We use money to buy goods and services and it is the accepted means of exchange. But the oldest form of exchange is the barter system. In the barter system, goods or services are exchanged.
Wikipedia defines it as follows:
Barter is a system of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. It is distinguishable from gift economies in that the reciprocal exchange is immediate and not delayed in time. It is usually bilateral, but may be multilateral (i.e., mediated through barter organizations) and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a very limited extent.
Interestingly there is a move back to using the barter system and websites exist in which members swap goods and services. Even Cape Town has a community that exchanges services or goods as a form of payment instead of using money.
Someone who has received much media attention and interest is Harriet of Free our Kids. She was retrenched just before Christmas 2012 and when she realised how much she was spending on her son’s clothing, toys and entertainment, she embarked on a challenge in which she would not spend any money on her son. She started swapping clothing with neighbours or online and would rather visit a friend or park than pay for an indoor child play centre. She has subsequently had another child, relaxed some of her rules and is now in her second year of her challenge. Many mothers have joined her in her challenge. Recently I heard her being interviewed and she expressed that what she gained most from this experience was: how little she needed to spend on new items for her children and how she loved getting to know her community. Through swapping clothing and toys, instead of buying new ones, she interacted and met her neighbours and made new friends. Many had older or younger children and her son now also has a new community of friends.
If this “old way” of paying is returning, how can we use it? We could exchange goods that we no longer need with another, for example I could exchange the pram I no longer need for a set of classic books that I know my girls would enjoy. We could exchange our service for that of a friend’s. A friend of mine, Candice Ilic from With Style did a free make-over for a friend who is a professional blogger. One gets a free make-over and another gets media exposure. Or we might refer friends to your hairdresser who then in turn will give you a free cut for every three referrals. Next time our school has a fundraiser we could ask our regular beautician for a voucher or two, or our favorite restaurant for a meal voucher. The school gets a prize to be used to raise funds and the restaurant and beautician get new customers. Or we could assist a friend with his or her tax and in return they assist us in a DIY or plumbing job. The list is endless.
To a certain extent we all do it already. I guess it is about becoming more mindful and intentionally using the services or gifts we already have and exchanging it with others. Instead of just paying for something as we are accustomed to doing, to rather think differently: how can we both benefit from this exchange without using money? It’s all about thinking out of the box
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