by Skyra

Created on: October 08, 2008   Last Updated: October 20, 2008

In the old days, bartering was the way of life. A man who was great at fixing the roof might do so for a neighbor in exchange for some eggs and dinner. Or a woman might bake a pie for the neighbor who was willing to teach her how to remove stains from work clothes. Money was too tight and too hard to get to worry about charging for a pie or fixing a roof. Bartering was much simpler than keeping track of who owed what to whom. It made relations between neighbors better, and people knew that someone would help them, just based on what they themselves could offer. People made lasting friendships and there were no worries about affording things.

In today's economy, bartering makes sense. In the area where my family lives, we barter often with the neighbors. Everyone is on a tight budget. When we first moved here, it wasn't two days before the neighbors up the road came by to let us know that they would help us out any way they could. After two weeks, we'd met everyone in the little neighborhood. Bartering works well for us. In exchange for giving our neighbor some milk for her grandson, she made us dinner one night. Another neighbor fixed a broken window in exchange for my husband mowing their lawn. And of course, when we had a garden this summer, we traded some tomatoes and cucumbers for some fresh corn from the man up the road. It's saved us a lot of money, and made us a lot of friends we can count on.

So how do we bring this wonderful tradition back? Simple. Talk to neighbors and friends, find out what they need, and offer help. A good deal of the time there is no need to ask for something in return; most people are more than willing to offer something in exchange. Watch your friend's kids one night then they could watch yours another night. No need for paying a babysitter! You may find out that neighbors have surprising skills you didn't expect and are missing a lot of things you take for granted. Perhaps the young man down the street actually lives alone and has very few friends; he may be new to the area or just shy. You may find he is quite the handyman and willing to do a few odd jobs for a home cooked meal or two! That could save you hundreds of dollars.

To barter, you have to talk to your neighbors and get to know the people around you. When times are tough, everyone has to pull together. There is great satisfaction to be had from helping someone else and even more when you know that they will help you in return. What you already know could mean the world to someone else and save you money as well. You will have friends you can count on, more peace in the neighborhood, and less worry about finances.

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