Times seem to be getting tougher financially for families. Who knows how long it will be before the economy improves. So in the meantime, we have to be creative when figuring out how to save money. A group of my friends and I have begun a bartering exchange program. What is a bartering exchange program and how can you start one?
In days of old, and we are talking real old, our great grandparents knew what a bartering exchange program was. The farmer two miles down the road was putting up a barn, and you needed help plowing your fields. You’d spend a couple of days putting up his barn and in return, he would plow your fields. No money exchanged hands, but they both used their talents to help the other person. Most of us don’t need a barn built or a field plowed, but we still can use our talents to help other people. Nowadays, we need more in the area of house repairs, car repairs, and plumbing work.
The first thing to do is to find out if there are any bartering programs in your community. Our community lists one at a local restaurant on the information board. Someone evidentially is trying to start one for the entire community. This is where the Internet comes in handy for organizing. But I thought it was would be simpler and safer to organize one among friends and family members.
I contacted about ten of my best friends and family members. I explained what i was wanting to start. We then had a meeting over a cookout and discussed what each of us had a talent or expertise in. Our talents ran from yard work, to car repair to electrical wiring. We then all agreed that we would start a bartering system. We decided the program would run on the honestly and friendship principal. While two of us might need electrical wiring in the same week, no one in the group might need car repairs done for three months. We do not keep a record of who did what for whom. We simply agreed that whatever needs came up, we would help each other for no cost. We did however agree that we would buy supplies. This is only fair if someone is doing the work for free. Out of kindness, we throw in a free home cooked meal too. We try to limit yard work to cutting of dead trees and major work. We figured everyone is capable of mowing and raking their own yards. Two of the members had the same talents, so both agreed that when their talent was needed, which is car repairing, they would work together. Only in times like we are going through now, do I think such an idea will work. Who said Americans aren’t ingenious?
For the record, our areas of expertise were as follows: Car repairing, wood working, painting, electrical wiring, heavy yard work, plumbing, tutoring, plumbing, and carpet and tile laying. Being a teacher, I of course threw in the tutoring. You might think those services wouldn’t be needed, but I have offered my tutoring services free of charge to three in our group already!
I believe creating your own bartering system would be a great way to help out things financially in our tough economic times. If my own bartering system, is successful, we might even continue it for the long run. My only suggestion is to try to create a bartering system between friends first. It is more likely to succeed.
