Who doesn\’t want to save money? Saving money is a big topic and something that you can find a million tricks, hints and tips for. Some are awesome and some just not practical. A lot of them rely on things like shopping online, which of course is great and can save you a ton of cash, looking at relocation, again brilliant but you may not want to move, and other such things but the things you can get from your local community, such as bartering, neglected.

I don’t know how tight knit you are with your community but increasing your circle of local acquaintances and friends and getting involved can start to save you a lot of money. Sure things like Groupon can save you at local restaurants but knowing the restaurant owner and his family may well save you more in the long run, plus your money will help support local business.

Starting to shop locally at farms and small stores could initially cost a little more in hard cash but will be a quick way to getting your way into a world you may have never known existed.

Getting involved in local groups such as growing projects, bartering networks and skill swaps will also get things moving in the right direction.

Of course these ideas are very general. I am basically saying join the local networks and get involved. To help you along a little more here are some better outlined steps on how to start.

Saving money by shopping locally, direct

It’s easy to take the car and head out to the box stores but have you ever scoured the area for farm shops? A decent farm shop will stock goods right from the farm and often at great prices. Even better some provide pick your own services which can be a lot of fun for the kids.

Classifieds boards

Whilst at the farm stores, local stores and independent coffee shops in your area you\’ll notice these places usually have classifieds boards plastered with local things going on. It could be free yoga in the park, running clubs, photography exhibits and other cheap local entertainment that will save you an arm and a leg compared to spending a night in a bar or an afternoon at the cinema. These boards are a hive for things to do and ways to interact with your community.

Joining local groups

Using local classified board and trusty Google will help you start to find local groups in various areas that will save you money and get you some new friends and allies.

I suggest you join a local growing group and start helping provide local food supplies for your community at very cheap prices.

I also suggest you look into group buying projects. This is the kind of thing where a group may buy something like brown rice in large quantities and then split amongst the group to get it at genuine wholesale price.

And of course there are local barter networks. I would say bartering is one of the most effective local ways to save money and I\’m going to talk a little more about it in the next section.

The great thing about local groups is often they support a specific need in your area and will be a group of like minded people. You may find some awesome new friends or just great people to know.

Saving money by bartering

Bartering is the golden egg of local groups and money saving. It takes many forms and some you may not even think of as bartering but definitely something you should think about more often.

In it’ simplest form it could be fixing someones computer and being invited over for a free dinner to say thanks. A friend of mine swaps homemade bread for beer at a local brewery (she knows the managers and it’s all above board) and once you get involved in a community there are a million ways to barter.

On a more organized scales most areas have a local barter network. For example in Vermont, where I am currently staying, vtbarter.com is a local barter network that is easily found in Google. Just asking around at local places if they know of any barter networks or small groups and of course the classifieds boards could get you into some more personal and cozy scenes. Soon enough you’ll find yourself swapping homemade cookies for ice skating lessons, computer tech help for tomato clippings and all sorts of trades. I have to say this but check the laws regarding how bartering is deemed as income, you may be liable to pay some taxes on exchanges.

I hope these ideas got you thinking about what you can do in your local area to save money.

Forest writes about frugality, lifestyle and saving money over at Frugal Zeitgeist where he writes about things such as Finding a Local Barter Network.

Forest writes about frugality, lifestyle and saving money over at Frugal Zeitgeist, http://FrugalZeitgeist.com where he writes about things such as http://frugalzeitgeist.com/bartering-websites-and-finding-a-local-barter-network/

Author Bio: Forest writes about frugality, lifestyle and saving money over at Frugal Zeitgeist where he writes about things such as Finding a Local Barter Network.

Category: Finances
Keywords: saving money, bartering, barter networks, saving locally, local savings, money, groups, exchanges