Bartering with the internet

Many people use Craig’s List, but I have to be honest: it rarely works for me. My own network of friends, acquaintances, and family has always the best group for getting and giving stuff. When I “stuff,” I recall my 5th and 6th grade teacher Mrs. Tracy, who insisted that we use any noun more specific than “stuff.” Her definition of stuff is very fitting here, though, because I mean “anything that I might want” is available with my network. Always has been, and the internet speeds up the barter process for me.

What kind of stuff? Well, my second son and I gave my front yard flower bed a makeover. To help me finish it, my friend Abby traded her perennial geranium  for my culinary sage.

I have pruned this sage so much over the last two years that it’s finally fitting in the space I wish for it. I’m in charge over the plant here, right?

Bonus: She left me with yarn!

I also belong to Central Iowa Plant Exchange, where I traded monarda, or bee balm — one light pink and one dark purple-pink for liriope muscari, or lily turf. It looks like grass now, but will have lovely blue flowers along a spike come late summer. Bonus: She left me with a few Japanese painted ferns!

I was pleased to see one of last year’s barter plants grow out this year — spiderwort.

And because I engage so well with others via social media, Klout and McDonald’s rewarded me with $5 to use on an Egg White Delight. Bartering social media time for food is OK with me.

I added a latte, no syrup, for an extra 28 cents. Yes, I really put McDonald’s in my car and my body.

The process cheese scared me a little at first. I thought it would be yellow, but it was white. When I peeled back the paper wrapper to find white melty strings, I thought it was uncooked egg white. Ick. Moreover, I’m not a fan of process cheese. But for a quick meal, it definitely fits the bill. Definitely a 1% of the time kind of purchase for me.

Tell me how you barter.