Old fashioned bartering

18 years ago

Sorry guys, this post really has nothing to do with gardening (except that the boat it involves sits next to our garden lol) but I value your opinions and I need some advice.

Our cleaner asked me this morning if we would consider renting her our 3m Aluminium hulled dingui for the summer as her parents are here from Europe and it would be a fun summer addition to their family.

Now the boat sits in our backyard, and has done on and off for about 3 years now, Ben starts it occassionally, it went to his dad's house for a while but his dad wants a bigger boat so we got it back with the view to sell it. Which hasn't happened yet!

Anyway, I asked my husband how he'd feel about renting it out and he jokingly said, lets just swap it for free cleaning! I actually think that's a half decent idea!! Has anyone had any experiences bartering the old fashioned way? Do you think it's a good idea or fraught with danger?

Ange

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Comments (6)

aeor
18 years ago
Great idea. Money doesn't have to be involved in give and take. I don't think you need to consider it dangerous. You may be surprised.
meggs
18 years ago
I have been doing it for quite a while, I do my daughter's and her partner's garden and he helps with renovations :-).
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tinahere
18 years ago
I guess the only problem would be if they either damaged or 'lost' the dingy....what would happen in that case? But I love the idea of 'free' house cleaning!!!that would be terrific....Tina
happyjacq_bris
18 years ago
Great idea. However you will have to have a sum of money in your head that you want for the boat. Then exchange that for a certain amount of weeks done cleaning. Then sit down with her and mark it off on your calender so it is very clear when you have to start paying her for cleaning again.
You then have to stick with it.
We did the same with our cleaning lady and my old car.
Trouble is we knew she needed the money to survive week to week so I think she ended up paying $300.00 for the car which I could have traded on my new one for $5000.00.
Anyway she is very fond of us all and is part of our family now. She and her daughter (5) have no family here, so she shares ours. A very special friendship for us all.
redbank
18 years ago
Happens all the time in the country. You help in a shearing shed. Next time the owners kill a beast you wind up with a chunk of meat. Neither asked for nor expected. But it just comes. Someone helps me with mustering or drafting sheep. They wind up with jams, preserves and a bag full of chops from the next killer. Many examples of the barter system. All of which I might add are GST free.
Sparaxis
18 years ago
I must say I agree with Happyjaq about the money side of it. In this "civilised" world we live in, we tend to think of our time and possessions in monetary terms. I have had a number of barter type arrangements in the past. Some have worked, some haven't. The ones that worked were those where we exchanged in dollar for dollar terms. I taught piano for a greengrocers children, and booked up my vegies with them every week. I taught piano in return for cleaning for a lovely lady who was struggling to afford piano lessons. I even paid for her books as my part of the deal. Both arrangements worked wonderfully. A looser arrangement with a relative where no one was (supposedly no one that is) worrying about costs, turned sour. Another friend likes to "call in favours" in return for friendly acts performed by her in the past, even though they were unasked for and sometimes unwanted :-(
Redbank is not really talking about bartering as such, but more a neighbourly consideration for kind and helpful acts done at a time when they are most needed.
Perhaps you could just lend the lady the boat, on the condition it is returned as borrowed. You may end up with something nice in return, or just a good feeling that you have helped out. After all - it's just sitting there doing nothing:-)

Old fashioned bartering

Comments (6)

aeor

meggs

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