transfer of time, from shopping to sharing [day 294]

We’re taught from little on that we should always share. As we get a little older, we have our own stuff, but we’re still told to share on occasion. Then we hit our teens. I don’t think anyone told me I should share anymore at that age. We start backing off the sharing. Then as an adult, I guess we’re not really expected to share, although if an opportunity arises, most of the time, we will share. If we need something, we usually just go out and buy it, resulting in ownership of a lot of stuff. Stuff that costs money, stuff that uses resources and stuff we simply don’t need. What if we transferred shopping time into sharing time? What if we started to share again?

So what is sharing?

share [shair]

— n

1. a part or portion of something owned, allotted to, or contributed by a person or group

— vb (often foll by out ) (when intr, often foll by in )

1. to divide or apportion, esp equally

2. to join with another or others in the use of (something): can I share your umbrella?

We all have things sitting around our house that we don’t use regularly. A few days ago, I used a drill as an example. Could we lend our drill to a friend? If you need a hole and you don’t have a drill, could you borrow one? Let’s do a little exercise.

Think of 3 things you have sitting around your house, not being used or used rarely.

Would you be willing to lend these items to someone you know?

If you’re like me, you probably thought of more than 3 items. What would it look like for you to lend these things out? With current technology, this is not only possible, it’s easy. You won’t have to wonder who you lent that book to anymore either. You can sign up on actsofsharing.com to borrow and lend with only your friends. Not only will it track your items, but it will also calculate how much you have saved by borrowing, how much you’ve saved your friends by lending them things and tells you how many items in total your friends have listed.

Why?

Teaching kids to share.

I want my kids to keep up the sharing of their stuff. Users have to be 18, but I listed 10 things for each of my kids and 10 things for one of their friends. As parents, we can manage the online part while encouraging the kids to share. Here’s the stuff they listed.

I was surprised that my youngest listed his DSiXL. They’re all learning that sharing is good, as it increases their library and they get to play with more stuff. They’re also learning to respect other people’s property.

Reteaching myself to share.

The no retail shopping has taught me many lessons, some expected and some not. I knew I would need to borrow things occasionally, but I was surprised how much I started borrowing. It doesn’t feel weird or uncomfortable when everyone participates in it. My friends know what I’m doing and why, and they’re all participating with me on some level. I’m a book hoarder and with this, I’m able to share my books. I have over 100 of them listed already. Wanna borrow one?

Saving money.

If nothing else gets your attention, this should. Let’s say you borrow 3 things. I’ll pick 3 that are available to me right now.

Record player recorder – $59.99. Now this is a great item to borrow, as you can spend a few days copying your collection of vinyl to your computer, then you’re done. If you had bought this, you would doubtful use it again, and even if you did, it would be a rare occurrence.

Senseo coffee machine – $64.97. Now if you need a coffee machine for every day, this probably isn’t your best option. But what if you don’t drink coffee and a coffee addict friend is coming to visit? I could have used this to bring on my mission trip to Mexico instead of buying one. (yes, it was before the no retail challenge)

Veggie cookbook – $26.56. You can get a few good recipes, write them down and give the book back. Share your cookbooks.

Look, you just saved $151.52 with three items. If you did just that each month, you could save just under $2,000 in a year. Thought provoking, isn’t it?

Good for the environment.

Whether or not you’re a tree hugger, this is helpful to the planet. Less natural resources used, less stuff in landfills. Yes, I know your next thought. “If we all did this, the economy will fail.” I have two thoughts on this. One, if the economy wasn’t built on air and plastic, we wouldn’t need to worry about it. Two, if shopping habits change on a large scale, manufacturers and retailers will have to respond to it. Less products, but better quality.

Cool stuff.

You can find out about things your friends own that you had no idea about. I have always wanted to do a photo shoot with a shopping cart. One of my friends actually has one! Never in a million years would I have thought to ask anyone I know to borrow a shopping cart.

Simplicity.

Having less stuff is a much simpler lifestyle, allowing more time and money for the people and things you love.

More time.

You will have more time on your hands. The time it takes to share is equal to or less than the time it takes to shop. This doesn’t mean you’ll eliminate shopping, but you won’t have to do as much of it this way. If you have a need, you look online to see if a friend has what you need. If you had a need and when shopping, you have to decide where to buy it, how much to spend, price shop and possibly have to visit many stores. The transportation is probably a trade off.

If nothing else, give it a try. If it doesn’t work for you, then close your account.