The 5 Top Reasons Your Local “Buy Nothing” Facebook Group Is the Best Resource for Sourcing Home Decor

published Dec 10, 2022
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Let’s face it, decorating your home can add up quickly, especially if you are starting from scratch. Even if you’re thrifty and great at finding good deals, it can feel hard to justify spending money on home decor when there are more pressing expenses to handle.

So if you haven’t heard of BuyNothing groups before, allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite resources for scoring home decor for free. Yep, you read that right — for free! 

The BuyNothing Project is an online network of small neighborhood groups where items and services are posted for free by members of the group. For the most part, these groups exist on Facebook, however, the BuyNothing Project also has its own platform where members can interact as well. The official BuyNothing Project was started by two friends back in 2013 with the goal of diverting items from landfills, encouraging people to give more and buy less, and strengthening the social fabric of communities through hyper-local groups focused on building connections and sharing in abundance. Since then, the social movement has grown to more than 6.5 million community members in over 7,500 communities worldwide. If you don’t have an official BuyNothing Project group in your area, you can always apply to start your own, and plenty of other no-buy groups across Facebook exist that you can find to join.

BuyNothing groups aren’t exclusively for home decor (pretty much anything can be posted, except pets or other live animals). In my experience, though, you’ll find lots of homewares, furniture, and decorative accents posted regularly. I’ve found quite a few items that are now featured prominently in my home, and I’ve also offloaded lots of items that I no longer needed.

If you’re looking for a new way to decorate your home on a budget, these 5 reasons will convince you that your local BuyNothing Facebook group is the best resource for sourcing home decor on the cheap.

Items are up for grabs for free.

For those who are looking to decorate on a budget, your local BuyNothing group is the place to be. You can’t beat free, and you’ll be surprised at what some people are willing to give away at no cost. As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. A lot of the time, the items people are looking to shed are in great shape and are of pretty good quality, too. It’s super-convenient to have people literally come to your door to pick up items you don’t want anymore, but you can always arrange for an alternate location to meet if you don’t want to share your address for privacy reasons.

You can source materials for DIY projects.

If you’re looking for the perfect piece for that DIY project you’ve had at the top of your Pinterest board for a while, start your search within a BuyNothing group. These groups are great for finding furniture and home decor just begging for a transformation, from older vintage to designer items in need of a little love. In my local group I’ve sourced a few great pieces for my DIY projects, including a vintage wooden dresser (a quick paint job completely transformed it), as well as a large Wayfair sideboard for my dining room. I’ve also scored plenty of smaller decorative pieces like lamps, art, mirrors, and more.

Unique pieces are available.

Buy Nothing groups are a great way to source some truly unique pieces for your home. Think of it like thrifting or antiquing, but it’s online (and free!). Plus, if you’re into antique and vintage items, you will find lots of them posted in these types of groups. Keep an open mind while browsing,  and be prepared to get creative with your finds to give them a new life in your home.

Post ISOs to locate exactly what you want.

Most groups allow “in search of,” or ISO posts, so you can let people know exactly what you’re looking to find. Posting an ISO is great way to hone in on wishlist pieces that you don’t have the funds to buy new or that are difficult to find elsewhere. You may not always get what you want, but if you’re patient, you will usually get lucky!

Keep things out of the landfills.

One of the local no-buy Facebook groups that I am a part of is aptly named “Before it Hits the Landfill,” and I think that is a really great way to look at these kinds of groups. Reduce, reuse, recycle, baby! BuyNothing groups are a great way to divert as much as possible from going to landfills. Not only can you get free items that someone else may have thrown away, but once you join a no-buy group, you have a whole community of people who will eagerly take items off of your hands, too. I guarantee it will inspire you to start decluttering your home in a major way!