pads or pens.
“As a young mother, I don’t know how much, in thousands, I saved from this group because of all of the clothes, books, bottles, swings, everything that I got from the group that normally you’d be paying money for, you’d have relatives paying for you,” Hang Fields said.
Sometimes, moms will ask for a few days worth of diapers just to get by until their next paycheck comes in, Hang Fields said, and people will give them “the diapers they need to get through it.”
Meanwhile, one of Guidry’s first asks in her group, she said, was a candy thermometer. Her kids wanted to make candied apples, and she anticipated having to spend around $30 online to buy one. She was reluctant, though, suspecting it may only be used once.
She posted in the group asking if anybody had one, and within a day, she was offered a candy thermometer. The woman who gifted it to her is now one of her closest friends, she said.
“A candy thermometer or a cast iron pan, something so small like that can really bring people together,” Guidry said. “And again, by not having to just throw it out, and you know who it’s going to or where it’s going, you’re saving space in the landfill, saving money. There’s just a lot of community benefits there.“
The rules are simple, Guidry said. There are only three types of posts typically allowed in Buy Nothing groups, and she’s given a little bit of leeway in Reston Shares. Posts can only be to offer a gift, ask for a gift or say thank you for a gift that’s been received.
Some people have given away fish tanks, power tools, furniture and food, Guidry said. It’s common for a neighbor to cook too much food, “and then at the end of the day offer it, and the food goes. You’d be amazed,” she said.
In one group, a woman is gifting an $800 embroidery machine that works but needs to be serviced, Guidry said. She wants to make sure it ends up with someone who will sew at home on a regular basis.
In some cases, Guidry said people are reluctant to join a group because of internet safety. She checks every profile and makes sure that when they enter their information, they share their address and that it’s actually in the community the page is for.
And she does her best to make sure spammers don’t get admitted too.
“That’s probably one of the scariest things for people right now is to trust each other,” Guidry said. “And again, you have to protect yourself through that process. But, you know, put yourself out there a little bit and we can all win.“
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