Bartering is something that’s been around for a long time. Before there were presidents on paper that contained monetary value, people would use tangible items in exchange for other stuff.
Basically, bartering is the method of exchange where goods or services or interchanged for other goods or services, without using money.
This is something I love taking using to full advantage, and in a big family, you learn to market your skills any way you can. I believe it’s a really innovative method to keeping expenses as low as possible.
Bartering is like leveraging your assets (Ha and not just your physical ones) since you’re using it as a means to exchange for something else you want. Below are the ways I barter to save time/money.
Bartering skills
Recently another fantastic blogger from the blog Planting Money Seeds, wrote about finding a marketable skill. Thankfully I followed her advice when I was young and I have multiple marketable skills.
In exchange for getting my apartment cleaned, an afternoon coffee or a home-cooked meal, I offer financial advice and bookkeeping.
For my friends and family during tax season, I will do tax consulting for a service or product that I need. It’s a win-win situation, and saves me from having to buy that service instead.
Bartering stuff
Many of us have some valuable tools and stuff we can barter, that we don’t even think about. For instance, if you have a heavy duty truck, you can rent it out to people that are moving or hauling heavy items.
Many small towns or local churches will host clothing or food swaps. This is a great place to network with other people who enjoy bartering, and get some items you need in the process.
You can even rent your parking lot space if you live in a popular area of the city.
Bartering time
Time is not something most of us have an excess of. In fact time is more valuable that money and must be spent very wisely.
But if you find yourself with extra time or an opportunity to barter along the way, you should definitely take advantage of it. Carpooling is a good example of this, since you will be going that direction anyways.
My previous neighborhood used to exchange homemade dinners once a month. We would rotate between all the couples and each get a free night of dinner! We were all going to cook dinner anyways, but this way we save money and get to have some social fun.
Benefits of bartering
These are all expenses I could have paid out of pocket, but found skills or assets to use instead of actual cash. Bartering benefits both parties involved (or at least it should).
One of my co-workers exchanges doing taxes for daycare services. She puts in a little bit of work and doesn’t have to worry about paying the expensive daycare for her daughter.
It’s all about being creative and “pimping yourself out” – in a good way!
Steps to pay down debt faster
My six part plan to pay my debt down faster includes:
- Part one – Cut excessive spending
- Part two – Increase income
- Part three – Sell stuff
- Part four – Pause saving and investing
- Part five – Bartering
- Part six – Use found money
In this series I want to really define and focus on each method, so I don’t blend them together and lose momentum.
With the combined efforts of part one, part two, part three and part four, I will be able to jump start my goal and become debt free even quicker than I originally calculated.
Have you ever used bartering to save money and get something you want?
Photo Credit: Creative Business
I'm an ex-small business accountant who aims to help freelancers get out of debt and organize their life. And through the recently launched 
