Two of the coolest cats in the blogging world stopped by my place this weekend. Amber from Coupon Connections and Mavis from One Hundred Dollars a Month. First Mavis gave me some much needed garden advice and then we held a little stockpile swap between the three of us!
Stockpile swaps are a great way to maximize your stockpile by swapping what you might have a little extra of, with other items you don’t have. It can make your stockpile (and meals) more well-rounded. It’s easy to host a swap – just get all your couponing friends together and everyone brings to the table the items they want to swap – then you barter. It’s awfully fun. Barter coupons, produce from your garden, gently used items from around your house, stockpiled non-perishables, services (like I’ll watch your kids!) – or whatever you might have to offer. Be creative! You can also have a box for food bank donations – where everyone pitches in and one person drops it off.
A stockpile barter is actually what I did this weekend with Mavis and Amber. It was our own little version of Barter Kings.
My valuable loot that I traded was moose meat, chicken, canned beans and a Chinook Book coupon book. Growing up in Alaska we survived on moose every winter thanks to subsistance hunting. My parents still live up there and continue the same practice – and I’m lucky to get a few pounds of moose meat here or there. It’s like gold to me! But I traded moose and some chicken for frozen strawberries and garden seeds from Mavis. And Amber traded peanut butter and razors for moose meat and chicken.
The strawberries will be used for making jam and for smoothies (with my 63 pounds of bananas) and we were totally out of peanut butter. I can’t wait to plant the seeds and the razors will be donated to a food pantry/toiletry drive my mother-in-law works with up in the Tacoma area.
To see other things Mavis bartered go here and to see the cool things Amber bartered go here.
Have you bartered for anything recently?
Trina Newman says
Last week I helped my daughter with organizing some things at her place and she gave me beans and packing tape!
Mandi says
What an awesome idea. My coworker just launched a produce bartering site you might get a kick out of. http://www.cropswap.me
KimD says
What a fun idea!