More people will ‘definitely’ use Leeds’s library of things in a bid to save money as the cost of living rises, according to the people behind the project.
Buy Nowt LS6, in Headingley, launched in October last year in a bid to help people save money and help the environment at the same time.
Since launching, they now have over 1,600 members and around 800 items people can borrow including Pizza Ovens, a four person tent, a 3-D Printer and much more.
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The shop is volunteer-run and people ‘pay as you feel’ in order to rent the items.
Jed Aitchison, Project Manager of the store, is passionate about the shop as it 'gives people from all backgrounds access to items they previously might not have'.
However, with the cost of living rising, he believes more people will turn to the library to rent items and keep costs low.
Jed said: “I think we will see more people use the library of things for a number of reasons. The cost of living definitely because more and more people are trying to find ways not to spend as much but still have a nice life. We allow people to use things as and when they need it and they can give it back.”
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He added: “Two months ago, or a month ago, a woman with two kids came in, she was a single mum who fled from domestic abuse. She wanted to take the kids out camping. She got £400 worth of stuff that was available to rent.
“That wouldn’t have happened if the library didn’t exist. We managed to give her an opportunity to do something she wouldn’t have been able to do.”
“The library can help people save money, it can also help people start things they couldn’t have started before. People are trying to find new ways of making money, not necessarily back to the old ways before Covid."
Buy Nowt LS6 also recently secured a grant worth £2,000 which they used to purchase more items for the store. This includes a gazebo, 3D printer, a karaoke machine and more.
The library encourages people to rent items they won’t use regularly instead of buying. Their inventory includes a range of items including arts and crafts equipment, DIY and gardening tools, camping gear, costumes, and more.
Jed previously said it also gives access to people who wouldn’t otherwise have it, as they believe “access is more important than ownership.”
“It’s an unusual idea. A lot of people don’t get it,” Jed, project manager for Buy Nowt said. “We're quite new and have an alien concept. You tell people about it and they say ‘what's that?’
"Eighty per cent of the items have been donated by people, that's because people have stuff they’ve accumulated and they want to give it to a worthwhile cause.”
You can find out more about Buy Nowt, here.
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