Sunday, August 9, 2009

Teaching kids to bargain and barter



I'll never forget the day when my 16 year old son was buying a case for his phone at one of the kiosks in the mall and I heard him quietly say "Will you take $10 for it?", I was floored! Thomas has always been a little embarassed by my bartering, bargaining and coupon shopping. Like all teenagers he is impatient and doesn't want to take the time to deal with these things. He got the $15 case for $12, and it was a very proud moment for me (and for him!). This came up again as Nathan needed a case and he too, got $3 off just the other day. The guy was so impressed he gave us a coupon for $4 off for each future purchase we make!

Tom and I have always believed in the barter system, as a matter of fact it is the monetary system that this great country was founded on. You'd be shocked at how many people are interested in bartering. We use nights at The Royal Roost, Tom's welding services and even trade pet care with some of the neighbors. With as many animals as we have, we only get one night to their two nights, but at least we have that option. We are now able to even trade Naked~Nure for all sorts of things.

As the boys pointed out you can even bargain with the people in the kiosks. I try to bargain wherever I think is appropriate, pretty much anywhere except the grocery store. Obviously this has rubbed off on my kids and now that they have to pay for some things themselves, it came quite naturally to them. It is so important to lead by example, so go forth and get yourself a screamin' deal!

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