Borrow Is The New Buy

Kray Mitchell is Marketing and Community Relations Manager for BorrowMe.com.

We are all victims, although it’s our basements, garages and pocket-books that end up getting hurt. We had to have it, we needed it for that project, it called to us. Now it sits there, gathering dust and reminiscing about the good old days when you couldn’t be without it.

Consumerism has affected us all at some point or another, and now we’re stuck with the remnants. We have things that were only used once, that we thought we would use again (but didn’t) or that remain from when the kids were babies. How much of it did we really need to buy? What if your neighbor had one, couldn’t you borrow it, or rent it for a small fee? What about that pregnant co-worker; could she use that crib and stroller sitting in the corner?

We have become stuck in a paradigm of consumption. We purchase everything we require, adding to the clutter around the house, adding to the landfill as we go and draining our already depleted savings. It’s high time we looked at alternatives to buying.

Resource sharing is a simple idea, let others borrow or rent the items we have sitting around and are not using. But how do you keep track of all that stuff and let others find it? Enter BorrowMe.com.

BorrowMe helps consumers, local clubs and organizations to buy less stuff, and make more of what they’ve got. Whether you borrow, lend or rent – we’ll help you organize and access the abundance in your own community. Earn a tidy profit without giving up your things, or save a bundle for the things that matter most. It’s that easy!

With the largest feature set available in an online trading platform, BorrowMe allows you to choose your transaction options (Sell, Lend, Rent, Gift), as well as providing advanced options to define your sharing settings (ie you can lend an item to a friend, but rent it to a neighbor).

The Facebook Connect option will get you signed up in a few clicks and let start posting immediately, you can even post your Items and Wishes directly to your Facebook wall to give them more exposure. Try setting up a group for your office, your friends or your neighborhood! You can’t change the world, but you can make a dent!

Small things can can add up pretty quickly. Not only can you save hundreds, maybe thousands, in a year by borrowing and renting what you need, you can make back what you spent on those items you don’t use often by renting them out to others. As an added bonus, you can get to know your neighbors better, and help to strengthen overall relationships in your community. It’s economical, efficient, and a responsible way of life! Check us out!

Kelly says:

I don’t use the BorrowMe site (sorry Kray!) but I do often borrow and lend stuff with my friends. Most of the time it’s books and baby clothes, but I’ve borrowed and lent sewing machines,vaccuum cleaners and even a car a time or two. Borrow me seems to be an interesting service- if you live in an area where it’s well developed (not too many people in France, yet, unfortunately.)

What do you borrow and loan?