Money Talks: Reflections on Free Money Day 2022
Every conversation and exchange was part of a larger tapestry of events unravelling in more than 30 locations across the world.
Co-written with Priscilla Trinh
Free Money Day’s 11th year saw an incredible breadth of events and experiences across the globe, demonstrating multifaceted displays of generosity and solidarity. But what inspired people to take part this year? We spoke with some of the participants to find out.
Jacki Strenio, Assistant Professor of Economics at Norwich University in Vermont, USA, included Free Money Day on her course syllabus. She said:
I wanted to give [my students] the opportunity to think about their relationship with money as well as allow them to uncover ‘hidden’ forms of economic activity, such as sharing and gifting. I also wanted to give them a chance to become more comfortable discussing economic ideas with their peers and to experience the feeling of giving money away.
Jacki’s reflection highlights the sociality of money: the relationship we have with it is enmeshed with how it is used to interact with others. In a hectic society, exchanging money for goods and services is a fleeting act—whether that’s using a contactless card, handing over notes and coins, or paying online. As a result, there is rarely the time and space to think about what an exchange means. Moreover, the commodification of virtually all aspects of life has further depleted this chance for reflection — paying for goods and services is something that we just do, because we are told that we are supposed to.
Dylan, our Post Growth Encyclopedia Manager, shared that Free Money Day was a chance to autonomously challenge traditional conceptualizations of money:
I reflected on how I typically see money in an individualistic way, as we are conditioned (and often forced out of need) to do in a capitalistic society. It seemed like a great idea to have a day where we flip that narrative and show how money can be shared to benefit others in our communities.
Harking back to the sociality of money, Dylan’s thoughts highlight that it only serves to be an individualistic tool if we allow it to be. We are often forced to see money this way out of necessity, but that doesn’t mean we cannot find ways to carve out spaces in order to flip that narrative — even if it’s a transient act.
Marshall Burns, whose event this year marked his 10th Free Money Day, had previously taken part by going to a busy street corner with a sign, and speaking with people as they walked by. Yet our previous article about approaching people in the park, inspired him to take a different approach:
I rode my bike to a series of parks, giving away a few pairs of dollars along the way before I got to a large park about 15 miles away. In addition to the parks, I also stopped to talk with a few people that I saw in their yards or driveways, something that’s easier to do on a bicycle than if I was driving a car.
How did people take part in Free Money Day 2022?
It was greatly inspiring to see how different approaches gave rise to unique and creative acts. Dylan left $40 in notes on a bench for someone to find in Rogers Park, Chicago; the students at Norwich University stood outside on their campus with a sign, approaching people and speaking with those who approached them. This year also saw the cryptocurrency Nano shared out, with offers of free money popping up on Twitter and Reddit.
Meanwhile, de Zipper, a sewing shop in Antwerp, Belgium, organised a free workshop for Free Money Day, where people could come and sew a bag of their own. de Zipper’s workshop was in line with creative engagements of past years — in 2012, a couple pledged to give away $30,000 of property to a community land trust, and in France, Amelia gave away a handmade necklace to someone at a wedding.
The spirit of the day is one of generosity, and exchanges such as sharing one’s time to show others a skill is an invaluable good or service lying outside the norms of transactions. As Marshall noted, alongside giving money to strangers, “I took this to be an opportunity to expand my sharing from being just about money to sharing my time with these people to listen to their stories.”
Great change doesn’t happen overnight, and it can feel that our efforts are a drop in the ocean. Another university student felt this way, saying that “it felt good to give money away but it was so small that it didn’t feel significant enough.” After all, what impact can one person have amongst the billions of others around the world? Yet when we look closer, it becomes apparent that our impact is far greater than we might first think. Every conversation and exchange during Free Money Day was part of a larger tapestry of events unravelling in more than 30 locations across the world.
Free Money Day itself was a concept started by a handful of people 12 years ago who wanted to catalyze the power of sharing for convivial disruption. When we asked if sharing can make the world a better place, Dylan summed it up nicely:
Sharing can absolutely make the world a better place. When we share resources we can ensure that everyone has their needs met instead of just those with privilege. It creates opportunities for building cooperation and positive relationships within communities and broader society.
What did it feel like to take part in Free Money Day?
Norwich University student John Pham commented that “giving money away felt strange since I have always felt that money represented work and effort, and the free money had none of that.” Giving it away to complete strangers and asking them to pass half onto someone else feels strange because it is strange. As John highlighted, work and effort is measured by money — and the well-known phrase ‘time is money’ perfectly encapsulates this. Yet, participation in the day reverses this concept and instead gives rise to the reality that ‘time isn’t money.’ Breaking away from this norm will always feel somewhat unsettling, inasmuch as it is a rebellion of the convivial kind.
Free Money Day demonstrates that a more generous world is possible — and how we display that generosity can also include the gift of connection through conversation. The late anthropologist David Graeber discussed the possibility of creating an economy that allows us to take care of the people who are taking care of us, and as people’s actions on the day proved, there is no limit to the ways in which this can be done. Taking care of people by offering money, skills, conversation, and time provides a means by which we can evoke convivial connections with those around us and operate in a meaningful way, which capitalism provides no space to do. Whilst we still exist in a for-profit, growth-based economy, individual actions that break away from its rules and behaviors allows for the creation of an alternative economy rooted in egalitarian principles.
Free Money Day is held each year on September 15th, the anniversary of the Lehman Brothers’ 2008 filing for bankruptcy. Participants are encouraged to share their stories, photos, and videos online using the hashtag #freemoneyday and #postgrowth, tag Free Money Day on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as share their experiences with the media and the FMD team.
If you’d like to find out more, check out our website and this short clip.
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