To Barter or Not to Barter

[MaryN]

After reading a few interesting postings on this topic, I wonder if any of you have actually set up a bartering system with your friends/neighbours.

Chatting with neighbours here, I am beginning to realise that things are starting to get quite tough for some of them. None of us want to waste cash, so I have decided to start bartering for goods services. I think it is going to be a bit of a mixed thing - some of us have things to barter - mine are fresh fruit and veg, free range eggs and loads of horse manure for starters - but my neighbours have lovely things like welding kits and one has some very handy garage equipment. I'm hopeful that I can encourage a little community get together - it could have useful future benefits.

[NorthernRaider]

My missus is bartering preserves like Jam for flour off someone else, and home made toothpaste for something else, but thats about it.

I get gifts of firewood at times from people whose preps I have helped them work out but nothing exceptional.

[MaryN]

(25 February 2013, 21:14)NorthernRaider Wrote: My missus is bartering preserves like Jam for flour off someone else, and home made toothpaste for something else, but thats about it.

I get gifts of firewood at times from people whose preps I have helped them work out but nothing exceptional.

It's a start though, isn't it, and firewood is always expensive.

[cryingfreeman]

Bartering is hard - maybe this has been posted on here before. If it's hard now, it would be even harder one expects in grid-down. In Argentina during its economic crash 10 years ago, bartering quickly fizzled out due to the sheer difficulty of it and alternative currencies were quickly used in its place.

[Highlander]

We have been bartering up here for years and years,... when you live in a place where the nearest descent shops are 100 miles round trip, or where there is only three fuel points within hundreds of miles bartering almost becomes a way of life,...only we don't really call it bartering

When someone needs something they don't have, they ring around,..I bet one of us has it,... so the needy gets what he wants,.. he doesn't have to give anything in return,... but when I/we want something he is the first person I call..... if someone is short on fuel they are sure to get a jerry can off someone,... they will get us something from the main town the next time they go in saving us the trip,...my neighbor dog sits for us when we go to Fife, we house sit for him when he goes on holiday,... the range of `services` is almost unlimited

The nearest thing to real bartering is skills, for instance I paint someone gate, they cut my lawn,.. this is not quiet so common as the above though

[Metroyeti]

It could be a nice system providing you have decent neighbours