Bartering for Everyday Life

It's been almost two years since I've had a job. I've been studying at a university (including summers) since then, so I'm not a bum, but I still feel like one because I still don't have my own source of income. I am very lucky to have parents who take care of my cost of living and my education. Everything else is up to me, and there's always something. There's always a movie your friends want to see, a dance you want to take your partner to, a T-shirt for a major event, or food that you didn't cook yourself. How do I get these things? I barter. How am I successful in this? I make it known what I have and what I want.

Pride Week at my school was done amazingly well, and I learned a lot. I wanted one of the shirts, so I asked how much they were. When I was told $10, I said, "Never mind," so the person in charge would know I wanted one but couldn't afford it. I personally know her, so when she found out that there was going to be an online feedback survey about Pride Week and that the first 25 responses would win free T-shirts, she made sure to tell me about it ahead of time. I traded five minutes of question-answering for my new Alphabet Soup T-shirt, and wouldn't have gotten to the survey in time if I hadn't made it known I wanted a shirt. Communication is key for opening opportunities to barter.

At the end of Pride Week was Pride Prom, and I wanted very much to take my boyfriend, but it was $10 each. I needed to make $20, so I posted on Facebook that I wanted to make a few bucks, was willing to clean windows, and had made glass pieces I was willing to sell for Mother's Day presents (this was just before Mother's Day so I thought it would give me an edge.) One of my friends had been working Saturdays for $10/hour helping a family fix up their fixer-upper house. He couldn't make it that Saturday, so he gave me the family's information so I could get his spot before they called someone else. I did so, and ended up making $60 that day, enough to cover the dance, camping with my boyfriend next month, and a few other things. This was an odd job rather than a barter, but my point still holds true here: Make it known what you want.

Slightly off-topic, I will be traveling to Europe this summer, and have decided to make as many glass pieces as I can before I go. I'll take them with me so I have something of value with which to barter. If you'd like to see pictures of my pieces, check out the latest entry in my other blog. I'll be updating this with any successful or interesting barter attempts in Europe.

Happy Trading!

-The Egg