Remember in the olden days when you paid with potatoes? Or your specific services? Well, those times can come again! Hear me out....
In the last 4 months I've "gotten" the following things for free trading for my talents, skills, or time:
-haircut
-babysitting
-lawn service
-food
-clothes sewn (i can't sew)
-furniture
-toys
Now, it may seem rudimentary. But, think about it... there MUST be a talent you possess or service you can offer that would be beneficial. Currently, I am enrolled in an online course which requires me to study at least 15 hours a week. That doesn't sound like much, but throw in being a stay-at-home Mom with kids who don't nap and I'm hard pressed to find 3 hours a day to do it. I try to do it at night, but I'm generally so tired that the material doesn't stick. So, I've traded my services of providing piano lessons in exchange for babysitting time once a week - rather than making money I'm making time. (ha, I guess it's an example of my neighbor saving money then....).
Another example: my friends had a bunch of furniture they were getting rid of. We needed furniture but didn't have any money to pay them. So we came to an agreement of babysitting and other needs to "pay" for them.
Other talents or services that could be beneficial:
-sewing
-crafting
-any sort of musical lesson
-wood shopping
-cooking
-babysitting
-tutoring
Might be an "out there" idea, but definitely a creative way to save some dough!
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Having been on WIC in the past, I would warn people to not trade food for anything or sell it to others. You can get kicked out of the program for doing so. The rules on this are very clear through WIC.
ReplyDeletethanks for the heads up, Nat, i didn't know that. i'm adjusting the article.
ReplyDeleteMy dad used to trade his dental skills with patients who were very good carpenters. We got work done in our home that way. My grandmother used to iron for people. She would pick up their laundry and do all their ironing in exchange for other goods/services. I realize that clothing doesn't need to be ironed as much as it did in the 1940s, as fabrics have changed, but Lori is right to get us thinking about services or skills we could offer. You might also offer things like: photo editing, putting someone's photos onto a CD/DVD for them, computer repair, handy man type work (plumbing, carpentry, electrical), snow removal, Fall or Spring yard clean up, sprinkler repair or maintenance, garden produce, income tax preparation, offer to provide maid service or cleaning for a few hours, etc. Just start thinking of what you have to offer. It never hurts to ask. Great advice, Lori!
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