The Joy of Requesting Gifts in Your Buy Nothing Group

Have you ever requested a specific gift in your Buy Nothing Group? Last week, we requested some new toy cars, and they were the perfect little gift to light up my boys on a Friday afternoon!

This is part of our How To Master Secondhand Shopping Resource Guide.

I’ve written at length about my love for our local Buy Nothing Group. Our lovely neighbor administers our local group, and she does a wonderful job of creating community and connection through this exchange group.

While it’s rewarding and environmentally responsible to pass things along to neighbors who can use them instead of throwing our things in the trash, it’s also pretty amazing to have a place to request specific items from our neighbors. Did you know that Buy Nothing Groups encourage gifting as well as requesting items from your neighbors?

Our Buy Nothing Group administrator does a great job of leading by example. She occasionally requests a specific item she would like or reminds others to make a wish for something they desire to set the tone that the group is for gifting as well as asking.

Last week, my boys were creating all sorts of competitive games with toy cars. Several times, they asked to head to the store and buy more cars for their racing tournaments and to fill their LEGO car garages. After many requests from them, I headed to our Buy Nothing Group page and asked my neighbors if they had any extra cars to share.

Within just a few hours, a neighbor offered five extra cars. On the way home from the grocery store, we swung by their house to grab them. My younger son was delighted when he opened the bag from their porch to find new-to-him racing cars for their games and garages.

My two boys continue to play with these cars every day. They have planned car drafts, created tournament brackets, and built more infrastructure for their growing collection.

We gave away most of our toy cars in our Buy Nothing Group about a year ago because I thought they had outgrown these toys. They almost never played with them, so we found a new home for them.

As my boys circle back to an interest in racing toy cars, our Buy Nothing Group has been a perfect way to complete the loop of gifting and receiving to make the most of the things we already have and share our abundance with our neighbors.

Have you ever requested something in your Buy Nothing Group? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.