Retro- Barter
http://www.barterbart.com/perl/TBsearchButtonSES.pl
Above is a website called Barter Bart. It is FREE to “advertise” on this site, that you have an item or service that you want to barter for something else. They will show you a page, under the category “account” where you can list items/services that you’d like to have in return for what you have to offer.
Another page allows you to type out a description of what you do, and where you’d like the trade to take place, etc.
I’ve been a big proponent of bartering and trading for a long time, and now more than ever.
I happen to object to the way politics are played out in our country and to the players themselves, and I know that when I trade a massage for something that I want, other than money, then the government can’t tax what I’ve netted in return for the massage I’ve given.
I read a magazine article, many years ago, about a woman who furnished her whole (very beautiful and very large) home, and bought the home itself, with her massages alone.
Since then, I’ve used my own massages as payment for house cleaning, organic house cleaning products, jewelry, dance lessons, the rental of the space for the dance lessons, and beautiful objets d’art, and a sheath for my dance sword. Soon, I hope to be able to find someone to groom our new dog and occassionally board it, for massage.
If you really think about it, what ever it is that you do, for work, or to please yourself, there’s is probably someone out there that wants to learn how to do it, or have one like it for themselves, or needs that type of service.
If you’re an accountant, there are probably a lot of people out there that could use that service who may not have the resources to pay for it, but maybe they are very creative/crafty, and could decorate you or your house w/ something beautiful. Maybe that person is a CMT or a dog groomer/boarder, and you have a dog or want a dog. There’s someone out there that can put you in touch w/ someone who has what you want, no matter what that is. Maybe it’s Yoga/Pilates classes, or a fishing rod or tennis racket/lessons.
If we don’t pay in cash, then the governement gets none, and we have done something to serve our own community, by not going out of town to get what we want with cash. We have for another few hours kept our cash within our own locale, where it can serve our own school districts, and senior service agencies. It is not being funneled out to big business which can really survive without our hard earned money anyway, and how often do you check into the political agenda of the owners of the big businesses from which you’re making your purchases?
It is the big businesses which fund political campaigns on capital hill. Do you really like what they’re funding? If you do, then by all means, fill the coffer of that company, and know that you’re standing up for what you believe in, and do so knowing that I’m cheering you on.
As for me, I’m going to do everything I can to cut my family’s need to spend for what we want, knowing that doing so is good for my city’s economy and bad for the US govt. which I consider to have gotten fat, lazy, and corrupt, using my tax dollars. I don’t like the ratio of what monies go into funding wars, in other countries, vs. the monies that go into funding educational services, and I fully intend to make my feelings known by going back to the old time barter and tade system as much as possible and encouraging my friends to do the same.