Sunday, February 21, 2010

Make a Trade for What you Want

When I think of bartering an image of crowded old world markets where everyone has traveled for miles to spend the day trading and haggling for the items they need immediately comes to mind. But bartering is more common in our modern world than you may realize. Remember as kids we traded food items from our lunches for items we thought were better? I have been witness to both of my children swapping various small toys and trading cards and even small Lego pieces with friends. I believe bartering is innate in each of us. Bartering is simply the trade of goods and services without the use of money. But since the invention of currency, bartering is a forgotten option. Yet the ancient practice really is alive and well and can provide benefits especially when inflation saunters in the economy. Sometimes bartering is just plain impractical because it takes too much time, work and sometimes even money, but you will know when bartering is not a fit you. I want to share some ideas and the benefits of bartering. What to trading is as varied as we are people and is up to our imaginations; there are no limits as long as you can find a person to make an exchange with.
  • First figure out what you want and what you can give. Make a list for both.
  • Next create a list of potential trading partners.
  • If you are trading for a timely or costly service, put the details of what you expect from each trading partner in writing - be very clear.
  • You may want to join a bartering community like this one or a time bank
  • Remember the Tax Man. Some trades need to be reported to the IRS when it is tax season, so do your due diligence.
Here are some ideas you can build trading communities around soup swaps, gardening/yard work, babysitting, pet sitting/walking, housecleaning, and of course the list becomes endless.

Cheers,
Julie
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Meet Copia

In Roman mythology, Copia is the Goddess of Abundance. Her name means ‘abundance’. In addition it means ‘plenty’, ‘wealth’, ‘opportunity’ and ‘resources’. She carries a cornu copia overflowing with the fruits of harvest and wealth. “The Horn of Plenty”; a magical goat’s horn the gives everything anyone desires. It is important to mention that Copia is often associated with Fortuna, the Roman Goddess of Fortune, Luck and Fate.

But I did not purposefully name this blog after Copia. I was looking for a word that described a life of truth and integrity. I like the word authentic; Authentic Life. But it appears that many others on the internet like that word too. I also like the word intelligent; Intelligent Life. But John Tesh uses the phrase “Intelligent Life” on his radio shows. Then came the word copious; Copious Life.

Copious

Pronunciation:

\kō-pē-əs\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

14th century Middle English, from Latin copiosus, from copia abundance, from co- + ops wealth

Synonyms:

Ample; abundant; plentiful; plenteous; opulent; rich; full; exuberant; overflowing; full.

Definition:

1 a: yielding something abundantly; a copious harvest, copious springs. b: plentiful in number; copious references to other writers.

2 a: full of thought, information, or matter b: profuse or exuberant in words, expression, or style; a copious talker.

3: present in large quantity: taking place on a large scale; copious weeping, copious food and drink.


Well, okay so this word will do. I know I want plenty of what ever it is I desire in my life; money, healthy, patience, joy etc., … So I’ll sign up and create a copious life!

When pronounced, copious sounds very similar to Copia’s. After researching and discovering a linguistic connection these two words have, I thought Copia was quite nifty! Since this blog is about money and I think women (mostly) will read this blog, I gave Copia a purse (because most women can relate to having a purse) instead of a goat’s horn.

So there you have it. That is who Copia is. Hopefully she resonates inside each of us.

Cheers to a life of abundance – A Copious Life!