Barter Clubs and Freecycle - Awesome Deals

I was thinking about this today, well for sometime... What is a barter club? I belong to one on Facebook... I also belong to Freecycle through Yahoo Groups...

This is what the meaning of Barter says in the dictionary... 

 Barter is a system under which goods and services are exchanged instead of currency. Barter is also the actual goods or services that are being exchanged.(noun)
An example of barter is when the people within a community exchange goods and services so that money needn't be used. An example of barter is bread provided in exchange for butter.
To barter is to provide a good or service in exchange for another good and service rather than using or accepting currency. (verb)
An example of barter is your ability to fix plumbing for someone else's ability to fix electrical issues.

The reason I have been thinking about this is that I don't think that people understand what it means to barter... I see advertisements on the group for items for sale or trade... There are also some adds for making money at home... When I think of barter, what comes to mind is that I will trade you this item or service for an item or service you have... It's almost like it has become a place to get rid of things cheap and to advertise items... It drives me crazy when someone posts something on there that is for sale and not for trading of services... 

If you live in St. George, Utah or Washington County Utah you can check out the barter page on Facebook... 

I love Bartering... My husband and I have been doing this bartering thing to find the right vehicle for him... We offered my '72 Nova and he traded it for a 2000 GMC Sonoma plus cash... He didn't do a very good job at bartering... So I took over the bartering for the family... Then I got online and traded his 2000 Sonoma for a 1999 Ford Expedition... And it was an Eddie Bauer at that with all the bells and whistles... That was a great trade... It is a gas hog though... Then the other day we seen an add on craigslist that said someone was looking for a SUV because they had a large family and they offered up a 1998 Mustang GT  Convertible... Now my husband loves Mustangs and add the GT with the convertible... That is a winning combination for him... We went and looked at the Stang and it sounded awesome... I'm not fond of the color since it is black... So now Chuck has a Mustang GT Convertible that he can have fun in and the other guy has something that works for him... When we do trades like this, NO CASH exchanges hands, only titles... We will have to pay for the title and registration, which is under $100.00, but it is worth it... I will post a better picture of the Mustang when I get them... This was with my cell phone... 

But it gets me that people don't understand what it means to barter... It's something that people have done throughout history because they had no money... Money isn't suppose to exchange hands for the most part... We did have to take some for the Nova since it was worth alot more than what the truck was... 

Freecylcle and Craigslist: One person's trash, another's treasure

If you go to Yahoo groups and put in the search Freecycle and your area... For me we put in freecycle Washington county, Utah and the group pops up... With this group it connects you with people in your area that is wanting items, giving away items, services and it's all for free... They do ask that people be willing to offer and not only receive... I have found so many items and given away items on there... The only thing usually is that you have to pick up the item that you have agreed to take... I love it... This week I was looking for a spare TV for a spare room and I picked up a working 32 inch TV... It costed me the time and a little gas, but that was all... In the past I have gotten furniture, cloths, bedding, curtains, school supplies, computer screens, dishes, flowers and many other things... I have also made sure to use Freecycle when I want to give something away... So you want to play nice... You can find anything from toys, cloths, furniture, pets and whatever else on there and all for free... What I try to do if I don't get rid of it on freecycle, I will then give it to the Hope Chest Thrift Store... That way it is helping someone in need... Why buy something if someone is giving away the item you are looking for? There are a few people I would like to put on freecycle and I would even be willing to deliver them to the new owner free of charge...

On Craigslist, I am a little more careful but they have a Free and Barter Section... I always worry about spammers over there... I make sure it is local numbers I can contact... But I have gotten some great deals for others on there...