Offer Your Services for Barter or Cash

Offering basic services to neighbors, friends and family is a time honored form of making some side cash, bartering for something you might need or trading a skill for a skill.

Start by assessing what your skills are and asking your friends and neighbors what they might need done. Work out the bartering details or payment and set a date.

Just walking around your neighborhood could give you some ideas. Why does the grass always get so long at that house before it is mowed; do those people really want those bushes that big; that garage looks like it hasn’t been painted in years.

Outdoor work to offer is obviously based on the seasons, such as raking leaves in the fall, snow removal in the winter, gutter cleaning in the spring and summer mowing.

I currently shovel snow for my disabled neighbors. We also have gardens joined together and in the summer they water and we weed. If we cook a large batch of something or just want to share we will give them a plate or bowl full, and they do the same in return. We also watch each others property and pets when the other goes on vacation.

Recently my nephew designed some Cafepress images for me in exchange for my building a gate for his dog pen. We also did some hauling together for awhile. A good buddy of mine has several yards he mows in the summer, as did my kids before they left for college. Both of my kids have offered babysitting services and my daughter walked dogs for a time. Another way to barter services is to form a DIY Club.

I have found that if you make it known what you have to offer you will find all of this kind of work you can handle.