We recently had a sandy cat move in with us in Tonga, we called him Jasper. He was a wild cat that lived in the mangroves by the house and one day domesticated himself and moved in.
When the NZ vets were here we arranged to have Jasper de sexed, just a nick here and a nick there you go from being Jasper the Tongan lion to Jasper the Pussycat.

He seemed to take to his newfound asexual life very well and moved in. He sleeps on a mat or the chair, drinks from a bowl and messes outside, basically he is the purrrr fect cat.
I thought it would be good to keep him around to scare off the occasional Tongan rat that drops by for a quick feed and so after almost 50 years of total distain towards cats we agreed on some terms of employment and I allowed him into my life. We are now great friends, he helps (hinder) me to round up the chickens and feed the pigs, he walks with me in the morning to open the gate. He is my new best buddy.

But then………………… last night at about 2 am I heard a noise in the kitchen, something had crashed to the floor! I jumped out of bed , grabbed the torch and moved quickly to the kitchen / lounge scanning the area expecting to find Jasper on a bench top but instead found Jasper asleep on the lounge and the rolling pin on the floor, it had fallen from the top of the refrigerator.

I thought, this is one smart cat, he creaps around at night, makes a mistake by bumping the rolling pin on the refrigerator which crashes to the ground and wakes me up and then, knowing that his stealth mode has been compromised and he is in the shit with me runs across the room lays down and pretends to be asleep on the lounge.

Alternatively a Tongan rat is in the house and he slept through he whole commotion.

In either scenario he was sleeping on the job or being deceptive, both being grounds for instant dismissal under the terms of our agreement

What should I do, set an example of him and fire him immediately or sleep on it and decide in the morning?

I decide that sleeping on it would be better and a disciplinary hearing will be held in the morning.

This morning I discuss the events of 2am with Vanessa and am clearly told that I am expecting too much of jasper and that I need to be more understanding towards his needs. What about my needs? On one hand Vanessa doesn’t like rats but on the other she won’t under feed Jasper so he quickly became dumb, fat and happy. How can you blame him, rat dinner v topside steak.

Today Vanessa flew out to Australia and left Jasper and I alone to fend for ourselves. I went to a meeting at the wine bar tonight and returned home at about 930 pm and was met by Jasper, my faithful cat at the door. On entering the house he did his usual thing and demanded food, I fed him his topside steak direct from the can, he was happy once again.

And then I heard it, a distinct rattle behind the gas stove. Jasper, still eating was more interested in food than random noises. I grabbed the torch and looked behind the stove to find the biggest rat in Tonga backed into the corner, he was a beauty almost half the size of Jasper with little beady black eyes looking towards me. As we stared each other down I called for my rat catcher, “Jasper” “Jasper” ” here pussy pussy here is a nice rat for you”. Nothing happened, I looked over my shoulder and saw Jasper curled up on the lounge again.

This is a blatant act of dereliction of duty I said to myself. Jasper you will not get away with it this time!

I needed to take action, how could I go to sleep with godzilla the rat in the house, (a friend Gordon, had his finger tips eaten by a rat when he was asleep) How would I sleep knowing a finger tip eating rat was in the house. And Jasper couldn’t give a flying you know what about my finger tips.

I scanned the kitchen for a weapon, the rat needed to come out, there was no two ways about it. I reached under the sink and found a can of fly stray, bugs don’t like it so I bet rats don’t like it either. I took careful aim and gave the rat a good squirt. I was right , the rat didn’t like fly spray and it ran straight up the wall and flew past me on the right across the counter and onto the ground.

In the meantime Jasper has re-considered his employment position and knowing that he is in the firing line and Vanessa isn’t here to save him has woken from his canned topside steak slumber and come to assist me fulfill his cattily duties.

Now the rat is having a bad day, he is in a house with a cat (a dumb fat and lazy cat but still a cat) , He has backed himself into a corner and copped a squirt of mortein. But to make matters worse he chose the wrong escape path. Whilst mid air between the counter top and the floor he would have noticed Jasper waiting. Now rats can’t maneuver in mid air but fully grounded four paw drive cat can maneuver and Jasper did, catching the rat as it hit the ground.

Jasper, the killing machine that he is caught the rat by the throat and pierced its carotid artery (see attachment for more information) and at the same time received a mouthful of Mortein.

Consequently, Jasper was now having a bad day, he was handed a flying rat for desert that tasted like fly spray. Apparently Jasper doesn’t like Mortein very much either so he chose to release the rat.

Now I’m having a bad day, the rat makes a run for it, blood dripping from its wounds onto the floor as it heads toward the bedroom with Jasper and me in hot pursuit. It runs under the bed as Jasper catches it with his paws, within seconds the rat is spent, leaving a blood trail that even a girl guide could follow. Dod you know that rats have 64 ml of blood per kg of body weight. This must be a 2 kg rat then. http://www.nc3rs.org.uk/bloodsamplingmicrosite/page.asp?id=420

Now, no matter how bad a rat may taste Jasper wasn’t in the mood to give it up without a fight. In the end I grabbed Jasper and put him in the office and then I removed the rat.

Whilst removing the rat, I recall Jasper making a lot of noise in the office. I understand he was unhappy that I had taken his prize but it was mine just a much as his and in any case I wanted it out of the house. I took the rat to the balcony and tossed it to the crabs in the mangrove. Feeling a bit guilty about Jasper I went to the refrigerator and put some more tinned topside steak into his bowl as a reward. This was the least i could do, he needed to get the mortein taste out of his mouth somehow.

On my return to the office I was horrified to find Jasper squatting on top of my desk peeing over all my papers, not just a little squirt but a big pee. So how much does a cats bladder hold? Ahh google it and you get the following http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080723155725AACDXJE Where in the world do they dissect cats in biology at school? Who let the rats off the hook? Why my desk, why not Vanessa’s desk? More questions than answers.

I have no idea what to do, right now he is curled up asleep in the chair in the office, and here is my problem.

Should Jasper face charged of deriliction of duty or be awarded a medal for bravery by catching a mortein sodden rat.
Should Jasper face charges of willful damage to his masters property?

Ian C Jones
ianmbm (Skype)
Tonga: +676 71400

In the hands of an unethical manager an Exchange is a licence to print money. When the operator wants to buy something from an exchange member they simply increase their own line of credit, extend their debt and buy the goods. This is ok if they  repay the debt but too often the debt gets larger and nothing is ever done to repay it.

Some even have some clever wording in their agreements that states that the managed never has to repay the debt.

Over time if unchecked, the debt becomes larger and larger. The effect is the member credit balance also becomes larger and larger. In no time the majority of member are in credit and won’t trade any more. The only member is debit is the manager and he has nothing to trade.

I have seen exchanges with ten of millions of dollars of debt hidden away in their systems. You must read the rules and if you see that the manager isn’t responsible for his debt then chances is he has a big deficit.

WARNING: READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS PRIOR TO JOINING.

Test the owner by asking about the deficit, if he is evasive and won’t answer then do not join the exchange.

We were able to justify the expense because we bartered for most of the expenses in both of the weddings.  I had always thought we did a good job of it until is heard about Nora and Andy  ( www.tradingvows.net ).  These guys have really worked out the benefits of barter and how they can have a dream wedding on a shoestring budget.

Introduction: “I’m Nora, and after five years of dating, my boyfriend, Andy, finally popped the question. Now, we’ve got eight months to plan the perfect wedding. The only hitch? We want to barter for as much as we can. We’ll trade for the dress, the catering, the photography — you name it. Join us as we try to get our dream wedding on a shoestring budget.”

I would like to open this post up to those that wish to promote their business in any manner. The only rule is that you need to barter in one way or another.  Let’s here your story and see if we can put some deals together. Remember to add some contact information.

Happy trading

Ian Jones

The problem is that the council has a monopoly and whilst they say they support business they only do so where it suits them. Why offer barter, after all, everyone has to pay cash, there is no choice.

I ask, how many businesses have found themselves in trouble over the past few years with cash flow problems have failed to pay council fees and rates. This failure ultimately forces the council to take action and liquidate the business. A global financial crisis or increasing interest rates or poorly timed protracted road works is hardly the fault of the SME.

Yet it is the SME that will pay the price.

Within the council there is someone charged with the responsibility of collecting bad and doubtful debts. They diligently and blindly follow the laid down procedure and make sure that everyone pays or else they are liquidated. One rule for all, pay or else!

IS THERE ANOTHER WAY?

I believe there is another way. If the council operated or was involved in a trade exchange then they might be able to provide some assistance to the small business by allowing them to repay some or all of the amount owing with barter dollars. I accept that this would need to be controlled as the council couldn’t afford for all rate payers to barter.

However, surely is is better overall for the council to support the SME and be paid something rather than liquidate the SME and perhaps get nothing. Perhaps time and understanding will save the SME. What is the social cost of SME’s being liquidated? Staff are now unemployed? Entrepreneurship is destroyed. All this destruction for what, the satisfaction of saying that they didn’t get away?

A progressive council might help the SME by allowing them to pay some of their fees in goods and services. The council could provide interest free financing via a barter system and further support the SME.

All this would mean that the council would have Barter dollars to spend at a later stage. Councils spend money all the time so some of what they receive could be paid to other businesses for their goods and services.

If a council runs an exchange then they can help develop small business in their community. This in turn stimulates employment and encourages other businesses to move into the area.

I hope one day a council will work this out, they have in the past, during The Great Depression. Lets hope we don’t need to go there to get some interest again.

Many busineses have opened an account with “The Bank of Idle Capacity”. In other word they are members of a Business Trade Exchange network.

They have realised that their idle capacity is perishable, very perishable. For example:

• A radio station can’t sell yesterday unsold advertising today
• A magazine can’t sell unsold advertising once they go to print
• A hotel can never sell last weeks empty rooms
• A lawyer can’t bill someone for last weeks down time
• A movie theatre can’t sell last nights empty seats tonight

and so on….

Put simply the sale you didn’t make yesterday or last week cant be caught up on, it’s gone forever, you earn’t nothing and lost the opportunity forever.

However, if you are a member of the Bank of Idle Capacity then you can sell the banks other members some of your idle capacity or downtime. They will pay you in a barter currency that may be stored in the “Bank” until you need it.

Consider this, If you ran a radio station, would you prefer to receive nothing for your unsold advertising inventory or would you prefer to get something for it?  The answer is that receiving something will ALWAYS be better than receiving nothing.  You can’t spend “nothing” but if you have something (barter credits) then you have an opportunity to trade it for something you require at a later date.

Barter credits may be stored and later used to cover some cash expenses thus helping you keep cash in you business.

By having an account with a barter company you create choice, options and flexibility. Without it you just watch opportunities go down the drain forever.

“The equity lift is a barter strategy where we take an item or service, and by using some the additional barter knowledge, we increase the real or apparent value of the item or service to a level where through the on sale of the item or service at a new value added price, you are able to lift your personal equity.

An example: 

I was chatting to a colleague the other day who told me about a recent deal he had put together on barter. A friend of his who owned a small resort called to say that he needed a ride on lawn mower. He enquired to the cost of the lawn mower and was told it was around $6,000.

The resort owner complained that the old one was broken and he didn’t have the cash available to replace it.”

The resort owner asked, “Can you come up with some kind of a barter deal?”

 Sometime later the following deal was put to the resort owner,

“I’ll supply you the lawn mower providing you give me $12,000 of room nights at your resort”  The resort owner understood that $12,000 or room night would only cost him about $2,400 in product replacement, ( room cleaning, soap, shampoo and laundry of the linen). On top of that the new guests may also eat at the bar and restaurant and will pay cash.

 Given that there were almost always some empty rooms the resort owner would only be trading rooms that would otherwise remain empty.  He was a definitely in front on this arrangement so agreed immediately.

 Now the story gets more interesting when you consider what happened behind the scene. My colleague was able to purchase a ride on mower from an associate at a wholesale price of $5,000 cash.

 So, he buys the lawn mower for $5,000 cash and receives $12,000 in room nights, fantastic. He is already in front as well, but wait…

 The next step is even more interesting, he split the $12,000 of accommodation into three $4,000 parcels and approached a radio station, a newspaper and a magazine and traded the accommodation for advertising on a 2:1 basis. So now the $5,000 original cash has grown into a $24,000 mixed advertising package.

 But is gets better, he then bartered half the advertising back to the resort on a 2:1 basis giving him another $24,000 of accommodation and then sold the remainder of the advertising to other clients at a 20% discount for CASH making $9,600.

So let’s sum up:

• A $5,000 cash purchase generates a $12,000 credit in rooms at a resort.
• The $12,000 in rooms is then traded for $24,000 in mixed advertising.
• Half ($12,000) of the advertising is sold for $9,600 in cash.
• The other half of the advertising generates another $24,000 in accommodation.
• So a $5,000 cash investment generates a total of $33,600 in cash and accommodation.

 This type of deal looks easy when you write it down and at one level it is. Anyone can do this at any level and create an Equity Lift.

Whilst commercial barter companies frown on it, due to the ability to avoid fees it is still a legitiment method of trading and one that should be considered from time to time.

Think about who uses your services where you use theirs, this is a perfect opportunity for a direct trade. You can settle the difference in cash every month.

Everytime you trade you save cash.

Why not try, give it a go!

For many people these days, money is tight, and they’re looking for alternative ways to maintain their lifestyle and household. One great way to stretch your spending dollars is through bartering. By using goods, skills, or services you already have, you can trade with others to get what you need. Read on to learn about 50 great tips for living a bartering lifestyle.

General

Get an introduction to bartering here.

1. Know what you need: Don’t be wishy washy about what you expect to receive-directly ask for it, and be just as direct about what you have to offer.
2. Do it in person: Establish better trust by bartering in person whenever possible.
3. Pay attention to the season: Remember that Halloween costumes will move better in October than November, and vintage dresses around homecoming or prom.
4. Offer time during lulls: Schedule barter work only during times when you have lulls in your regular hours.
5. Set a time frame: Bartering isn’t worth much if you never actually receive the product or service you’re exchanging for-be sure to specify when your transaction will incur.
6. Just ask: Don’t hesitate to pop the question if you think it’s a good deal.

Barter Partners

Get set up with bartering partners by following these tips.

1. Get started with people you know well: When you’re trying to learn the ropes of bartering, start out with people you know and trust.
2. Check out websites: Take a look at websites that specialize in bartering or swapping.
3. Post bartering requests regularly: Stay on the radar and keep posting about the barter deals you’d like to make.
4. Research: Look for word of mouth recommendations and references when finding someone to barter with.
5. Put the word out: Let anyone and everyone know that you’re looking for bartering partners.
6. Display a We Barter sign: Advertise that you’re open to bartering in your business with a We Barter sign.
7. Be selective: Choose your trades carefully, selecting businesses and people that can represent your brand and reputation.
8. Get recommendations: Be sure you can trust the person you’re bartering with by asking for recommendations.
9. Find local people: Use sites like craigslist and Meetup to find local swappers.
10. Communicate: Stay in good contact with your bartering partner.
11. If you wouldn’t pay them, don’t barter with them: Don’t enter into a bartering relationship with someone you wouldn’t otherwise do business with.
12. Join a Time Bank: With a Time Bank, you perform services and earn a time dollar that can be redeemed for other services on the site.
13. Check the fine print on barter networks: If you’re joining a bartering network, look out for entry feeds, percentages of transactions, or minimum trades per year.

Value

Without actual money exchanging hands, it’s easy to lose sight of the real value-follow these tips to stay on the right track.

1. Be attractive: Ask for a product or service that your bartering partner would be happy to exchange.
2. Have a specialty: Make your bartering more valuable by specializing in something others may have a hard time getting.
3. Know your costs: Be sure that you understand the true cost of what you’re trading.
4. Know your value: Be sure that the service you’re offering is as valuable as what you’re trying to receive.
5. Be realistic: Be careful not to over-promise what you can deliver.
6. Be confident: Don’t be wishy washy with potential barter partners, or undersell yourself.
7. Be fair: It’s tempting to get the most out of a deal as you can, but it’s better for your bartering relationship if you simply strive for an equal exchange.
8. Don’t cross the line: Be careful not to insult your bartering partner with a ridiculously unequal trade.
9. Talk about it afterward: After the bartering is complete, check in to make sure that both parties are happy.

Offers & Needs

What exactly will you be bartering for? Use these tips to make your consideration.

1. Take a look at your overheads: Stumped on what you can barter for? Take a look at what you pay for regularly, like creative design, couriers, accounting, and SEO.
2. Think beyond things: Remember that experiences like vacations can be traded.
3. Barter for gifts: Even if you can’t personally use an item, keep in mind that bartered items can make great gifts for valued clients.
4. Ask yourself what you have to offer: Look beyond your business and think about items you have, hobbies you can teach, crafts, or chores you can swap.
5. Stick to needs only: Only barter if you actually need the service being offered.
6. Provide a list of things to choose from: Even if your offer doesn’t pique the interest of a provider, offer a list of other things they can get.
7. List your needs: Just as you should list what you’re offering, have a list of what you’d like to acquire in exchange.

Conflict Prevention

Avoid unnecessary stress and conflict by following these tips.

1. Be very appreciative: Keep a positive bartering relationship by showing your appreciation for your partner’s hard work.
2. Establish boundaries: Make sure you have clear goals and outcomes in any bartering relationship.
3. No is an acceptable word: If you’re approached with a trade that isn’t beneficial to you, don’t be afraid to politely decline.
4. Create an “out”: Don’t leave a bartering relationship open ended, and be sure to have an option to end the contract if either party isn’t happy.
5. Agree on conflict resolution: Decide ahead of time what will happen if one person is satisfied, but the other isn’t.

Paperwork

These tips will keep your paperwork on the straight and narrow.

1. Don’t forget the IRS: Make sure that you keep proper bartering records for tax time.
2. Write a contract: Stipulate exactly what you’re exchanging in writing, preferably with a contract.
3. Talk to a CPA: For larger barters, be sure to bring in a CPA to ensure that you’re getting the documentation correct.
4. Zero out at the end of the year: If transactions aren’t complete at the end of the year, you may have to pay or receive a tax credit-avoid this situation by zeroing out all exchanges by the end of the year.

Swaps & Communities

With these tips, you can create swaps and communities in your own neighborhood or circle of friends.

1. Share petsitting with your neighbors: Save money on boarding by getting neighbors to pet sit for you while you’re out of town, and return the favor.
2. Create a babysitting co-op: Save hundreds of dollars on babysitting with a co-op, and build a community and friendships.
3. Swap homes for vacation: Instead of paying for a hotel or rental home, arrange to swap homes with someone for your next vacation.
4. Set up a service bank: Get together with friends and create a service bank to do work for each other.
5. Plan a clothing swap party: Plan a party to swap clothing items and jazz up your wardrobe.
6. Exchange books: Start or join a book club that allows you to meet and exchange books, or swap online through the mail.

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit the following site:

http://www.accountingdegree.com/blog/2011/50-brilliant-tips-to-live-the-bartering-life/

The company that provides the course is a reluctant member of a barter exchange. The training room had a capacity of about 20 students, there were 10 people attending the training.

After some brief introductions it became aparent that a number of the attendies were there because their employer had purchased the training course on barter. The trainer then went on to announce “We hate barter here, it doesn’t work for us”. 

That is like waving a red flag at a bull to me and I couldn’t resist responding.

“Please tell me how much you are getting paid for the empty seats in this training room?”  …The trainer said  ”Nothing”

“OK, so of the 10 attendees here half are paying cash and the other half are paying on barter, arn’t they”  ..She said  “Yes”

“Given that you are running the course for the five cash people, what is the extra cost to you to include five people paying on barter or another ten people paying on barter and filling the empty chairs?”  … The trainer then answered that there was additional rent, electricity, coffee and wages for the trainer that need to be covered and cant be covered on barter.

I then went on to explain that it was clear that they didn’t understand the principals of barter. I went on to explain that they would have to pay all the operational costs like rent, wages and electricity whether they were running the first aid course or not. By running the course their only additional cost to the business was the work books handed out and the tea and coffee consumed by the attendees.

Having extra barter students doesn’t increase their fixed operational costs either. Basically the extra barter money comes to them for free. If they fillied the other ten seats on barter they would have even more barter money at the cost of a workbook and a few cups of coffee. Basically barter provides them with a way to store the value or idle capacity (empty seats). The barter funds stored do not perish and can be used at a later date.

Every barter customer represents a seat that would have otherwise been empty, the five barter customers at $150 each represents an extra $750 income for the business at a cost of five work boons and 20 cups of coffee and tea.

I then found out that they had just purchased an air conditioner unit on barter and had saved $3,000 in cash. Why don’t they get it? They paid for the air conditioner with what would have been 20 empty seats. Thus the unit cost them 20 work books and 40 cups of coffee (plus the barter exchange fees)

Business owners need to take the time to understand barter and its impact on their business, they need to understand their cost of a barter dollar and their idle capacity. Without taking the time to be educated about barter they will miss out on an amazing opportunity.

Before leaving, I did a direct barter with them, a copy of my book Barter is Back for some first aid supplies.