I was meaning to ask Jay to post the info he offered on bartering, so I guess I am asking now:smile:. Also, I was curious as to what the best barter deals you folks have made, if you want to share them. My best has been in business. I have bartered t shirts for electrical work, small repairs, auto repair, and just general labor. Thanks!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), May 20, 2001

Answers

My wife will undoubtly thank you. As I dig out the reports and diskettes I'll have to clean the office and my desk. I'll get em dug out and scanned at my neighbors so that I can send them to you. It may take a few days though (I actully misplaced my keyboard in this pile yesterday).

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 21, 2001.

I'm sorry, Jay! Don't fret yourself over it....Are you one of those people who can piles of stuff and know exactly where things are? That is astounding to me. I have a business partner like that. Wild.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), May 21, 2001.

I can until Lynn puts stuff on top she figures "belongs in my office instead of her house". (gotta get those rooms built on the end of a greenhouse:>)

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 21, 2001.

I had an elderly lady give me her snapper lawn mower if I would mow her yard every two weeks. And her next door neighbor has hired me to mow her yard so I gort a free mower and a job that pays for the gas for my lawn and the ladies yard who gave me the mower.

I helped set up brooder rings in a turkey farm 500' long building, 25000.00 (thats not a typo) pults and I got a 1976 ford F250. I took the starter off, cleaned it up put it back on and the truck started.

That's just two I have more Grant

-- grant (organicgrange@yahoo.com), May 21, 2001.

Best Barter? It was between three people, Me, J. and S.

J. was painting S.'s truck, but S. didn't know what colour he wanted. J. called me and I did some colour mock-ups for S.(whom I'd never met before) to see what paint colour he wanted so J. didn't have to waste money on paint. J. didn't have any cash to pay me. I needed a new mower, and had a tiller on the fritz. S. repaired mowers and small engines as a side job. J. had a mower I wanted,(complete with disc, plough, blade and tooth harrow) but I couldn't afford it. This is where it STARTED. By the time it was all over, we had traded; mowers, mower parts, car parts, an entire vehicle, various services we each perfomed for the others, a refrigerator/freezer, a canoe and who can remember what else-with never even a penny changing hands. All I know is two months later, after our wives finished shaking their heads and all of our pickup trucks in somebody else's driveway picking up or dropping off something: all three of us were happy the way everything turned out. To me, that's all that mattered.

-- StevenB (thicketyrowfarm@aol.com), May 21, 2001.

My best barter would be this computer system I use. A case of fruit preserves for the main system and 3 grocery sacks of garden fresh vegetables for the printer, modem , soundblaster,speakers,microphone and extra hard drive. The gear was outdated and the fella had upgraded and wanted the farm fresh taste :>)

I looked up the info on the barter co-op. The condensed instructions for it are to set it up like bank deposits. A barter participant two services or items he would like to "deposit". These are entered into the ledgers, 1 to the barter available list as the participants "deposit" the second to the barter available list as the co-ops asset ( These can be traded by the co- op for cash payment or barter to maintain the co-op). The participant is eligible for equitable trade for their deposit and a periodic dividend barter from the co-op management as "profit sharing". Due to the occurance of some cash, the co-op does have to be run as a type of business institution. Members however, usually see no cash.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 22, 2001.

We used to barter a lot when we owned a small restaurant. The best one then was we never paid for any signs or that type of thing. The guy who did them was satisfied with meals, same with several other people. My husband now works for a company that manufactures snack food. They give the guys free snacks all the time and my husband passes them on to people he knows at fast food restaurants and they give him coupons for their food. Also, the printer I have now I recieved from a family where the mother and daughter wanted to learn to crochet. So I gave them a couple of lessons and I got a printer. I wish we could do more bartering!

-- Deena in GA (dsmj55@aol.com), May 23, 2001.

I like the Barter system too, I bartered for vet services. He spayed my cat and my dog, and I will babysit his three young boys for eight individual evenings so he and his wife can have some time out together.

My pets are feeling fine, and his boys are very nice kids!

-- Bobbi (ddouble@mediaone.net), November 02, 2001.

This may be more than you can handle, but I am looking for a motorhome,(prefer Diesel power)for my mobile accounting business. I travel all over the state of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Just starting business, but would consider a partner in return or will do your business accounting until paid for.

-- Bill Tate (wtate@attbi.com), December 29, 2002.

In Ithica new york , they had a system of Barter where they even had a paper dollar type of currency called " Barter Bucks ".

This was over 10 years ago .I don't know if it was a success or not ,it was in an old issue of mother earth news .

The only type of barter they have here in Tennessee is a system most of my neighbors use . They steel from each other what ever isn't locked up and hidden. They seem to be happy with this system and not to many people complain .

-- Steve (unreal@home.com), December 29, 2002.

On bartering, "How can you afford to pay a hired hand." sez an old farmer to another, "I can't hardly pay for feed." "Oh, I don't pay him. I give him IOUs and when I owe him what the farm is worth, I'll go to work for him!"

-- Marty in Mo. (martys@iland.net), January 01, 2003.