Bartering: Get What You Need Without Cash

No matter what the emergency is - lack of funds because the ex cleaned out your bank account, power outage making ATMs inaccessible, or global economic collapse making cash worthless - there is a skill that can help you acquire what you need without money. It's called bartering.

Bartering is simply the exchange of goods or services for other goods or services without the use of money. So a farmer may trade produce or eggs to a mechanic in exchange for repairs to his vehicle. In more modern times, you might see a wide variety of services exchanged by bartering. For example, I was recently able to barter my grandson's senior pictures in exchange for a few hours of social media marketing coaching.

In order for bartering to be successful, both parties must feel that they have received equal value. So it's important that you actually have something worth bartering.

What kinds of things can be bartered? Personal care services like haircuts, manicures, massages, lawn care, housecleaning. Clothing. Children's clothes and maternity wear are especially popular. Toys. Food items. Crafts. Technology. Professional services such as dental and medical care, bookkeeping, tax preparation, photography, web design, marketing and advertising.

How To Barter

1. This is a good way to get rid of any excess or unneeded supplies or other items you may have. I swapped brand new floor mats for my old Jeep in exchange for some pretty nice camping equipment. I didn't need the mats, since they didn't fit in my new Jeep. And the person who took them didn't go camping anymore. So we both had these basically brand new items that had never even been out of the box. We could have sold them online maybe for less than what we paid for them. Or we could exchange them with someone else for something we needed and wanted. Before you throw anything away, determine if you can exchange it for something you need.

Do you can food? Put up a few extra jars to barter. Bake? Make a few extra loaves of bread or some extra cookies to barter. Plant a few extra rows of vegetables. Whenever you make anything, always make a little extra to barter.

2. Learn some skills. Having a needed skill could be very valuable in an emergency. I recommend a variety of skills so you always have something to offer. In time of financial or medical crisis, technical and business skills could prove profitable. During the zombie apocalypse, skills like hunting, woodworking, and medical knowledge will be highly prized. If you don't have a set of skills to offer, now is the time to develop some.

3. Start now to perfect your negotiating skills and build your network. The Covid-19 pandemic has created a surge in bartering recently. The loss of jobs has forced many people to resort to bartering to survive. And many people are turning to bartering to avoid stores and exposure to the virus.

How Do You Find Someone To Barter With

First, tap into your own personal network. If that doesn't work, there are plenty of online sites devoted to bartering. Too many to list here. Just google "bartering websites" and you'll find them.

Remember, bartering is currently taxable, so you will have to report the fair market value of what you received as income. If we are in the midst of the zombie apocalypse, that will probably be less important.

By the way, I'm always willing to discuss exchanging my social media marketing skills, dried herbs from the garden, homemade jams, or some extra yummies (I'm a pretty good cook). And the hubs is really good with mechanical and electrical stuff. What have you got that we might be interested in?