Free Money Day, being celebrated today, is an annual event where people hand out money to strangers, two notes or coins at a time, asking them to pass half on to someone else.



The aim is to challenge people to think about what wealth means. Using fun and intrigue, the day encourages conversations about our broken financial system and how its very design increases inequality by siphoning wealth away from the public to private shareholders, thereby increasing individual and national debt.

The Free Money Day project began in 2011 when a number of researchers at the Post Growth Institute – me included – were looking for a way to engage the broader population in a conversation on financial reform. Four years later, more than 200 Free Money Day events spanning 41 countries have been held, and more than US$10,000 (£6,500) has been distributed.

Free Money Day participant Robert Pösel meets two strangers in Kobližná, Czech Republic in 2014. Photograph: Milan Záleský

At the heart of this experiment lies creativity, as stories from previous Free Money Days highlight. In Moerewa, New Zealand, for example, buskers Emma and Derek handed out money to people listening to their music. In Mexico City, Axel gave his money to people living on the streets with a request that they in turn pass half on to strangers. In Utah, Roger handed out two $1 bills to each of his restaurant co-workers. In Malmö, Sweden, Amelia placed money in random places. In the Pyrenees, France, Sally paid for the people behind her to enter the national park. For her daughter’s seventh birthday party in Plymouth, UK, Anji put 7p in each child’s party bag, with a note explaining her motivations for sharing.

Others have taken the experiment beyond money. In 2012, Gonçalo’s video store in Lisbon, Portugal, for example, offered free movie rentals all day and asked recipients to give the money they would have spent to others in the street. In the same year, Layne and Patcharin in Chiang Mai, Thailand, were so inspired by the Free Money Day concept that they gave away half of their 14-acre land holding to begin a land trust for permaculture farmers.

The best things in life are free. On #FreeMoneyDay 15th September, this even applies to money. http://t.co/Tl2Ke64gK4 pic.twitter.com/VbzG8ksdmS — Earth Baby (@EarthBabyBlog) August 31, 2015

By exploring the real value of money, Free Money Day encourages people to consider how they can put it to better use. This includes moving our money from big banks to not-for-profit credit unions and supporting campaigns to change the way money is created in the first place.

Dubbed the world’s most intriguing social experiment, Free Money Day is back today so if you’d like to discover what happens when you offer money to complete strangers, why not get involved?