>>> now to a sign of the times and this tough economy. though we're beginning to see some flickers of life in the job market , millions of americans still can't find a job and that's leading some of them to come up with creative ways to get by. we get the story from nbc's craig melvin.
>> reporter: eileen and mike beard made $20,000 last year, sharing their d.c. area home with strangers.
>> makes a big difference for us.
>> reporter: especially now. six days after christmas, mike lost his job, the beards have a mortgage and a blendedamily with ten children.
>> now we have all these rooms and this house that is valued at less than we paid for it, so this is a good way to --
>> make the house pay for itself.
>> reporter: they use a website called airbnb which connects travelers with people who open their homes. the san francisco startup has become a symbol of a growing trend called collaborative consumption.
>> they use digital technology to help people share stuff in the real world . and one of the key concepts is that access trumps ownership.
>> reporter: companies like airbnb and zipcar are joined by a slew of personal online communities . you can share, swap and rent everything from name brand clothes to bikes to children's toys. perhaps it is not surprising that in a down economy many like the beards have found sharing as a way to make some extra money. but for others, it's about something else. re-establishing a sense of community .
>> this is perfect.
>> reporter: in los angeles , chris needed a rake for weekend landscaping work and found jewelry on neighborgoods.net.
>> the first time i borrowed something, now we have similar groups of friends and we hang out.
>> reporter: nicky helped launch the site less than two years ago and now has more than 20,000 users.
>> we learned we weren't really building a marketplace. what we were building was a tool for neighbors to help each other and build relationships.
>> reporter: back at the beards, guest emily gets a bargain and all the comforts of home.
>> it is important to me to think frugally but also at the same time i enjoy meeting new people.
>> reporter: collectively building a new economy with a timeless concept, sharing. craig melvin, nbc news, silver spring , maryland.
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