We felt this exact same way. After having lawnmower troubles for 2 straight summers, and sheepishly asking our neighbors if we could use their lawnmower yet again, we thought, "Wouldn't it be great if we just had an agreement with a neighbor who was willing to share with us?" It wasn't just about the lawnmower either. We have a garage and house full of stuff that we use only once in a while. But it seemed that every time we had a project to do, we needed something we didn't have. We didn't want to keep spending money and space on stuff we'd only use once, and if our garage and house were any indication, there were other people in our neighborhood who may very well have the thing we needed... and feel the same way.

And so was born West Side Neighborhood Share, just last spring. We photocopied a letter from us explaining the program, a sample list of ideas, and a form to fill out, and stuck them in the doors of the people in our neighborhood. The form included a space for things they'd share, things they'd be willing to trade, and things they might want to borrow or get for trade. Then I photocopied the forms that came back and distributed the "list books" to all of the people that had turned in their list. We said we'd reinvite people 2 times per year and put out a new list book, so the lists could be seasonal, and so that if someone no longer wanted to participate they had a way out of the list book.

So what were people willing to share? The lists astonished us. They included lawnmowers, storage space, tools, a chipper, games, professional landscaping and construction advice, babysitting, small kitchen appliances, tomato starts, perennial divisions, manual labor, horseback riding lessons, pet sitting, use of a darkroom, snow sports equipment, canoes, a truck, a trailer, magazines and newspapers (after the subscription holder had read them), luggage, knitting instruction, and much, much more.

We invest time and a little money for copies, but it pays off because we no longer have to buy items for one time use. And the other, possibly more important, payoff is meeting our neighbors of all ages and actually building community in our neighborhood.