Get what you want without money

Tag : sewing supply
Get what you want without money
You might wonder how to get what you want in a consumerist societywithout spending money. If you have enough money to buy what youwant, there is no need to read this article. When I write this Ithink of public and private sector employees who are asking for aRs. 5,000 salary increase. Having worked in both sectors I know theagonies they suffer when they run short of money.
What these hapless workers and their trade unionists do not know isthat they are being manipulated by disgruntled political parties.Even if the government agrees to give such a huge salary increase,the workers will not be happy. They do not probably know that inthe wake of a salary increase the cost of living will go up onceagain.
Apart from public and private sector employees who receive amonthly salary, there are many thousands of workers who do not getany regular income. When private sector employees retire they arenot even entitled to a pension. But they also have to survive.
Here is a simple way to get what you want without spending money. Ihave come across many people who know how to get what they wantwithout money. They do not carry posters and march against theruling party. They mind their own business without complaining.
Once I was serving in a difficult area close to Polonnaruwa in theearly sixties, I shared a small room with a friend who also workedin my office. Our monthly salary was Rs. 80, a princely sum at thattime. Being young we also tried to buy certain things with ourmeagre income.
My room-mate Alwis was crazy over cars. He wanted to buy at leastan old car and drive home to impress his parents. However, he knewthat he could not buy a car with his income. Meanwhile, Alwis nevergave up his quest for buying a car. He read newspaper advertisementavidly and made inquiries from the customers who came to ouroffice.
One day one of his contacts informed him that a former garage ownerhad an old car for sale. When we visited the dilapidated garage,the owner expressed his willingness to sell the car - an old MorrisMinor -for Rs. 5,000. Alwis had no way of raising such a huge sumat that time. Even the few banks functioning there did not want togrant a loan to a government servant still serving his probationperiod.
Alwis, however, did not give up his idea of buying the car. Hisfrequent visits to the car owners house resulted in a strong bondof friendship between the two. Alwis also came to know that the carowner had a small daughter who was rather backward in her studies.Alwis told the car owner that he was prepared to give free tuitionto his daughter in exchange of the old car. The car owner readilyagreed.
It was a gentlemans agreement: no agreement to sign, no guarantorsor witnesses. Alwis taught the girl for two or three years andbecame the proud owner of a Morris Minor car.
In the 1960s when computers were not heard of, a friend of minecalled Dasa was working as a freelance writer. He used to write hisarticles with his fountain pen and send them to the few newspaperspublished at that time.
Most of his articles were returned probably because the editorscould not read his handwriting. Then somebody suggested that heshould buy a manual typewriter. But the typewriters were expensiveand he could not find the money.
One day he met a person who was looking for a part-time typist toattend to his correspondence. Dasa visited him on several days andattended to all the correspondence. One day he suggested that hecould do all the typing easily at home if he allowed him to takeaway the typewriter. The businessman delivered the typewriter at myfriends home. Thereafter Dasa had no problem in typing hisarticles.
Once Mala - a newly divorced young woman - found to her horror thatshe had no way of raising her three-year-old child. She had notalents or skills to work in an office or factory. She also had nohouse to live in.
Reading through the Sunday newspaper she came across a classifiedadvertisement which had been inserted by an elderly woman livingalone. She wanted a woman to lookafter her in exchange of food andlodging.
Mala contacted the elderly woman and agreed to lookafter her freeof charge. The elderly woman who had no children of her own notonly loved the child but also got him admitted to a nearby school.Mala was another person who got what she wanted without spendingmoney.
Since we pay money to buy goods and services we have forgotten theimportance of the barter system in which a direct exchange for onecommodity for another takes place. It was the means practised byprimitive people. However, barter is still practised in some partsof the world.
In a barter economy, one who had something to trade must findanother who wants it and had something acceptable to offer inexchange. As barter is not practised in developed and developingcountries, money is regarded as a keystone of modern economic life.However, when you do not have money to buy goods and services, thealternative is to barter something to get what you want.
Barter is meeting needs - and everyone needs something or theother. When you are in a position to supply your goods or services,you can ask for what you want. The moment you stop thinking inmonetary terms, there is no end to bartering.
As the cost of living is going up everyday, we can turn to barter.If you approach it the right way, you can get anything you needthrough barter. Those who simply wait at home doing nothingprofitable should read Sunday newspapers to see whether you canmake use of your talents or time.
If you have a talent for writing, baby sitting, cleaning or sewing,there are ample opportunities for you to barter your skills. Evenif you have no talents, you can barter your time and lead ameaningful life.
Those who are looking for a barter partner should remember thateverybody you meet is in need of something. It is your job to findout what it is.
Barter is a great way to make friends and influence people.However, you have to be honest in your dealings. When I walk intocertain leading bookshops I receive complimentary copies of thelatest arrivals. They have a tacit understanding that I will readthe book and write a review. They also know that a newspaper reviewis an effective way to promote the sales of books.
So, if you are planning to acquire something you need, do not trythe old and unethical method; Beg, borrow or steal. Just barteryour talents or time to get what you want without spending money.
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