Recently, you’ve probably noticed things have gotten more expensive. Not in the “ice-cream-cones-used-to-be–thirty-nine-cents” way, but in the “my-health-insurance-has-doubled-in-price-since-last-year” way. The way that convinces you to wait until your next paycheck to get that sore tooth checked out at the dentist. To strongarm yourself into believing some routine chest pain is just a part of getting old (mind you, you’re probably in your twenties).
From now-luxuries like eggs and books to essentials like gas, utilities, and rent, it seems we’re all dying in debt—debt that doesn’t even reflect an increase in our use of services or excess purchase of goods. Instead, the top 1% ‘s coffers seem to grow over time while everyone else’s empty pockets reach unfathomable depths. For the first time in a long time, I cringe when I see my bank statements.
Now, the appeal of an old-fashioned lifestyle is alarming: I want to churn my butter, milk my own cows (if I had any), and use what I have to barter for what I don’t. Preferably on an apple farm in Korea.
Not because I crave Medieval Times™, but because I miss the era when people could thrive independently, supported by their communities instead of the large corporate businesses that consistently sacrifice quality for quantity that now dominate the market.
We need to go back to the gift economy. Humans have been participating in the gift economy since before the invention of currency. Economic surplus is a social construct—not to sound scary, but we created the value of money. We used to barter before money was a thing!
Marcel Mauss’s The Gift (1925) is an essay that explores gift-giving among societies like those of Native American tribes and Polynesia, particularly the practice of a “potlatch”. Potlatches are gift-giving celebrations of Indigenous groups in Canada and the United States, and are shockingly not etymologically related to potlucks. In it, Mauss suggests three themes of the gift: the obligation to give, the obligation to receive, and the obligation to reciprocate.
In this way, a gift economy is not a society where people give things away free of charge; instead, gifts are goods, tokens exchanged with or bestowed upon others as part of a social norm, proof of a culture guided by people rather than currency. Note that gift economies do not harbor expectations to immediately “countergift”; as long as one eventually returns something (often of equal value, but some groups hold expectations that it must exceed the original gift’s value), their obligation is fulfilled. On page 12 of The Gift, Mauss notes that this custom allows “a perpetual cycle of exchanges within and between generations” of tribes, allowing people to form close bonds with others over time that reinforce social status.
We might not need to throw lavish gifting events, but the essence remains: start making things for yourself when you can. Crochet, garden, create your own birthday cards and Christmas gifts. You’ll learn skills, and be able to use them to serve others for considerably less than purchasing outright.
On a local level, there might not be completely free markets just yet, but some events around Tampa Bay come pretty close. The more involved we are with local artisans and creatives, the more effort we put into elevating our close community.
- The USF Botanical Gardens hosts the Food Sovereign Farmer’s Market every fall, inviting locals to sell homemade or homegrown goods like jam, jelly, honey, soap, produce, and more.
- Misty’s Market is a family-owned garden and produce market on Old Morris Bridge Road. On the establishment’s Facebook Page, you can see their prices, which haven’t changed in five years! Nothing is over $5.Â
- Felicitous Coffee on 51st Street by USF and its partner, Retro House Coffee Bar & Asian Bistro in Ybor City, both house routine vintage markets, art shows, and music nights!
I will leave you with the one completely free market, though. In Raleigh, North Carolina, there’s a monthly “Really Really Free Market,” a “take what you want, bring what you can” event that includes no bartering, no money, and no involuntary give-back. Plus, instead of only items like books or furniture, lots of attendees offer to teach a skill, like how to repair a bike or make your own stickers. Here is a calendar list of all the market dates for 2026!Â
So, what do you say? I’ll see you at the next Really Really Free Market.Â