Successful Swaps

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Who says bartering is forgotten in the city?

Nona McCreedy
Edmonton, Alta.
Canada

I'm a single woman, trying hard to save money for my big break to the country. I work the night shift in a heavily automated factory which has lax supervision, so that we operators have plenty of free time.

Since I'm always trying to kill two birds with one stone, I read periodicals like MOTHER on the job. If I come across any information that might help my fellow workers, I pass it along. In return, I've had an electric light fixed, a table and some chairs hauled, and my lawn mower repaired.

When I see a good recipe, I try it out and share the product with various married women I work with. As likely as not, they'll thank me by inviting me home for a free meal.

Also, as a former hairdresser, I give free haircuts on my lunch hour in exchange for future favors.

This kind of co-worker give-and-take works out to everyone's advantage. (But I wouldn't want our employers to know about my little "learn as you earn" program, all the same!)

J. Lockwood
St. Marys, Pa.

When my husband was in the service we moved around a lot, and sometimes it took a while to meet new friends.

In one apartment building we temporarily inhabited, the laundry room had a table that was used for sorting and folding clothes. One day I put several magazines, paperback books, and product samples on the table with a little sign saying, "I can't use these anymore. Help yourself."

Well, I really started something. Soon my neighbors were adding clothing and a variety of other items to the laundry room repository. Even cakes, cookies, and bread were placed there for the sharing, and one time someone going away for the weekend left half a watermelon!

Since there was a lot of moving in and out among military families in the building, newly transferred folks began to leave perishable foods and other things they couldn't take along on the little table.

When we were transferred, we had a place to leave things that we couldn't take with us but which were too good to discard. And we also left many new friends thatif it weren't for the "community table"we might never have gotten to know.

Sue Piedalue
Perma, Mont.

When you've been raised in a farm community, the idea of bartering is nothing new. People in these parts have always exchanged goods and services, thanks to a closeness among them that's missing in too many places these days.

This year we found the swap system to be especially invaluable when we started to build a house. We got our woodshed for a used wheelbarrow and some rafters, and a new block chimney cost only a day's work transporting firewood.

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