Saturday, May 22, 2010

Bartering

Definition of bartering - to trade goods or services without the exchange of money. 
I like that.  I wish we did more of it. 
I mentioned recently I helped process chickens at a farm and got paid in chickens.  My friend, Susan, and I help each other a lot with each other's animals but I had never really thought of that as bartering, but it is.  I once helped a friend build a cabinet and shelves and she helped me paint my barn doors.  Another friend and I exchanged scraping paint and painting.   While all of these things are bartering, most of the stuff I do with friends like this feels more like play since we talk the whole time, and you know how I like to talk.  Sometimes I help an older friend of mine fix things in her home because she has trouble getting around.  She bakes me cakes. 

I have lots of weeding and yard work that needs to be done.  What do I have to barter that would make someone want to come help me weed and prune?  More appreciated would be if someone would scrape, glaze and paint my exterior windows.  This is something no one seems to want to do, especially me. 

I should keep track of all the bartering we do in a year and see how much money we save.  It would be kind of hard to put a price on services though.  It's still fun to think about.

What does everyone else barter?

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