Consumer Alert: How to score big by buying nothing

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Tuesday’s consumer alert is not about consumerism. In fact, it’s the opposite of it. I was skimming U.S. News and World Report and found a fascinating article about The Buy Nothing Project.

There are buy nothing groups all over the world. It’s a movement. Here’s how they work.

These groups are usually formed among neighbors. The rules are simple. You can’t buy anything. You can’t sell anything. You can’t trade or barter. What you can do is give, share, and ask. Need to clear the clutter? Post your stuff, and give it away. Has your kid has outgrown his bike? Ask your neighbors if they have a bigger one they no longer use.

Neighbors also give away services like rides, recipes, and perhaps most valuable, their time. They create an economy based strictly on gift-giving. And the last rule is the most important: You must say thank you.

Antivirus protection for free

On the topic of free stuff, I was researching anti-virus software and looked to Consumer Reports for their testing results.

And guess what? Three of the recommended products are free. Of course, I had to share them with you. Avast Free Antivirus got really high marks from CR testers. And Consumer Reports says AVG Antivirus and Kaspersky Security Cloud Free are great as well.

Of course, paid antivirus software packages have perks that you don’t get with the free stuff. Click here for Consumer Reports recommendations.

But if you’re weighing price and performance, free may win this round.