5 Tricks to the Living-Without-Money Trade

We’ve all heard stories about people who live without spending money. You’re probably thinking, “Yeah. I know someone who lives without money. My mother’s friend’s son lives in her basement. I’m pretty sure he lives for free.” This isn’t that type of story.

A documentary about Heidemarie Schwermer’s experiment to live without money was recently released, and guess what – she was successful.

A brief synopsis about the film:

“Most of us could go a day without spending any cash. But a week? How about sixteen years? That’s how long 69-year-old Heidemarie Schwermer, grandmother of three, has lived without money. Schwermer’s odyssey is the subject of a documentary film, Living Without Money, by director Line Halvorsen, which is screening internationally and is also available on DVD.”

Schwermer started a swap shop two years before her moneyless experiment, was versed in nomadic life, and knew how to service and food swap for shelter. Pretty neat!

So, you don’t want to totally swear off money? No worries! Here are some ideas (via the previously linked Yahoo article) that can help you learn how to swap and barter for almost anything.

Use FreeCycle.org

FreeCycle.org is all about bartering and trading locally.

“Freecycle Networt is made up of 5,017 groups with 8,921,372 members around the world. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by local volunteers (them’s good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on ‘Browse Groups’ above the search box. Have fun!”

Host a Clothing Swap

If you haven’t worn an item of clothing in over a year it’s time to trade that piece away. What to do? Go big and host a swap at your local community center, or go small-scale, and host a swap at your home. Clothing not your thing? Swap local produce, meat, eggs, garden plants and flowers, and dairy goods.

Use Other Trade Services

Trade professional services (example: a hair cut for consulting advice)

Want to travel on the cheap? This article at Vagabondish lists services available to people who want to travel with little or no money. Some sites included: Couch Surfing and Organic Volunteers.

The following articles have a few thrifty ideas on how to gift for free, and how to start a garden food swap.

image: gamene

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