Barter for What You Need
January 30, 2009 by Katelyn Thomas
Filed under finances
We are pretty much a cash society, but it wasn’t always that way. Many people used to exist almost completely on the barter system. The doc made a house call? You gave him some eggs. The butcher had a nice ham? You shoed his horses and sharpened his knives. As money becomes tighter, many people are turning once again to bartering for at least some of the things they need.
Can you really barter for your needs in today’s society? Well, Kyle MacDonald bartered one red paperclip for something else and something else for something else…all the way up to a home to live in! Hmm. Anyone want to trade their small farmette for the free personalized pen I just got in the mail?
Bartering Isn’t Completely Free
There are tax implications for bartered goods and services. You should probably talk with your tax professional before bartering for something that has a substantial value just in case it turns out that the tax penalty is too large.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Your Plumber to Barter
If you have an item or service that could be of value, go ahead and ask your plumber, electrician, or other small business owner if he or she would be interested in bartering your services for theirs. I once had a plumber offer to do a minor repair in exchange for a baby lovebird and a cage for his wife. I also know of a handyman who took advantage of a slow period during the winter months to barter a few weeks of work for childcare instead of paying the usual fee to his child’s daycare provider.
Find Other People Interested in Bartering
If you don’t feel comfortable asking people whether they’ll barter, you can head to a site that helps barterers connect with other barterers. I found about a dozen sites during a quick search. I don’t know which site is best, so if you use one, please share!
Do you barter?
photo by Keith Syvinski
i used to barter with a mechanic friend of mine. i had to pay for parts which he would get for me at cost thankfully. but instead of paying for labor which is often a large part of auto repair bills, i just had to provide him with a meal. i could either cook him a meal or take him out to eat since he was recently a bachelor and lost when it came to cooking.
Becca,
That is a fantastic bartering arrangement! I’d love to cook a meal in exchange for labor on car repairs.
I just had this conversation with a friend today. It went a little differently. IT went kinda like this.
‘Remember when we were young and beautiful and men did stuff for us for nuthin, just to win our favour…it sucks getting old’
I think midlife is about the time I started using cash instead of barter.
I no longer use credit either I believe cash is the only way to go!
But then I havent much of that either so I am frugal out of neccessity.
I do trade stuff with friends sometimes …this jacket for those cool boots…that pair of earrings for those of mine I hardly wear.
Usually with friends that are just as cash strapped as me.
Darling Diva