Get what you want without money

You might wonder how to get what you want in a consumerist society without spending money. If you have enough money to buy what you want, there is no need to read this article. When I write this I think of public and private sector employees who are asking for a Rs. 5,000 salary increase. Having worked in both sectors I know the agonies they suffer when they run short of money.

What these hapless workers and their trade unionists do not know is that 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 in the wake of a salary increase the cost of living will go up once again.

Apart from public and private sector employees who receive a monthly salary, there are many thousands of workers who do not get any regular income. When private sector employees retire they are not even entitled to a pension. But they also have to survive.

Here is a simple way to get what you want without spending money. I have come across many people who know how to get what they want without money. They do not carry posters and march against the ruling party. They mind their own business without complaining.

Once I was serving in a difficult area close to Polonnaruwa in the early sixties, I shared a small room with a friend who also worked in my office. Our monthly salary was Rs. 80, a princely sum at that time. Being young we also tried to buy certain things with our meagre income.

My room-mate Alwis was crazy over cars. He wanted to buy at least an old car and drive home to impress his parents. However, he knew that he could not buy a car with his income. Meanwhile, Alwis never gave up his quest for buying a car. He read newspaper advertisement avidly and made inquiries from the customers who came to our office.

One day one of his contacts informed him that a former garage owner had an old car for sale. When we visited the dilapidated garage, the owner expressed his willingness to sell the car - an old Morris Minor -for Rs. 5,000. Alwis had no way of raising such a “huge” sum at that time. Even the few banks functioning there did not want to grant a loan to a government servant still serving his probation period.

Alwis, however, did not give up his idea of buying the car. His frequent visits to the car owner’s house resulted in a strong bond of friendship between the two. Alwis also came to know that the car owner had a small daughter who was rather backward in her studies. Alwis told the car owner that he was prepared to give free tuition to his daughter in exchange of the old car. The car owner readily agreed.

It was a gentleman’s agreement: no agreement to sign, no guarantors or witnesses. Alwis taught the girl for two or three years and became the proud owner of a Morris Minor car.

In the 1960s when computers were not heard of, a friend of mine called Dasa was working as a freelance writer. He used to write his articles with his fountain pen and send them to the few newspapers published at that time.

Most of his articles were returned probably because the editors could not read his handwriting. Then somebody suggested that he should buy a manual typewriter. But the typewriters were expensive and he could not find the money.

One day he met a person who was looking for a part-time typist to attend to his correspondence. Dasa visited him on several days and attended to all the correspondence. One day he suggested that he could do all the typing easily at home if he allowed him to take away the typewriter. The businessman delivered the typewriter at my friend’s home. Thereafter Dasa had no problem in typing his articles.

Once Mala - a newly divorced young woman - found to her horror that she had no way of raising her three-year-old child. She had no talents or skills to work in an office or factory. She also had no house to live in.

Reading through the Sunday newspaper she came across a classified advertisement which had been inserted by an elderly woman living alone. She wanted a woman to lookafter her in exchange of food and lodging.

Mala contacted the elderly woman and agreed to lookafter her free of charge. The elderly woman who had no children of her own not only loved the child but also got him admitted to a nearby school. Mala was another person who got what she wanted without spending money.

Since we pay money to buy goods and services we have forgotten the importance of the barter system in which a direct exchange for one commodity for another takes place. It was the means practised by primitive people. However, barter is still practised in some parts of the world.

In a barter economy, one who had something to trade must find another who wants it and had something acceptable to offer in exchange. As barter is not practised in developed and developing countries, money is regarded as a keystone of modern economic life. However, when you do not have money to buy goods and services, the alternative is to barter something to get what you want.

Barter is meeting needs - and everyone needs something or the other. When you are in a position to supply your goods or services, you can ask for what you want. The moment you stop thinking in monetary 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 need through barter. Those who simply wait at home doing nothing profitable should read Sunday newspapers to see whether you can make 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. Even if you have no talents, you can barter your time and lead a meaningful life.

Those who are looking for a barter partner should remember that everybody you meet is in need of something. It is your job to find out 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 into certain leading bookshops I receive complimentary copies of the latest arrivals. They have a tacit understanding that I will read the book and write a review. They also know that a newspaper review is an effective way to promote the sales of books.

So, if you are planning to acquire something you need, do not try the old and unethical method; “Beg, borrow or steal”. Just barter your talents or time to get what you want without spending money.

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