When you are in need of something do you consider borrowing before buying? I often advise others to let go of items that aren't frequently used and if needed they can always borrow them. Personally that wasn't always the case for me. Before I would purchase/hold on to anything I thought I needed. If something broke, I'd run to the store for a new one. As I kept letting go of things (hello snowboard that I never used but had just in case), I started to question why I didn't just borrow things - especially things that weren't being used. Now before I buy I try to borrow first. I definitely don't borrow everything but here are some of my recent borrows:
HUMIDIFIER
Our humidifier had a crack and water was leaking so I asked my sister and she had one she hasn't used in awhile sitting in her garage...score!
PARTY DRESS
It's pretty rare that I dress up nowadays but had a fancy dinner part so I asked my sister-in-law to borrow a dress. To be honest, I ended up wearing a more comfortable dress that a client gave me but it was nice to have the option instead of running to the store.
TV
We go back and forth about having a tv in the room. We decided to borrow one my mom had sitting in the garage, then brought it back and then borrowed it again.
WALL ART
I needed a couple of pieces of wall art above our bed and a sitting area. I told a friend I was hesitant to buy and spend a ton of money since I often change my mind so she was kind enough to let me borrow two pieces from her in the meantime.
INSTANT POT
Every single one of our immediate family members has one and they're not using then daily or even weekly. We purchased one and then decided we could just borrow instead.
BABY GOODS
Baby gear has also been passed around to/from friends and since different things work for each child/parent this is definitely an area to borrow in.
Other good items to borrow are tools, small appliances, seasonal sports gear such as snow or camping gear, costumes and other special occasion clothing. If you're not already familiar with Buy Nothing Project this is a great resource outside of asking family and friends. Here is a brief description from their site:
Buy Nothing: Give Freely. Share Creatively. Post anything you’d like to give away, lend, or share among neighbors. Ask for anything you’d like to receive for free or borrow. Keep it legal. Keep it civil. No buying or selling, no trades or bartering, no soliciting for cash. We’re an adult-only, hyper-local gift economy. We are not a charity or community bulletin board.
So the next time you are in need of something ask yourself "Can I borrow this item instead?" and start asking around. Borrowing saves money, creates community, is more environmentally friendly and less for you to store.
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