I was just thinking about how my husband has often bartered with the people who call him to do repairs in their homes. He knows that many of them don't have much money, so he'll either charge them for only the materials and a few dollars for gas, or he'll barter for food...one woman from Bangladesh cooks the most amazing samosas and pakoras...he'll often do the work in exchange for a cookie tin full of pakoras!

Bartering is an essential part of life in most parts of the world. As more immigrants become enmeshed in our society and we all continue to feel the impact of this financial crisis, we'll probably see bartering become more common here (it goes on, we just might not always see it).
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When you don't like a thing, change it.
If you can't change it, change the way you think about it.

(Maya Angelou)