What's a swap? By my definition it's trading one non-monetary thing for another. In wiki-speak, it's more accurately described as a "barter," which is when goods or services are directly exchanged without money.
My newest swap du'jour? Child care. In the month of August alone, I paid over $100 in babysitting in order *to go to work*. Yes, that's right. In order to attend meetings and events required of me, and not covered by the other parent in my child's life, I had to pay $120. Ouch. (I know that nannies and childcare people are expensive - get off my back. It's just extra painful to pay to go to work, above and beyond preschool/daycare. And no, I don't get paid by the hour, so more working hours does not equal more money made.)
How I did it? Craigslist. Sure, it's creepy. But a phone call, followed by a public meeting, followed by reciprocal background checks and pointed questions (like, Will any other adult ever be around my child? Are there any times when your husband would be alone with the girls? Have you ever spanked your child? Do you drink when children are at home?), we were poised to give it a go.
Sunday was the first Emilie adventure into caring for two children, and I have to say, I fell into a lovely swap family. 5-month-old L was bubbly and had a droolly giggle that Hila adored. 5 hours with her flew by! And as each hour went by, a little cash register sound went off in my head. Another hour in the babysitting bank! (And luckily the other mom is very cool.)
Part of the value of a time swap isn't what you perceive as your "hourly rate." Over the past few years, I admit to falling into the "My time is worth so much!" trap. Sure, my time has a monetary value (See the article "How much is your time worth?" for some perspective), but only when I can actually make money. My time during the day is of high value, which is why I have a professional position. But the time at night... not so much. A single mom can't go get a night job without there being other implications. Even if I were slinging starbucks, I'd be in the hole for childcare. So yes, my time has value, but so does investing in saving time as well.
One of my favorite blogs, The Simple Dollar, inspired me to consider the swap, and they have oodles of other frugality tips. Among my other favorite frugality and money-saving blogs are the following:
- Bargaineering with our friend Jim Wang
- Money Tips Network - an excellent mash-up of all the blogs
- The Frugal Duchess with our friend Sharon Harvey Rosenberg. Female Expertise!
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