Barter.

Have you ever wondered what folks did before dollars, pounds, cedis, yen, shillings, and pesos made us bound to money? Likely they bartered, that is, they traded things they had for things they needed. The invention of money, which can be much more efficient, caused bartering to die down substantially. But there are still many good reasons to barter:

> You can conserve your cash for when you really need it.
> You may not have to pay sales taxes on the goods and services you receive. (helpful when trying to subvert the IMF!)
> You will support the local economy.
> You can get rid of surplus inventory (read: junk. Remember, one woman's trash is another woman's treasure.)
> You will prevent waste and encourage recycling.

Here are some sites that will provide information you can use to successfully use bartering in your business and personal life:

* The International Reciprocal Trade Association "is a non-profit organization of companies committed to promoting just and equitable standards of reciprocal trade and raising the value of reciprocal trade to businesses and communities world wide by educating, self-regulating and leading by example."

* Barter News "is the official journal of the reciprocal trade industry."

* Barter Consultants International is a for-profit organization that can help your business reduce cash spending.

* In 2000, Inc. Magazine reviewed and ranked several barter websites including bartertrust.com, isolve.com, and targetbarter.com.

* And of course, you can organize a clothes swap (or tool swap, or plant/seed swap, or . . . )

Once you start bartering, you'll have more cash on hand to send to your favorite non-profit organizations! It's win-win for everyone!

"All government -- indeed, every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act -- is founded on compromise and barter." - Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)