So. Today on the Fox 9 Morning Buzz, I was supposed to talk intelligently about the bartering movement that’s sweeping the country. I was supposed to engage in a charming dialogue with Jason and Keith. I was supposed to impart useful knowledge to the masses.
Instead, Keith stated at the beginning of my segment that the key to bartering is sinple – find someone more gullible and less intelligent than you to bargain with. That way, you’ll always come out on top. I tried to keep a straight face whilst rebutting this comment. And I failed. And it all when downhill from there… sigh.
However! There will be no unplanned (and secretly HYSTERICAL) digressions during today’s post. Here is the stuff I tried to tell you about on the TV.
Bartering: exchanging goods and services, instead of using money to buy them. Also called trading or swapping. It’s a trend that’s growing in popularity across the country, partially in part to Internet sites like craigslist, organizations like Time Bank, and social networking like Facebook.
1. What can you barter? Popular swaps include clothing, books and other media, coupons, recipes, toys, furniture, and even real estate. Popular trades include event tickets. And bartering encompasses everything from exchanging electronic equipment for sporting goods, to lawn mowing for child care.
2. Craigslist and other sites. On the Minneapolis/St. Paul’s list, there is a section completely dedicated to bartering. Just check under the For Sale column and click on Barter. I’ve found a concrete contractor willing to exchange services for a snowmobile, boat, or toys. There is even a page for swapping houses.
On the Twin Cities Moms Like Me site, they have groups for coupon swaps, toy swaps, clothing swaps, book swaps, etc. There are swap pages on Flickr for food, clothing and media, which I’ve discussed before on the Buzz.
And another cool site for bartering – BarterQuest.com. You can swap goods, services AND real estate.
3. There are national organizations helping people barter, the most prominent being TimeBank.org. One of the local branches of Time Bank is HourDollars.org for the residents in St. Paul.
From their website: “As a member, you EARN hours by providing a service (such as gardening, minor home repair, piano lessons, or driving) to another member who requested the service. You then use your earned hours to PURCHASE a service from any member in our service directory.
You decide what services you would like to offer. Everyone’s time is valued equally: one hour of actual service is always equal to one hour of credit in the program, regardless of the type of service provided.
A database keeps track of services that members are willing to provide, the number of hours they have earned, and the balance of hours in their accounts.”
4. You can use your social network, like Facebook or Twitter, to set up bartering groups like a child care co-op. Create a private page, invite your friends/neighbors/family to join, and set up the parameters of how the co-op will work in the Information section. Just be sure you and your children have met the other members in person, and have visited their homes. You want the kids to feel comfortable with the other members, too. I even found tips for setting up your own child care co-op just by Googling it!
Lemme ask you – do you barter, trade or swap? With who? And for what? Please share with the group in the Comments below. Thanks!
3 Comments
I didn’t get a chance to see the segment, unfortunately. Was Keith Marler serious??? I don’t think that was a kind or appropriate thing to say regarding your topic, in my humble opinion. You probably know him better than most of us, and can tell how he meant it, one way or the other. Perhaps if I had been able to see the show, I’d have come to a different conclusion, based on your reaction on-camera, and the entire thing in general. For what it’s worth, thanks, Erin, for the useful info posted today.
Good stuff!
Today I just watched the kids of one of my friends who works as a colorist, next month I will have her put in new highlights & lowlights for me.
I will also be helping her out by supplying her with my weekly curriculum plans for preschool at home since her work schedule doesn’t allow her to enroll her daughter in one. And she will do coloring for my hair throughout the year as needed.
With other friends we swap babysitting hours. We also swap garden excesses so we can get other things than what we planted and kepp grocery costs down.
In the past, DH traded his web development skills for chiropractic adjustments and electrical help (different ppl that needed websites for their own businesses.)
I’ve been a member of http://www.HourDollars.org for years and I think it’s a great organization. I’m a professional organizer so that’s what I usually do for people. I’ve received haircuts, oil changes, help with moving, cleaning, office tasks etc. And even though my rates in my business are considerably higher than what someone else would charge for their services, I see bartering as an easy way to receive services without spending any money (especially when I have the extra time). One important note: be sure to communicate clearly about your expectations. Communication is key to ensure that everyone gets what they want out of the deal.