The Best Things in Life Are Free

Money. What is it exactly? It comes in pieces of paper with the Queen’s head on it. You can give it to someone in a money shop on the high street who promises they’ll look after it for you, but if they do happen to lose it the government will give it back to you instead (as long as you don’t lose too much). The government seem to be relying on one particular money shop called the Bank of England which can’t go out of business and is the only one able to print more of it whenever they feel like it, which they have been doing an awful lot recently. 

The government of course gets its cash from those of us who have income. Or most of them. The people who really do have most of the stuff, those who could spend their whole lives giving fivers away one at a time and still not run out, tend not to give it to the government as a rule. They like to keep it tucked away in sunny tax havens whose own governments have made it their mission to construct laws just right so as to exploit other countries’ tax loopholes and allow as much money as possible to roll in, keeping their financial services industries nicely ticking over.  Rant over.

Right now I have no income to speak of yet am happily thriving because I live at an unusual place which accepts my labour in return for accommodation and plenty of good food. For the first time since childhood I can simply not give money a second thought. I’m enjoying it while it lasts.  Naturally I realise that money is crucial to the continuation of the community here and many people give generously to ensure it does. 

However there is a fledging barter economy springing up between communities around here.  When I was staying at Monkton Wyld community in January, they came to an agreement with a local woodland manager to supply a certain amount of labour (for instance, clearing an area of rhododendrons) in return for his firewood. Since Monkton Wyld has a steady flow of short-term suckers, sorry, volunteers, labour is readily available so most of their energy needs for heating and cooking is now effectively free. They have wood burners in each room for warmth and a beautiful wood-fired cooker in the kitchen. 

Another recent example has been an arrangement which Pilsdon is currently trialling with the cheesemaker at Monkton Wyld, Simon Fairlie, whereby we deliver excess milk to him and receive some of his cheese in return. Especially during the summer months our three Jerseys produce so much milk we find it difficult to know what to do with it all, so this seems to be a no-brainer. We have made three deliveries to date, each time taking eighteen litres of unpasteurised hand-skimmed milk, and now have in our possession one large wheel of farmhouse cheese. It’s a thing of rare beauty. As I was partly instrumental in getting this deal off the ground it gives me a warm glow just to watch it squatting there in our dairy fridge. 

Unlike the Freecycle concept where goods exchange hands for free, these are two-way and potentially long-lived arrangements. No one is getting richer at the expense of another. Both parties are equally benefited. And best of all, we get to know our neighbours!