Before you’re out of money, before there’s holes in your socks, before your and your loved ones’ stomachs rumble on empty, you may want to set up a local and personal bartering web.

One can learn from functioning junkies. They will decide upon trading, say a computer game, for cash. What’s to be learned from them is that they have a circle or web of friends, close and even just-say-hello-to friends. This is their market, a closed market, where they can make their rounds. They’re always looking to add others to their personal marketing web. Making their rounds, they also gather leads on what items interest their friends. It works!

You need such a web. Once your own wed is formed, know your swappers and clients. You will have stuff to swap, but start by listing functions you can barter that are not material, like…

… write letters; send e-mail on your computer for those with such a need.
… baby-sit or elderly-sit
… shop for others.
… walk another’s kid and/or dog.
… host a party in your own home for someone who’s celebrating.
… bake goodies in someone else’s kitchen with their ingredients. Prepare a complete meal.
… be a make-the-pair for someone who needs a required partner to ceremonies, dinners.
… wash and wax (be careful with the wax!) someone’s car.
… even polish another’s shoes.

I think you have the idea. Notice that the above do chores are repeatable. Take your list of material stuff and function-type chores and marry these that you have to offer with those in your web who may be interested in a trade.

The important thing here is the web of local, known contacts you have gathered together. Forget eBay.
Your chore do’s and stuff is to be traded locally, each item too small to be eBay important but of use to you and to those among your web of friends and causal contacts.

Yes, I know there was a guy who traded a paperclip, traded what he got for it, traded up, and used what came from that trade to trade again and again until he traded up to a house. Astounding, but that’s not a feat to be considered in this context.

In the past, similar barter information has been written about, including established web sites, but it’s your own web (not Internet) that you put together that makes bartering work successfully for you during tough times.

Web-building, that comes first. You start by selecting some offered-to-do chore or item you may want to unload. Go to the first person that comes to mind and make your pitch — stressing this is a two-way “transaction” where each of you profits without money being exchanged. Keep at it. And later when in want, you’ll have your swapping web ready to work. Give it a try; set up very own bartering web. It won’t cure your situation altogether, but you will have something in reserve as back-up that may help.

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