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The House that Barter BuiltGoing Green without Greenbacks
Welcome to the HTBB: the House that Barter Built! Join us as we acquire land in Central Texas, build an alternative energy home (with our own two hands) and start a food production hobby farm without modern currency (aka cash). How? We plan to barter our way to our future. We want to show the world that human interaction and old-fashioned ideas such as bartering (or trading) with one another still have a practical place in our modern society. We want to demonstrate that the American Dream, the ability to control one's own future, is still obtainable in this country for those willing to step-up to the plate and take it. We plan on doing our part to help the environment by living energy independent, by recycling previously owned materials, and by growing some of our own food. Join us in this adventure! Click Here to Skip to Current Trades Our Mission: Why we are BarteringThe following five points are our mission statement; they are what drives us in this adventure and what guides our choices regarding our experiment. Read on to find out about us and why we are undertaking this project, and what we hope to accomplish.1. We want to Get Back to Basics I tried being a soccer mom. I really did. For years after we were married, I thought I wanted to be just like everyone else. I thought the American Dream was to buy a house, get involved in the PTA, and chauffeur your kids around to 10 sports/music/dance lessons per week. 
But then something happened. I realized that it was boring. (For us, anyways.) I'm not ordinary, and neither is my family. We were destined for something else. When we got married, I promised my husband that life with me would never be boring. I think I've lived up to that promise. We're a family of four, with kids ages 7 & 9. During our marriage, I have mostly been a stay-at-home-mom, an oddity of its own in our economy. But that was not the most unique aspect of our lives. First, we started to homeschool. Yes, I realize that is not so out-of-the-ordinary, but for my husband and I, who had been raised in public school, it was different. Then we decided to travel full-time in our RV. Yep, we got rid of all our belongings, and moved into a travel trailer with about 300 square feet (huge for an RV). We spent three years in the travel trailer before we had the guts to leave Ed's job, but then we hit the road. During our stationary time in the RV, I decided to become a surrogate mother. I've given birth to three children (twins and a little boy) who were not biologically related to me in order to help another couple start a family. We're do-ers. We don't just talk about "what-ifs" in life; we go out and make it happen! And now, we want to settle down and live off the land. We want to get back to nature, to provide ourselves with a sustainable future, and eventually to teach others how to do the same. You see, our RV adventures brought us to the Austin, Texas area, and we fell in love. When we started our trip, we knew it wouldn't be forever. We knew that one day we would get to a new area and fall in love, and that we would stay there. Well, when we got to Austin, Texas, we knew we were home. We've been here a few months, and are currently instructors at Austin Community College teaching a course in the continuing education department: How to Build a Successful Business Using the Internet. We're growing roots in this community, and want to stay. 2. We want to help others in a struggling economy 
Let's face it: it's scary out there in the real world right now! People are getting laid off left and right. Real estate prices are plummeting. And everyone is walking on pins and needles. So how can barter help? Think about it. Let's say that you had 10 acres of land that you bought when you were in your 20's so that when you reached retirement, you could sell the land and buy a catamaran to travel for a few years. Let's say this dream has been your goal your entire life. But now, as the time has come to make it happen, those 10 acres are not worth as much as they were a few years ago, and might never be worth enough to make your dream happen. Now think about this: what if you could simply trade your 10 acres for a catamaran? Would that work? You end up fulfilling your dreams, and we end up fulfilling ours. So that begs the question: do we have a catamaran? Nope. But if I can find someone willing to barter their land (the thing we want) then I can find someone willing to barter a catamaran. And what if they want a classic car for their trade? I can find that too. 3. We want to help the environment 
Through the use of barter, we plan to build a house and outbuildings with pre-owned (ie, recycled) materials. We plan on implementing solar or wind power renewable energy, and living off-grid. We plan on growing our own food, living sustainably off the land, and being good stewards to our land. And more importantly, once these things are in place, we plan on teaching others how to do the same thing. There is a huge movement of city folk trying to get back to basics, to get back to growing their own food, and living a more sustainable life. We plan on helping them succeed by giving them the knowledge and training we needed to make it all possible. It's probably important to mention here that we are total newbies to all of these skills. We are currently learning what we need (mainly through, you guessed it, barter: we help others on their farms in exchange for the knowledge and experience we need) in order to accomplish our goals. This is actually a good thing; starting from the ground up will help us be able to teach others in a few years. We'll know the exact information they will need in order to succeed. 4. We want to be an inspiration to others Our idea, the House that Barter Built, is about as far away from the status quo that you can possibly get. Here we are, trying to acquire land, build a recycled house, and start a hobby farm without money. It's just odd, don't you agree? But it just goes to show you that anything is possible in life. We are working hard on this project to make our dreams come true, and will continue working hard until we are successful. And that's the biggest lesson we want to teach the world. The American Dream is that you are free to determine your own future. This is our future, and we're going to get there! We also want to bring bartering back into the limelight to show others that this ancient form of trade is still practical in our modern society. Businesses all over the country are bartering on a daily basis. Individuals all over the world barter first, and trade money second. Why can't we Americans start to think of bartering and trading as a realistic alternative to the dollar bill? 5. We want to teach our children a valuable lesson 
As parents, there are a few important life lessons we want to teach our children. As homeschooling parents, we know the best way to teach our children is not just by example, but by involving them as well. First, we want them to realize that money is not everything in life, that you don't have to be rich to fulfill your dreams, and that you should never chose a career path based on how much you will get paid. We want them to understand that you need to find something you love, and figure out a way to earn a living from it. Second, we want them to understand that life is not a register beep, a credit card swipe, or an internet purchase. Life is made up of people; unique people with different sets of circumstances and experiences, and the things we need to live come from those people.
All of life should have this connection. When we sit in a chair, I want them to remember the artisan who carved it. When we cook on our stove, I want them to consider the restaurant owner that was closing his doors who traded us a vacation in Florida for it. When we walk through the halls of our home, I want them to think about the family that camped with us and helped to build our home. Connections with other human beings are a life lesson that is worthwhile for everyone to learn.
Why would someone Barter land?There are many reasons someone might want to barter their land with us instead of selling it to someone else:
What we have to tradeWe do have a few things of value that we are willing to trade, when the time is right, but more than anything, we have our own ingenuity. We have our brain power, our unwaivering commitment to this project, and our own hard work and willingness to do what it takes to accomplish our goals.We should also mention that we are bartering in both directions; while we are looking for someone willing to barter land so that we can attempt reverse bartering (finding the item the landowner wants in order to trade, then finding an item for the person who traded the item for the land, etc) we are also starting from the other end of the chain simultaneously, trading four bags of beef, buffalo, and turkey jerky with hopes that we can meet somewhere in the middle. 
What happens after we get the land?We're going to need to barter even more!We'll need building materials, off-grid energy systems, furnishings, and labor. Eventually we'll need farm equipment and animals. We'll barter for these things on an individual, one-on-one basis, for something that is mutually beneficial. The goal here is not just to have a plot of land, but to build a house and a farm without money. The end result will be an eclectic, artistic masterpiece. Then we intend to teach others sustainable methods. We want to show people how to grow chickens and veggies in their own back yard, or how to get started on land. We want to help others because that is what life is all about: human connections. How to keep up with the projectWe plan on documenting all of our trades and the project in detail on this site. Actually, this place is just a temporary spot while we get a real website together. The site you are currently on is our RV Travel with Kids website, about our adventures as a family that travels full time.Once the land has been traded for, the House that Barter Built will command it's own web presence. Don't worry! The URL will be the same. Make sure you sign up for our Yahoo Group listing updates about new trades that have happened to help us reach our goals! Keep informed about how the project is coming along. There might be something you can trade for along the way! PLUS take the opportunity to trade with others! How to get involved with a tradeNot everyone has 10+ acres of land in Central Texas that they're able to trade. That's OK! Many items will need to be traded to accomplish this goal, so please, get involved!You'll notice that we don't have a "donation button" on this website. Why? We don't want your money. Really. This project is not about a hand-out, it's not a charity case, and it's not a joke. We are serious in our endeavors to bring about mutually beneficial trades. Tell us what you have to trade and what you're looking for. You don't need to live around Austin, Texas in order to participate in this exchange. The land itself is the only thing we need in this area, though all trades must be made in person. Use the form below to contact us. Once you hit "submit", you'll get my phone number as well (I don't want spammers to harvest it). Please note: we're only willing to barter legal things. No dead bodies, no adult content, and no illegal drugs please. We're a real, down-to-earth honest family. Please don't expose my kids to yuckiness. They get enough of that just growing up. Leave the House that Barter Built and Go to RV Travel with Kids |
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Our ItemsView Our List of Stockpile Items Available The RulesThe HouseWe do foresee the need to purchase some items (such as nails, etc) new, but the majority of items will meet the above requirements. 
Keep InformedFollow our story or trade with others. 
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Need: Graphic design of logo, website header, and series of 5 fliers and/or brochures for offline distribution to promote this project. 
Need:
Need: 10+ acres of land in Central Texas