A great deal of what households buy is given away locally for free, continuously. Gift economies operate in most neighbourhoods now: furniture, children's clothes, garden tools and appliances change hands because moving them is easier than disposing of them.
The public library is the largest of these and the most underused. Alongside books it commonly lends audiobooks and films through an app, offers free online courses and language tuition, provides museum passes, and in many systems lends tools, instruments, sewing machines and wifi hotspots.
If the need is urgent rather than opportunistic - food, utilities, rent - the assistance section of this site and the 211 service cover that ground directly.
Where to look
- Buy Nothing Project Hyper-local gift groups, nothing changes hands for money
- Freecycle Long-running give-and-take network by town
- Find your public library Official directory; start with the lending catalogue
- 211 Free helpline and directory for urgent local assistance
Well-known places people commonly use, chosen editorially, not sponsored, no affiliate relationships. Offers, eligibility and amounts change often, so check the current terms on the site itself before counting on one.
How to play it
Streaming apps, museum passes, tool libraries, meeting rooms, printing, resume help, story hour: the best free product in America.
Neighborhood gifting groups move furniture, kids' clothes and appliances daily at $0. Give back in; the network compounds.
City rec passes, free museum days, community fitness classes: the entertainment budget's silent partner.
Non-degree courses in welding, coding, bookkeeping at community rates: the on-ramp to the Career page.