community bartering

Bartering? I thought that was something people did in the old days. You know, like, "I'll trade you this sack of potatoes if you help me put up a fence." Or something like that. But I've been pleasantly surprised to discover bartering - primarily, exchanging one service for another - is alive and well today in the Twin Cities. In fact, through five local groups (and perhaps more), you can trade, for example, house cleaning or yard work for services ranging from minor car maintenance and child care to tutoring and computer consultation.