Column by Tim Riley

There is no way to sugarcoat it, being short on cash sucks. When the power bill arrives and there is not enough money around to pay it, nobody starts laughing. Fortunately though, it is often the case that useful innovations come about because of extremely difficult circumstances. With our modern economy in a dreadful state, money is not exactly prevalent in the pocket of the average American, but these tough times are generating unique scenarios. Like the people of olden times, Americans are turning to art of bartering.

Currency serves as a means to easily facilitate trade between an enormous amount of people. Instead of 300 million people needing to spend each day matching up their needs with those of another, we all instead trade our goods and services for paper that can be exchanged for other goods and services. This system is an excellent way to handle the complicated busy of a modern country, but it is based on the availability of currency. Without that important caveat holding true, the structure cannot stand.

Lacking money does not change many important facts though. People still need the basics of food, water and shelter, but in an affluent society there are many other amenities taken for granted. The average American likes to go to the dentist, get new tires and repaint their home every now and again. Without a plethora of pictures of dead presidents though, these tasks are nearly impossible under our generally accepted system for obtaining goods; however, desperate times are apt to call for desperate measures.

Just because an electrician cannot sell his services for cash does not mean that his skills have no value. Lacking of the ease of currency, it simply becomes necessary for him to find a person who is both in need of his skill and has something that is worthwhile to provide in return. In a large sprawling society, this has proved difficult in the past, but now numerous Web sites have sprung up to facilitate the process of cashless trading. Modern technology is re-enabling an ancient practice.

For the average college student though, this new method of operation can seemingly offer little comfort. Unless UK will start accepting planting some flowers around campus as tuition paid, the prospect of bartering seems quite useless; however, the process can help bridge the gap between being completely destitute and just kind of destitute.

A large extended network of friends is useful for things other than finding out where the best party is each weekend. College students have a myriad of skills that can be used to bridge the gap between what they have and what they need without the use of cash. Being young generates a number of conditions conducive to trading.

There has almost always been an informal trading among students. People tend to do nice things for those who do nice things for them. Hook up someone’s stereo and they are more apt to give one a ride to Kroger, but as times grow tougher, a greater precision has become necessary to deal with circumstances. People will fight tooth and nail to maintain their standard of living. If that means having to deal with a continual array of brokered arrangements, then that is what will be done.

Ancillary to the entire discussion is one key fact about dealing with people in such a direct manner. In a cash-based society, interactions between people need only be very simple. Hand over the cash and get what you want. When the process of obtaining goods and services becomes more one-on-one though, people must actually interact with each other. While this initially seems like a mammoth hassle, in reality it is an unexpected boon to help through difficult times.

If one trades the plumber cash for clearing a drain, there is very little chance a friendship will bloom. On the other hand, if one trades that same plumber some veterinarian work for their prized dog, it is much more likely that even a surface association will be created. People always claim that friends are there to get one through tough times, and when it comes to economic downturns this fact does not change. Everyone would like their stock portfolio to be worth what it was a year ago, but by making the best of bad situation, some good can always be found.