After a huge weekend swap that attracted over thirty women (and a few babies), I’m upping my claim. I’d wager that approximately 70% of my clothing is the spoils of swaps. The bests and favorites of my wardrobe definitely had homes before mine, and it’s not just that funny mini-cape or those like-new Keen sandals, friends:

My camera? “Permanent loan.”

My KitchenAid stand mixer (with ice cream attachment!) was a surprise gift from a friend who had received a new one.

The cat? Yeah. Him, too.

Despite what the media/advertisements/press/etc. may attempt to convince you, sharing is integral to living. Humans from way-back-when knew it. We know it now: honey tastes twice as sweet when your friend owns the hive (hint, hint bee-keeping pals!)

The resources below were sent me from a friend (see: sharing) and I’m passing them on to you. Have experience with one or two? Leave a comment below.

https://m.brightneighbor.com//index.html – rent, buy, trade or borrow country-wide

http://neighborsforneighbors.org/ – run by “professional neighbor” Joseph Porcelli and his team, this site is local to Jamaica Plain, MA and offers meet-up type affinity groups, a Snow Crew assistance program to help move that white stuff in winter, alerts, and more

streetbank.com – sharing across “the pond”

http://farmhack.net/home/ – open source community for the farm-types among us

http://freegan.me/ – meet “freegans” worldwide and learn what’s free where, and how to find it

https://www.freecycle.org/ -I bet you know this one. (So far I’ve received: a cell phone, a safety vest and reflective strips for biking, a VCR, a typewriter, a papercutter, hangers, and more items than I can remember. My favorite aspect, though, is giving things away. So satisfying.)

http://neighbor.ly/ – crowdsourcing for your community

http://www.citizinvestor.com/ – invest in public projects

http://www.cityofboston.gov/doit/apps/citizensconnect.asp – download this free app to help Boston improve it’s streets, sidewalks, and other infrastructure (i.e., pothole just swallow your bike? report it!)

https://yerdle.com/– free stuff countrywide! (a friend of mine helped start this one, definitely check it out)