Bartering can change our lives! It sets us free, in a world where adults have nearly all the money. Now we don't need as much money. We can get what we want by trading.

We don't need to wait for our allowance on Saturday. We don't need to beg our parents for extra money to get the soccer ball from Jim. (They might not give us the money anyway.) We don't have to miss the camping trip to Whitecap Beach. Last year, we couldn't go because we didn't own a sleeping bag; now we have one, because we bartered for it.

We don't have to look for a summer job. Since we barter, we can find enough customers for our lawn-mowing business. Last summer, most of those people didn't have enough cash to pay us. But they will hire us now, because we are willing to trade our lawn-mowing for their things -- like Mrs. Rinter's old modem and old Mr. Peterson's paperback book collection.

We don't have to go out of business in our window-washing business. We joined a barter club, to get more customers. Last month, we spent our credits on a tape recorder, and cassettes of our favorite singers.

We don't have to lose our girlfriend, Sarah, who likes to go out on expensive dates. We buy most things by bartering, so we have enough spare cash to take her to the Main Street Movie Theater.

Bartering can change the life of an adult, too. If our parents start bartering, they will save money. And maybe they will be able to enjoy more things like these:

1. A vacation in Yellowstone Park.
2. A Ford station wagon, with a sun roof.
3. A barbecue set for the back yard, and all the steak we can eat.
4. A hot tub.
5. A video cassette recorder, with cassettes of our favorite movies.
6. A home entertainment center.