True, but you're still buying an entire battery yourself in the course of a calendar year.
I love the spirit behind this but it's strange advice. I consider myself lucky to have a healthy roster of adult friends, and I still think getting 16 of them to spend significant money on each other's birthday would be a big ask to pull off.
The first friend gets to share their experience with the group, that can then decide to keep buying for other members or not.