I'll Trade Ya!

This morning on my run I saw three deer, a mommy and two babies, complete with spots. Absolutely adorable. They were just as surprised to see me as I was to see them. I only wish I had my camera but toting along a camera on the off chance I’ll see something interesting would not only be cumbersome, but also a little extreme (don’t you think!?). Usually, my runs are quite boring; I use the time to think…often times about appealing and informative blog posts.

Today was bulk trash pickup day and, in addition to the deer, I also saw many discarded items, some of which still looked perfectly serviceable….windows (I have a great trash-to-treasure idea for discarded panel window frames…keep checking!), a table, a vacuum cleaner, toys, and a shelving unit just to name a few. Other than donating, I wonder if people know about the plethora of stuff-swap sites available. Remember, as kids, we used to swap baseball cards and “45” records (remember them?) anything else???…we knew then the smart way to get the stuff we wanted...how quickly we forget or is it just easier to buy something new! Anyway, I found a great site, makeuseof.com, that lists many sites through which a user can sign up to barter their stuff…here are just a few they list:

Bookmooch.com --> book swap (I have a friend who uses this site all the time with great success)
Swaptree.com --> music, books, video game swap
Swapstyle.com --> fashion swap
Homelink-usa.com --> discover more of the world… (temporary) home swap
Barterquest.com --> anything swap

With so many great options, why hold on to stuff that you don’t need anymore when someone else can use it? Alternatively, why buy something new when someone else may be able to offer you a perfectly functional, albeit previously-loved, counterpart!

You can also barter services…I know someone who bartered restaurant design services for free food (and beverages!). I barter with my architect friend all the time (although, sometimes I think she gets the better end of the deal). Around Christmas time, we often hear about cookie and ornament swaps and I have read about vintage apron and tablecloth swaps…I feel an event coming on!

Image from Google Images.