The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan: Discover the Joy of Spending Less, Sharing More, and Living Generously

 The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan: Discover the Joy of Spending Less, Sharing More, and Living Generously by Liesl Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller 288 pages 

Liesl Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller are good friends who live with their families in the pacific northwest. One day when they were at the beach with their kids, their eyes were opened to how littered the beaches were. This upset them very much to see their beloved beautiful beach to resemble more of a landfill with every day plastic trash washing up. At first, they decided to fix things in their own home to help them reduce what would go to the landfill (things like shopping bulk bins, composting, ect). However, they then got the idea to launch a local "Buy Nothing," facebook group. The group was meant for people in their local area to ask and give "gifts" to each other so that people wouldn't have to go out and buy brand new items (which can hurt both your wallet and the environment). For example, if you want to take your family on a camping trip but do not have a tent, instead of going out and purchasing a brand new tent, you would ask your local buy nothing group if anyone had an extra tent they were no longer using or if someone would be willing to let you borrow one for your trip. The buy nothing groups also ask you to give, which can really help if you are decluttering your home. For example, you have a baby swing you used with your children but you will no longer be having any babies, so you can ask your local buy nothing group if anyone has any use for a baby swing (more often than not, people are more than willing to take things off your hands). This gives the item a new life and prevents it from ending up in the landfill. The idea of this buy nothing is not only helpful to the environment, to your finances, but most importantly of all, it helps build community. Having an active "buy nothing" group allows you to meet neighbors you may otherwise have not, and also creates a support network for neighbors in need. 

I LOVED this book. What an amazing idea.