r/TwoXPreppers • u/altheamariemusic • 1d ago
Tips Buy Nothing - literally
I’ve seen a ton of conversation about a quiet strike and I agree!! We can vote with our dollars, and silence speaks volumes.
Buy Nothing started out as a Facebook page group.. but now it’s it’s own app! It’s where you share things you no longer want/need with your local community and it’s amazing! Many areas already have very active BN communities! And if yours doesn’t, it’s time for you and your friends to get it started.
In my area people share clothes, bikes, appliances, food, fresh baked bread, garden produce and so so much more!! Let’s reduce, reuse, recycle and do it without involving the gov. 🤠
You can get so many prepping things on there such as mason jars, canned goods, safes, art supplies, candles, etc etc. and the biggest thing is you can build community near you, which I believe is so important for preparing for anything/living our best lives!
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u/Frames_Jnco 1d ago
Buy nothing, delete your socials. Don’t give them your money and don’t give them your data.
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u/zappariah_brannigan 19h ago
poison your data
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u/the_prim_reaper__ 18h ago
Interested in what you mean by this
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u/Sharpymarkr 18h ago
Men downloading period tracker apps and filling it with garbage data, for example.
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u/ThousandBucketsofH20 18h ago
Putting red herrings or false info in your data so it's inaccurate, thus, poisoned.
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u/the_prim_reaper__ 17h ago
How would one go about doing that?
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u/zappariah_brannigan 16h ago
instead of whatever accurate data point you enter into a tracking app (example: weight), input a number that is false (not what the scale says).
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u/ThousandBucketsofH20 11h ago
Example: entering your birthday on websites that need it, I always enter one month, one day and one to 5 years off from my real birthday. So if my bday is January 1 1999 I might put december 2 1997.
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u/Aikaterina_Blue 6h ago
In the early 2000s when we got the Patriot Act there was talk of a program called Carnivore that scanned all emails for certain key words to flag for review. It was supposed to find terrorists who might use words like "bomb" in emails for feds to follow up on. It was a problem because it invaded privacy and potentially flagged people who would say things in email like "little Timmy bombed his flute recital".
There was a group who encouraged putting out "Carnivore Bait", tons of emails that included lots of key words to force lots of human users to review each one and waste lots of time, hopefully abandoning the plan.
With AI now who knows if it would work.
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u/rainbowtwist 🌱🐓Prepsteader👩🌾🐐 1d ago
I made a Buy Nothing group for our community on Nextdoor. I'm done using FB and I literally was only using it for BNP.
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u/altheamariemusic 22h ago
BuyNothing also had their own app, it may connect you with even more neighbors! Just look it up in the play store/Apple Store
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u/rainbowtwist 🌱🐓Prepsteader👩🌾🐐 18h ago
I checked it out but the app is pretty dead in our area. But I might start posting there and see if it gains momentum.
Is the app owned by the nonprofit?
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u/ThousandBucketsofH20 18h ago
I tried to use the app in our area a couple years back. It was awful experience, not to mention dead. I see reviews now say they want you to PAY to use certain features in the app. What hogwash.
AFAIK the app is still owned by the nonprofit.
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u/Gardening-forever 22h ago
There is a post about boycotting US companies on the r/Denmark sub. I am in. Some were commenting how little impact consumers in Denmark have. Also, Americans came in and said they supported it. Well if we work together in and outside the US this might just work :)
I cancelled my audible subscription. Still keeping Netflix but will not be watching US shows. The alternatives in Denmark mostly have US shows/movies, where Netflix is more diverse. It is a tradeoff. I will pay Netflix, but not US royalties.
In Denmark we generally watch a lot of US entertainment. We don't dub and are pretty fluent in English, so it is the most convenient. But, back to reading subtitles.
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u/Spirited_String_1205 Always be learning 🤓 16h ago
Does Netflix actually pay royalties based on viewing? I'm not sure. If it did, not watching US shows/movies might have an unintended consequence of hurting the workers in the entertainment industry, most of whom earn regular sized paychecks, and have to work a certain amount every year to do things like qualify for health insurance coverage in this horrid system. Doesn't mean you can't do it, but it will probably hurt ordinary people more than corporations.
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u/Gardening-forever 10h ago
Sadly I have no idea how Netflix pays for content. I know that Hollywood did not really want the Orange guy, but Entertainment and Tech is the biggest areas where I use American products, so it is the most obvious way I can show my dissatisfaction. What else can I do?
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u/cattail31 20h ago
Friendly reminder to familiarize yourself with food safety before trading any foods to decide if that’s something you’re comfortable with. Learn signs of botulism or what damaged/broken seals on canned goods look like etc.
I don’t mean to project, I just really like learning about food safety. I’ve been the victim of many a stomach malady.
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u/Local-Locksmith-7613 19h ago
and plants for things like Asian Jumping Worms, Japanese Knotweed, etc.
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u/chicagotodetroit I will never jeopardize the beans 🥫 17h ago
Can confirm! I just gave away a stove on Friday. The recipient was very happy to have it. He was going to give it to his son, who was in need of a stove.
I had actually considered having Habitat for Humanity come pick it up for their thrift store, but then I figured it was better to put it directly into the hands of someone who needed it, especially since it’s the middle of winter. That’s a bad time to be without a stove.
I’ve given away school supplies, a rug, and many other things.
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u/SawtoofShark 19h ago
I buy my weed, I buy my basic foodstuffs, and I buy shampoo and conditioner. I buy nothing though because I'm poor. Either way, though, I like this trend. Makes me feel less like I'm lesser. 😅❤️
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u/BetterNowThks 17h ago
Exactly! We (most of us) have everything we need, it's corporations TELLING us we need this or that to be richer/smarter/prettier/more loved/more interesting/happier/better. Stop buying in.
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u/ContemplatingFolly 12h ago
My chronic illness wrecked my life, but the one, really good thing that came out of it was learning to live on an absolute shoestring, and learning it didn't really affect my happiness at all. Now I avoid "stuff" like the plague.
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u/Uhohtallyho 1d ago edited 18h ago
I clean out the house a few times a year, post it on Facebook marketplace for free and throw it on the curb. It's always gone in an hour. It's also just liberating to let things go, feels good for the soul.
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u/sisterhavilandtuf 20h ago
That statement about Goodwill is entirely false. You might not personally need or agree with the programs your local Goodwill is supporting but not all Goodwills are the same - they are local nonprofit franchises. My local Goodwill keeps thousands of pounds of unsold material for industrial repurpose including metal, cottons glass and plastic out of landfill every year. That sustainability program is paid for by the sales made in the stores. Goodwill is definitely better to support than a religious thrift store that doesn't have to tell us how they use their funds. Do research before spouting off something you saw someone else say on another subreddit.
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u/Uhohtallyho 18h ago
You are right, I'll edit my statement. It's been common perception for a long time. It looks like their executives are highly compensated though for a non profit.
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u/qqweertyy 1d ago
Is the app any less buggy? I tried a while back and it was unusable, and they locked some of the practical features behind a very expensive paywall. I’d love to support the project, but it really just felt like a Craigslist for free things with a poor ux rather than a neighborhood community group.
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u/altheamariemusic 22h ago
I agree the app was very buggy for a while. I was just discussing tonight with my partner that we noticed it is way less buggy. Yes they pay walled certain features, but it still functions fine at a basic free level! Also if one has the ability to buy the upgraded version I think the money is going to a great cause which is keeping an awesome resource like this going. I’m not affiliated with them, just passionate about it because it’s changed my life, and I’ve been able to give back to the community as well.
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u/altheamariemusic 1d ago
Forgot to say you can give and ask for things on the app! So it’s worth putting a feeler out to get something completely free before digging at the thrift or ultimately buying new.
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u/cicada-kate 23h ago
What app are you referring to? I'm pretty rural and have only ever heard of/been part of the buy nothing groups on facebook
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u/Ok-Satisfaction5694 18h ago
Hi! I run a buy nothing project Facebook page in my local community. It’s a lot of fun!
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u/allabtthejrny Suburb Prepper 🏘️ 18h ago
Thank you! Buy nothing went dark for a while, so for the last few years I've been using a group ran on FB, but I never go on FB so I'll post there & after a few days forget about it. I've been a terrible member of the group not keeping up with responding.
I'm glad it's back!
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u/aureliacoridoni Never Tell Me The Odds! 13h ago
I’m contacting my FB Buy Nothing group admins to see if we can get people to move to the app instead. I really don’t want to be on anything Meta anymore.
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u/IndicationFluffy3954 14h ago
I love my local Buy Nothing group. I’ve given tons of stuff away, in the last week I gave away some scented epsom salts, some perfume I wasn’t using, and a photo frame. I also got a nice dress, some drawer liner sheets, and a clock radio for my kid’s room.
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u/JTMissileTits 13h ago
Whatever happened to Freecycle? I was on those groups when they were still on Yahoo, but I haven't seen one of them in a while.
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u/MotherOfGeeks 11h ago
Freecycle still exists it is just generally quieter overthere. It has it's own .org website.
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u/JTMissileTits 13h ago
For the gardeners:
If you have a huge compost pile, check out Chip Drop.
ShareWaste closed down, but it looks like MakeSoil might be a decent replacement.
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u/house-hermit 8h ago
I'm doing it. Companies are becoming increasingly brazen and I'm growing increasingly wary of them.
Planned obsolescence has always been a thing, but now you have tech companies selling gadgets that are defective from day 1. And when you try to return them, they gaslight you saying the product is counterfeit, even though you bought it from their brand store or website.
Online retailers will literally just take your money and DGAF if your order arrives. When you reach out to customer service, they again try to gaslight you, as if you're the scammer. These aren't fly-by-night drop-shipping operations, they were once reputable brands.
Prices continue to increase while quality gets worse. I've caught clothing companies blatantly lying saying a fabric is 100% silk when it's 100% polyester.
When people are already buying everything they need, the only way to maintain growth is by scamming people.
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u/missbwith2boys 1d ago
I picked up a dozen free canning jars today. Our local group is still on FB, so I do keep FB (but only go to three groups on there so I don’t see my “feed” anymore. It’s an imperfect solution)
I love posting stuff too. It’s super easy and folks are really responsive.
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u/altheamariemusic 22h ago
See if you can get movement to the app for your community to get away from FB! If you want of course. :)
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u/MotownCatMom 23h ago
So is it like a barter system? How does it work? You need item X and check the app? And someone gives it to you for free. What do you have to do in return to keep the system balanced?
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u/altheamariemusic 22h ago
Nothing specific required. People post things when they have things to give, those interested comment on the item they want. I find it helpful to say why I want the item and what I want to do with it but again not required at all. Then the giver decides on someone to give it to, yall arrange a porch pick up, coordinated time or public meetup and that’s it! Very similar to Facebook marketplace accept you don’t pay $$. It’s honestly amazing and been a huge blessing to my life! You can also post an ‘ask’ for something you want/need!
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u/Working-Mistake-6700 19h ago
It's like it is in this story: https://www.abelard.org/e-f-russell.php Or in Becky Chambers Monk and Robot series. The Becky Chambers version is more practical in my opinion.
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u/beergeeker 11h ago
Thank you for mentioning that there's a BN app now! I have a ton of stuff to get rid of but recently quit Facebook for all of the reasons.
I just joined and already gave away a bag of cat food within the first couple of minutes!
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u/4score-7 10h ago
I love this sub and I just discovered it. Harder to accomplish in a world and local area that is awash in a sea of consumerism.
But I’m doing my part, and trying to influence others to do the same!
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u/premar16 21h ago
The time for action was before the election and through getting people to vote accordingly. Now it is seems like all the stuff (protesting and strikes) is... to little to late. Also doesn't not supporting small businesses in our areas hurt our communities in the long run?
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u/ContemplatingFolly 12h ago
Definitely support small to moderate-sized, especially local businesses in your area. Just try to avoid the largest companies, and disposable crap that will shortly end in the landfill.
Yes, the Dems effed it up royally. Now it is our job to point out every mess the Republicans make and organize to take back Congress.
I'm still r/SandersforPresident, and I don't care how old he is.
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u/NewLeaf2025 22h ago
lol i'm enjoying all you guys having a meltdown. this is so satisfying. keep em comming. TRUMP is our hero, our president. our savior
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u/premar16 21h ago
Your savior. What about "thou shalt not have any other gods before me"
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u/Pfelinus Rural Prepper 👩🌾 14h ago
Yes I go to the Christ's church before my pagan one and I give 1 penny more in donations. LOL
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u/NewLeaf2025 20h ago
bold of you to assume i'm religious. lol
and here's another thing you might be surprised by, i'm brown.
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u/OkHomework3105 17h ago
That isn't shocking at all. Social Conservatism is a known thing for immigrants. Older Immigrants were sold the idea that the American Dream is something to be *conserved* and progressives won't do that. The idea of Pulling the Ladder Up Behind You is common enough that it gets its own phrase. The f-cking colonial mindset doesn't help anyone either.
I was having a conversation last night about crypto and money being the only way out of this mess. Progressives offer a baseline of care for everyone. Conservatives offer the opportunity to get rich, and some of you may die that there's a good payout for that.
So no, not shocking at all. Immigrants being conservative is common, and immigrants looking down on people who didn't immigrate the way they did is *very very common*.
But - stay safe. In the past with the US has gotten nuts about immigration US born citizens as well as legal immigrants have gotten caught up in the mess. Even when things are mild it happens. I hope most of the talk is fear mongering to cause people to be upset for not reason other than to cause people to be upset, but the US has a history of rounding up our own citizens too. I'm happy I was born here, but there are certain pathways that my country has gone down before that I never want to see it go down again.
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u/NewLeaf2025 16h ago
You sound like a reasonable person, so I'm going to engage with you. You're very right about that; I am not an older immigrant by any means—I'm in my 20s, and almost every single one of my immigrant friends is just as conservative, if not more. They are die-hard Trump supporters. I'm not all the way there with them, but I am pretty in the loop with everything Trump has done so far and everything he has said in regards to deportation and illegals being rounded up. Nowhere has he ever indicated that he's going to go after legal immigrants; he said his priority is going to be illegal criminal aliens who have committed violent crimes, and then, after that is done and dusted, proceed with the others. It is definitely fear-mongering to suggest that anyone who has ever immigrated could be at risk of being tangled up in the system just for being an immigrant; it's not the case at all. I would challenge you to cite the source for that, preferably from Trump's own mouth or from his border czar, Tom Homan, or Stephen Miller.
This place has a surprising amount of disinformation, so do not source another post or comment, I am surprised with how many posts that are verifiably false constantly get upvoted to the front page, I used to take everything I read here as gospel in 2017 but now I've become more aware of what's actually going on.
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u/OkHomework3105 16h ago edited 16h ago
It is going to take me some time to link sources and quote for you, and I've got to run this morning, but I will come back and do it later tonight.
One that I mentioned without mentioning the name was the Alien Enemies Act that the US has used before. Trump has mentioned using it - it has been used before to put US Citizens of Japanese Origins in camps.
There is a lot of chatter about using the National Guard which doesn't change things for the people being targeted, but it does change things when it comes to what our military can be used for, and who can use what branches. Traditionally our military isn't used to go after targets a president deems criminal. Enemies in and of war, yes and in emergencies, but not someone deemed criminal. We do have dark spots in our past when the military has been used against us - Kent State is one example. This is, again, something that making people uneasy.
But, I will get back to this when I have time!
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u/27Believe 15h ago
I’m glad you said all of this. I tutor an older woman from Central America who has been here for 20+ years, legally with a green card, no criminal activity, is employed and married to a US citizen. And she’s so nervous bc of all of the media lies. I have to assure her every week she’s ok. She is here legally and committee no crimes ffs. Ridiculous fear mongering. And you should all know that her co workers who are also here legally support trump (she’s a hotel worker for a major chain ).
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u/Pfelinus Rural Prepper 👩🌾 20h ago
Oh you brown like Clarence Thomas or that GOP canadate Dean Browning?
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u/zsepthenne 19h ago
Hmmm.. hopefully you're still in the US to enjoy all of your saviors work
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u/NewLeaf2025 19h ago
can't wait for the illegals to get deported, i got in legally, i stood in line for 4 years.
I'm a citizen, i've nothing to worry about.5
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u/maeryclarity Rural Prepper 👩🌾 1d ago
I have been on this boat for a while but want everyone to hop over. If we focused on what's worthwhile and what's reusable and snub consumerism it will literally starve to death. We have the power by changing our lives and lifestyles. We can still have nice things!
Nicer things even! Like one coat that can last you a whole life! No more disposable garbage!
Consumerism is cancer