Buying nothing, still getting stuff

A long, long time ago, people gave each other things — not just because, but close enough. According to anthropologist David Graeber, who died just last week, there were [never really full-blown barter economies](, the way we like to think of them, with locals trading goods the way we use money. There were, instead, “gifting economies,” where neighbors would hand things over to one another knowing that eventually, hopefully, the recipient would take their own needs into account. Trade, where it happened, was complicated, elaborate, and for outsiders. Which is all to say that Buy Nothing and mutual aid groups — in which people gather online in their part of town to give and request things — are truly nothing new. Even their current iterations largely pre-date the pandemic. But as Nayantara Dutta [beautifully explains](, these groups have taken on new urgency, and new members, in a changing world, providing not only the short-term high of acquisition but the long-term satisfaction of building and living in a real community. —[Meredith Haggerty](, deputy editor of The Goods Neighbors are gathering online to give and get the things they need right now [Black woman's hands holding bowls]( Efi Chalikopoulou for Vox When New York City went into lockdown, I needed to print a return label. Stores were closed, and so was my office, the land of free printing. I was moving, for the fourth time in three years — this time across the ocean — and trying to declutter my life as much as possible. I was already feeling nostalgic about leaving the city and grateful for all it had taught me, and then a small act of kindness exemplified why. A neighbor casually gave me their old printer for free, through posting on our local Buy Nothing group. I’ve been on my sustainability journey for years, shopping secondhand and making my own products, but I was discovering a new way to live: I wanted to buy less. I wanted, if possible, to buy nothing at all. [Read the full story on Vox.]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( The best $141 I ever spent: A skateboard I was special in my own incompetence, and therefore beyond comparison. [Read the full story]( There might be a shortage of election poll workers. Corporate America wants to help. Old Navy, Target, Warby Parker, and Compass Coffee are paying employees for time off to vote and work at the polls. [Read the full story ]( More good stuff to read today - [Do you really have to wash your mask after every use? Short answer: Yes.]( - [This week in TikTok: Everybody wants to be “Heather”]( - [The unintended consequences of #SupportBlackBusiness]( - [Mulan’s costumes are bright, dramatic, and (mostly) historically accurate]( - [No one knows what “back-to-school shopping” means this year]( - [Why the no-tipping movement failed (and why it still has a chance)]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.