Doing Well Through Tight Times 

by Olaf Egeberg¹

Debt pressures, rising food, gas and other costs, more foreclosures, more job loss, more despair. What do you do if you do not have enough money to live on? Besides seriously cutting your expenses, shopping at thrift stores and looking for discounts, it is easy to feel helpless. So stop for a moment and open your thinking to consider other approaches for meeting your needs   options that require less money or no money whatsoever. In my 71 years, I have not found five more powerful tools than those outlined in this article that help cut our need for money. If they seem foreign or look difficult at first, just start small, take baby steps, because they become easier with a little practice. Here they are:

1. INNOVATE: Pause, step back, and let your mind find other ways to get something you want (or a good alternative), ways that are less costly or use other values besides money. Explore possibilities. Create more choices. Reach. There are likely to be more options than you have thought of. So free your thinking and be willing to go through some comfort boundaries. Because innovative ways to get what you want might require you to do something, you have never done before.
   
   
2. USE A NON-MONETARY EXCHANGE: Paying for something with money is an exchange. In many situations, other values besides money can be used for an exchange. The objective is to have a mutually satisfying transaction. Of course, some things such as airline tickets, gas bills, and bank loans can be paid for only with money. However, by using a non-monetary exchange where possible, money is saved for goods and services that require money. Take time to think about what goods, services, experiences, entertainment, talent, or information you have that others might be interested in having. Then just say, “Instead of money, how about a mutually beneficial exchange? I can give you ...,” and then provide a few options. The non-monetary exchange can be for either full or partial payment.
   
   Holding even more promise than these two options is working with others to get what is needed. Indeed, these financially insecure and hurting times I believe we are being prodded to learn a security that we have not had before. The following three actions allow that to happen.
   
   

3. COOPERATE: Whether you are cooperating with one person or many people for transportation, housing, food, childcare, equipment, senior care, or a vacation cabin, a cooperative effort can do a lot to lower your costs. I used to live in a community that had a food co-op of nonperishable foods. Being in that co-op made it possible for me to have a basic but healthy diet for a little over $1.00 a day. Even though that was back in 1988 when the dollar was worth more, it was still a very good deal.

4. BE IN A “GROUP EXCHANGE”: Creating non-monetary exchanges with others in your area becomes a lot easier to do if you create a “Group Exchange” that includes a Directory of people who are interested in using non-monetary exchanges. The various goods, services, and enjoyments that participants can offer are listed in the Directory, along with contact information. For example, if you may find people in the Directory you are willing to provide babysitting, yard work, firewood, dance lessons, computer assistance, or healthy cooked meals in exchange for the service you have to offer. A big advantage to the Group Exchange program is that you do not need to explain how a good exchange works since everyone in the group already a player. Some Group Exchange Programs use their own currency or a debit-credit system to make exchanges all the easier and more flexible.

5. HELP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZE A GROUP EXCHANGE: Neighborhoods are a secret weapon against tight times. With so much of your money going to essentials like housing, food, childcare, transportation, and health care, it is easy to see how neighbors can get by on less money when they are organized for non-monetary exchanges. So, have a gathering of some neighbors to discuss what steps your neighborhood can take to provide a supportive economic community. A “neighborhood” usually encompasses a walking distance of approximately 10 minutes border to border. It can include single-family homes or apartment/condo buildings that have multiple households under the same roof. In the countryside, a neighborhood usually includes those you are in contact with in person or by phone, e-mail, and the Internet. In the beginning, you may be able to give only two hours a week toward organizing your neighborhood, but that is two hours of helpfulness that was not provided before. By your actions, everyone gains since there is a lower cost of living in a neighborhood that is organized for non-monetary exchange support.

So there you have it—five ways to cut your need for money using actions that help us take charge of our lives in these difficult times and have the potential to provide a more helpful, enjoyable life together.

~ Submitted by Reverend Gail Lewis

¹ Permission to reproduce this article is FREELY given by the author. Article adapted from Chapter 7, “Expanding your personal economy by expanding your options,” from COMING HOME: A Crossover Bible for Christians, Muslims, Jews and Members Of Other Religious Faiths As Well As Thoroughly Non-Religious Persons,” downloadable free in PDF format from http://www.changesahead.net.