Gift economy is the final instalment in our freeganism series. Also known as ‘sharing’, gift economy has been used through history as a sort of favour and barter system. It exists in a sort of you-scratch-my-back, I-scratch-yours sense, where people will give you things for a gift you provide — this gift can sometimes just be taking things off of their hands!
One great part of gift economy is when it works in a community. This can often happen when you’re starting out in a new hobby, as people will give away things like excess sourdough starter, or kombucha SCOBY to help you get started. SCOBY and starter can tend to run rampant when you’re making it, so the gift you’re giving them is just getting rid of excess!
Other things that tend to work in gift economies are services. This can be carpooling, where you give someone rides to work on days that you need them, and they can give you rides in exchange. My mum used to do this with us kids when she needed to be at the office early on days other mums nearby didn’t, and they’d just switch out on the days they were available.
Other services can be cleaning — are you doing a whole bunch of ironing? Offer to iron out some of your neighbour’s clothes in exchange for something, like food or a ride. Or you could cook someone dinner in exchange for someone cooking you dinner when you need it.
Gift Economy
