Exchanging this for that

Is it still ok to talk about our times of economic woe? Three years and counting. But have you applied radical thinking to resolve how to make less, go further and better? How about exchanging skills or goods rather than spending money on them.... Gardening for a meal. Or building a website for painting and decorating. A book for some jam, or the idea above - a loaf of bread for everything from olive oil to a guitar lesson. Taking something you're naturally good at and exchanging it for something somebody else is much better at than you is not a new idea but possibly a forgotten one in the times of high street spending frenzies. In the recesses of my student mind are economics lectures on bartering (it's a long time ago) but I remember how much I loved the concept. Not just for the idea of saving/not spending, but mostly because by bartering or exchanging you have firstly engage with someone new, and secondly, you have to communicate with and respect the person you're exchanging with. 

Think of the fun you could have and the people you could meet. I'm going to make a list of all the things I'd be prepared to barter for, with what I have to offer - a quilt for a holiday? a lesson for some wine? dog walking for ???