When was the last time you bartered for anything? What did you barter for? What did you receive?

I got a call from a friend yesterday with what she described as a "quirky offer," and what I describe as sheer bartering bliss. Susan is a masseuse--and absolutely amazing and gifted masseuse, to be exact--and she asked if I could help her out today in exchange for a free one-hour massage. YES! Of course! I couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect situation especially in the wake of an [eternal/never-ending] moving ordeal. So the deal was struck.

I met her at a lovely park in a lovely town nearby that was celebrating Memorial Day with the usual pomp and circumstance of small-ish towns: a parade, concessions, bounce houses, arts & crafts, and general mayhem. As a way to promote her services to the local community, Susan set up a booth offering free chair massages. My "job" was to greet guests and tell them about how fabulous Susan is, to provide them with brochures & coupons, and to encourage them to fill out a raffle card. Cake walk!

In the end, I enjoyed a lovely walk a few miles through town, I helped out a friend, and I got to meet and talk with some really cool people. Oh, and I have an amazing massage waiting for me!barter

I'm a HUGE fan of the barter system and if I could've I would have bartered my graduate education and rent with baked goods and catering!

Now I realize that in our society money is generally the bottom line. But I wonder if we could take steps to do a little more bartering within our communities. I think we could come a long way in not only saving some money, but in building some delightful and meaningful relationships. Go ahead, try it, then tell me all about it here :)

Happy Bartering!