Oh bartering, how I love thee.
Bartering is awesome and I want to tell you why!
It’s an amazing frugal technique when it comes to getting goods and services you need for free or at relatively no cost. The added bonus is you get the opportunity to meet fabulous people and expand your network of frugal minded people ya know?
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Recently, Mer and I started landscaping the front of our house to amp up our homes curb appeal. This house was very much neglected by its previous owner when it came to outside finishes like gardens and grass. We knew it was something we’d eventually want to tackle and so we started to set aside a little cash to make this project a reality.
Partially completed garden bed extending across the front of our house.
We had a general idea of what we wanted to accomplish. A flower bed that runs along the front facade of our house. A vegetable garden in our backyard. And, a small planter that circles a large tree that sits on the upper edge of our front lawn were our priority.
Clearly, we had pretty lofty plans and a very small budget. So, we knew we had to get creative and so we jumped right into bartering.
We managed to barter for tons of black soil, edging, cement blocks and plants!
We essentially built our gardens through barter!
It is possible folks, barter is not dead.
Bartering is awesome isn’t it?
It allows you to use your own marketable skills and/or trade goods that you no longer have use for for things that you need without spending money.
In addition to our garden bed barter we’ve also managed to barter to get our basement finished. Yup, you heard right! We bartered a hot tub which came with the purchase of our home last June.
We knew we wouldn’t use it and didn’t want to pay the extra electric costs involved in keeping it running. So, we found a contractor friend who was willing to take the hot tub in exchange for building and finishing our basement. We provided the materials and he provided the labor.
Pretty cool hunh?
How to incorporate bartering into your life and save tons of money
It’s really not all that difficult. Promise!
The thing I’ve noticed is that most people/businesses are actually pretty open to the idea. When you know you need to buy something try heading to a mom and pop shop and offering up an exchange – you’d be shocked how many times you get a yes instead of a no.
Alternatively, you can always turn to some online sites devoted entirely to bartering. Here are a list of my absolute favorites:
What to barter when you don’t have anything valuable
One of the biggest misconceptions about bartering is that you have to barter something super valuable which is just not the case.
Apart from goods you have sitting in your home you can absolutely offer up services like tutoring, computer repair, website design, cleaning, lawn care, pool care, window washing, car detailing etc.
The possibilities are truly endless. I have a teacher friend who scored an awesome gym membership in exchange for weekly tutoring. It’s really quite amazing isn’t it?
Value is truly in the eye of the beholder
Things that are no longer of use to you might be of great value to someone. Give it I try, I promise you wont be disappointed.
Once you’ve got something that you need in mind have a look around your home and find things that you no longer have use for. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of things laying around collecting dust that would be valuable to someone else!
Always barter fairly
A word of caution though.
Barter like anything else comes with risks and in an effort not to give bartering a bad name always be transparent in your transactions.
In addition, always make sure that your expectations are clear and concise so that there is no disappointed from either parties.
If the trade involves a service for an item or vice versa it’s always important to fulfill your end of the bargain. In addition, nobody likes to get duped so if you’re trading an item make sure it’s in functioning order and if not that the condition of the item is known and clearly stipulated in the exchange.
Happy bartering folks!
Even more This Tiny Blue House posts you might enjoy
- 5 ways to fix a failing budget
- Reduce food waste by freezing these 25 surprising foods
- 15 neat ways to teach your kids about money
- The best frugal living tips for 2018
- 135 easy delicious 5-ingredient dinners
I want to hear from you!
Have YOU ever bartered?
Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for reading!
I married into a family that bartering is a way of life for them, that and bargaining. My father-in-law who is 95years old inspires me in how he runs his life and business, never wasting or overspending, always looking for the best deal yet so generous.
I also loved that one big red paperclip bartering that happened a few years ago where he bartered up from a red paperclip to a house.
That’s wonderful!!!! Bartering is great isn’t it?
The red paper clip story is such a testament to how wonderful bartering can be!
Thanks for the tips! I truly forgot about the many benefits of bartering. I will definitely check out the websites mentioned.
Thank you this has inspired me!
Glad to hear it! Thank you for reading!
Thanks for with us