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The idea of writing on this topic came, the moment I heard that one of my friends gets her hair done for free, by her neighbor who happen to be a hair stylist by profession. She gives, in exchange, cake decorating lessons, although it’s not always give and take between them.
There are certain things in our lives for which we depend on experts, we pay money for the services we otherwise can’t do our self. What could have happened had you gotten these services for free? You could have saved a fortune by now.
Imagine you have your friends who are experts on areas like car servicing or hair stylists. So much money you spend every year on these two items alone, what if you request them to take care of your car or your hair?
I agree you should give something of equal value in return and why not pay them by something you are really good at? If you don’t have anything to offer, why don’t you learn something that can be valuable to them?
Yes, I am talking about the ancient tradition of bartering, but, bartering of service rather than the goods.
Here are the people you should befriend to save significant amount of money over your life time
1. A medical professional – Doesn’t have to be a doctor, the assistant will also do, nurse is even better. They can help you on many things including minor illnesses by suggesting an over the counter drug, any preventative medicine, even they can give you a pack or two of sample medicines. They can also guide you through your illness/pregnancy etc, have you ever heard of ‘Nurse help line’ offered by insurance farms? I am talking about befriending one of them, possibly if you could.
2. A Realtor – This friend can save you thousands of bucks, he/she can get you the best house in the neighborhood or the greatest deal in the town. Haven’t you seen the Realtor himself/herself leaves in one of the best houses for that money? A Realtor can inform you when a great property is just listed at an unbelievable price. I am fortunate to have one!
3. A software engineer or web/graphics designer – Doesn’t matter if its your children, or you, who want to learn computer skills, programming language or create a new website, this friend of yours can happily lend you support in exchange of just a few good words. Readers, I happened to be a software professional, want to try me? 🙂
4. An interior decorator – This friend can make your home an object of social envy; free of cost. Starting with your landscaped garden to your bathrooms, he/she can make everything beautiful. And, who doesn’t know that a happy soul saves more money than a sad soul!
5. Hair Stylist – I do my hair once a month (being a male), it costs me $18 for each cut including $3 tips. At this rate I will give my barber $6500 in next 20 years. Had I gotten a hair stylist friend, I could have saved a lot of money, isn’t it? Add to it the expense on SMB’s (my wife) hair, that’s $50 per month, do your own math please.
6. Auto Mechanic – Who doesn’t want a free or discounted car maintenance? At least this friend can verify if your dealer’s claim of damaged rotor is really valid or not. Depending on your car’s condition, this friend can save you a lot of money. Those oil change, filter change and inspections can be handled by this person at his or your home.
Now you tell me if you are one of the above 6? And if you are also living in south Florida, open offer is extended to be my friend. I know a bit of web designing, but my strength is in programming language, any takers?
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Niki says
August 4, 2011 at 9:38 AMMy dad repairs computers. That has been a budget saver for sure! A handyman is a good one too.
SB says
August 4, 2011 at 1:11 PMNiki probably you can learn and perform as handyman. You need tools for sure. Home depot conducts free sessions on aspects of plumbing, gardening and fixing things on your own. Unless you are not able to do it because of health issues then sure a handyman can be a handy friend for you.
Niki says
August 4, 2011 at 9:07 PMI actually am our house’s handyman. I have fixed quite a few things around our home like a garbage disposal and I installed carpet, lighting fixtures and a faucet. I really love doing it, I feel like I really accomplished something. Youtube videos are great!
SB says
August 4, 2011 at 9:56 PMdid you read my posts on You tube? https://onecentatatime.com/what-to-do-save-money-by-watching-you-tube/
Niki says
August 4, 2011 at 10:29 PMI did! I loved it.
SB says
August 5, 2011 at 12:00 AMgreat, thanks
Childrens Haircut Salon says
August 4, 2011 at 10:56 AMOrganized content is the best way to display or post an article, thank you for making it easy to digest your post.
SB says
August 4, 2011 at 1:10 PMThanks for you time and commenting on my blog. You are greatly appreciated
Jeff @ Sustainable life blog says
August 4, 2011 at 12:24 PMI am none of the these, but I do know quite a few in there. I think you forgot one major one: Lawyer. Lots of legal documents need to be drawn up over the course of your life, and having a lawyer friend really can help with that.
SB says
August 4, 2011 at 1:09 PMI agree, a lawyer can help you avoid many error which might have legal implication. This will result in avoiding a huge amount of money. Good point!
Ginger says
August 4, 2011 at 12:29 PMKeep in mind that you should not take advantage of a friend who has these skills, they have expenses to pay and it is their livelihood. I would think a better idea is to trade for these things or pay a little over cost.
SB says
August 4, 2011 at 1:08 PMvery true, I mentioned in the post as well, be prepared to give back in kind. If required learn a few skills that will be helpful to your provider.
retirebyforty says
August 4, 2011 at 3:57 PMI would love an auto mechanic friend! My brother is an emergency room doctor so I can call him if I have health questions. 🙂
SB says
August 4, 2011 at 9:57 PMYou are fortunate! I am trying to be friendly with my mechanic 🙂
Hunter @ Financially Consumed says
August 4, 2011 at 6:07 PMThis is a great article SB, very true and very important. It’s all about networking, otherwise you end up paying full price for everything. Unfortunately one of the drawbacks of military life is that we relocate, and this makes building strong community relationships challenging.
SB says
August 4, 2011 at 9:58 PMI can understand that, my dad worked for a company which required him to work from a new site after each 5 years. We hardly developed any friendship within a community
Hunter @ Funancials dot biz says
August 8, 2011 at 10:51 PMGreat article! I’ve done quite a few things for my mechanic and he’s certainly returned the favor. I would also add “Banker” to this list.
SB says
August 8, 2011 at 10:54 PMAnother great suggestion in addition to lawyer. Certainly a banker friend can save some percentage points on your loan, a great help for your finances.
fat guy says
August 16, 2011 at 12:05 PMI have a friend who sells perfumes, and I do get a lot of samples it saves me from buying any perfume from market. and I am a big fragrance fanatic
sandra says
September 23, 2011 at 7:29 AMit´s a shame that my cousins (sales in electrical apliances, car insurance salesman, mecanic) take advantage of the family
Michael says
February 22, 2012 at 6:48 PMNumber five, I got a total figure of $4,320 for your haircuts over the twenty year period. How did you arrive at your number?
Jonathan says
September 16, 2012 at 8:37 PMSo true, when it comes to a few of these things I’m my own best friend, I changed the timing belt on my car (~$2,000 savings) and cut my own hair instead of going to the salon.
SB says
September 16, 2012 at 11:07 PMChanging timing belt is fine, you can do it, but how could you cut your own hairs? I never heard someone doing that earlier.