Share Some Sugar Makes Neighborhood Borrowing High Tech

March 1, 2010 - PRLog -- Share Some Sugar Makes Neighborhood Borrowing High Tech
Do we all really need to own an 8’ ladder?

How many times have you bought a tool for a project, used it just once and then it sits in your closet collecting dust? It’s frustrating when you feel like you have wasted money on something that you don’t get much use out of.  New neighborhood sharing website, ShareSomeSugar.com helps you find someone in your neighborhood who is willing to lend you something that you need. Share what you have and borrow what you need. Say goodbye to wasting money on infrequently used items and say hello to saving money by eBorrowing from a neighbor!

“Share Some Sugar is like a modern day warm-and-fuzzy grandma who always happens to have just the right item you need at the right time, sparing you from buying it brand spanking new at the store.” says member Keiren K.

From baby gates and fondue sets to snow blowers and Guitar Hero, over 500 members are saving money by borrowing many of the 2200 items posted instead of buying.

“The concept behind Share Some Sugar came out of a personal experience,” says founder Keara Schwartz. “When I moved from an apartment to my first home, I ended up needing a lot of house-hold items, like tools and gardening equipment. As a 23 year old single woman, I thought it was unnecessary to purchase, own and store these types of items that I wouldn’t use very often. I figured that someone in my neighborhood had to have a tall ladder. So I embarked on a mission to find one to borrow. After knocking on a few neighbors’ doors and no success, I went online to see how much a new ladder would cost me. What I found was over 200,000 ladders in my search results with prices ranging from $60-$300.” Yet, I couldn’t find a ladder in my own neighborhood.

It was then that Schwartz had a light bulb moment.  “What if there was a way to search for items in your own neighborhood online? A community website that contained the inventory of the items that people in your neighborhood owned that they would be willing to share. “ It doesn’t make much sense for everyone on your block to own so many of the same durable goods when they are used so infrequently.  

Schwartz was also inspired by her travels to developing countries. “I have spent time in small villages around the world where people share just about everything. I saw how resourceful people were and how trust and community ties were strengthened by neighbors helping neighbors.”  Share Some Sugar replicates this model while leveraging technology to connect neighbors.

5 year old’s birthday saved by neighbors!

Sharing makes sense in any economic climate. However, it is especially relevant to many consumers in the economic situation that we are currently in. “In a time of economic stress, consumers have less discretionary income and are more consciously consuming.” says Founder Schwartz. “I had the opportunity to meet one of our members who is a mother of 2 children. Last year she organized a birthday party for her eldest child and promised the same to her youngest the following year. Unfortunately, her husband lost his job and she thought that there would be no way to give her son the big celebration she had promised. A friend told her about Share Some Sugar. She was able to borrow a jumping castle and folding tables among other costly party games.”  

This hyperlocal neighbor 2 neighbor transaction conceived by Share Some Sugar promotes opportunities to build new relationships amongst neighbors that may live in the same apartment building but have not previously met. While online communities are flourishing, real world neighborhoods often don’t feel like connected communities. “Strengthening communities is the backbone of our service.”  says Schwartz.

Chcek out our Share Some Sugar Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCz9xES0Chw



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About Share Some Sugar: Share Some Sugar is an online service that helps you find someone in your neighborhood who is willing to lend you something that you need. This socially conscious venture launched in Cincinnati, OH in November of ’09 has spread viraly across the U.S.A and already has over 500 members and 2200 items to borrow.