Sharing Communities Filled with Free Treasures Are Heating Up in the Hudson Valley

Buy Nothing. Give Freely. Share Creativity - this is what Buy Nothing is all about, and there are a number of local Buy Nothing groups that are providing for the communities they are based out of here in the Hudson Valley area.

Originating back in 2013 when two friends in Washington state decided to test out what they call an 'experimental hyper-local gift economy' has now turned into a global trend, and it's thriving here in the Hudson Valley.

Essentially, groups of local community members come together on Facebook to give and receive, share, lend and express.

According to buynothingproject.org:

Whether people join because they'd like to quickly get rid of things that are cluttering their lives, or simply to save money by getting things for free, they quickly discover that our groups are not just another free recycling platform.

The rules of these groups are simple, but stern, and for a good reason.  The connections are geared to be formed between people who are real life neighbors, so that's why you must only be part of only ONE Buy Nothing group, the one for the area in which you live.

Members are instructed to participate as themselves, using their personal Facebook account.  They are asked to keep it civil, keep it legal, respect their neighbors, and share items with NO strings attached - no cost, no advertising, no trading, no expectation of a reward or anything in return, simply just give things that you have an abundance of or no longer use.

Ana Lynn, a New Paltz resident is a group administrator and founder of the 'Buy Nothing New Paltz, NY' page shared the following.

Our New Paltz Buy Nothing Group is amazing and I would love to see more groups being started in the area, especially in urban areas like Poughkeepsie.

The New Paltz page was established in January of 2019, and has more than 2500 members.  A scroll through postings from the past 24 hours include items such as home furnishings, food items, clothing and even a fish.

A quick Facebook search showed active Buy Nothing Groups for the following local communities: Poughkeepsie, Peekskill/Ossining/Croton & More, Highland , Ossining/Briarcliff/Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown, Caramel/Mahopac, New Windsor/Cornwall/Washingtonville, Beacon/Glenham/Chelsea, Sullivan County, Cortlandt Manor/Surrounding Areas, Newburgh, Kingston/Rosendale, Monroe/Harriman, and Saugerties.

To begin sharing in your local area search for 'buy nothing' in the Facebook search bar, find your local group, and answer the required group admission questions.

If you don't have a Buy Nothing group specific to your area, information on how to start your own group can be found here.