The Basics of Barteringby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 03 Jan 2007 12:23 PM Bartering is a great way to conserve your resources and afford things you might not normally fit into your budget. You can get all sorts of things through bartering. In this blog, I'll tell you what bartering is and give you some ideas on what can be bartered. My father is the king of bartering. He lives in a working class neighborhood in New York City and has grown up bartering. If there is anything we need, from a carburetor to curtains, from a parking space to a fancy dinner, chances are he can get it in a day or two, without spending a dime. He has such a large network of friends in his circle that they call him the mayor. So what is bartering? Well, it is basically trading something for something else. You can barter for goods, that is, tangible items such as a box of oranges, or for services, such as having your lawn mowed. The first thing you have to do to barter is figure out what you have to offer someone else. If you have a home business, such as making candles or writing resumes, you may already have a ready made good or service to barter. A renewable resource that everyone can use (something you can keep making or doing that appeals to a large group of people) is the best thing to have for bartering. A good example of this is my sister-in-law. She often barters cleaning someone's house for all sorts of things. Everyone can use a clean house, right? A neighbor of mine barters cutting hair for whatever she needs. I often barter writing and graphic art services. You can also barter with items you might otherwise throw away, hand down or sell. Look around your house to see what you might have that is worth something to someone. Do you have any clothes or toys that your kids have outgrown? They should be in excellent shape to be barter worthy. Here are some other ideas for goods and services that can be bartered:
Look for a future blog where I'll tell you the best ways to find bartering opportunities. Related Articles Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments  Andrea Hermitt (5512) 03 Jan 2007 03:56 PMWhen I was decorating and painting murals, I often bartered, but because of the expense of my services, it was hard to get an even trade. Any suggestions for bartering expensive services?  Mary Ann Romans (26886) 03 Jan 2007 04:32 PMHi Andrea, I would love to see some of your murals. Do you have any photos? One thing that helps, I think, is to give a cost estimate for your job. For example, if I charge $25 a hour for a service, and I estimate the service will cost two hours, then I know I need $50 worth back. A hairstyle may cost $40, an uneven trade. It could possibly be made up in a voucher for future service, a haircare product, etc. You could also trade your remainder as a dollar amount "discount" off of a product or service. Even if you don't need that particular product or service again, the discount can be traded to a third party. Would that work for a mural? Nola Redd (7081) 03 Jan 2007 06:28 PMGreat blog! I look forward to the 'how' to follow. I tried bartering some of my grocery stockpile on craigslist awhile back but had no luck. I kept trying to convince myself to carry said stockpile (a few parts) up to the local produce stand to trade, but never got up the nerve. Mary Ann Romans (26886) 03 Jan 2007 08:20 PMNola, Thanks for your comment! I knew a couple who held a yard sale every year where they sell all of the extra stockpile. The sale is such a hit that people from neighboring towns 40 miles away came to buy. Now that is selling, not bartering, but they did very well. If you try something like that, let me know! And I'll be rooting for you if you do make it to the produce stand. Community Tags barter, bartering, trading Discuss this article
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