January 26, 2025
Appleton-area Buy Nothing groups aim to save money and build community
A pile of items sold at a "free garage sale" hosted by members of a local Buy Nothing group.

At first, “Buy Nothing Appleton (North)” looks like any other buy-sell-trade Facebook group.

Membership is restricted to residents of Appleton’s city limits north of the Fox River. Otherwise, joining is a simple process involving a Facebook request and only three questions. 

The group’s feed is a cascade of posts from members of the community. Some are posting goods and services they have: children’s clothes, free photography sessions, home décor, baby toys. 

Others ask for things or services they want or need: leftover landscaping rocks, freezer pops, air-conditioning units, help doing household tasks.

Within a week, these requests had all been fulfilled. The difference is that, in this group, no one had paid a cent.

And there are seven more groups like it in Appleton and the surrounding communities, over 60 groups in Wisconsin, and over 7,000 worldwide. 

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