Hi again davycoppitt. Good point on that costume jewelry. My oldest friend is a gem cutter. He once told me that some of the old costume jewelry contains semiprecious stones. There is value here if you know what to look for. I’ve never had the time to look into this but it may be a hidden source of profit.


Another thing to check for is early ladies watches. In a “junk box” of old broken jewelry,
look for pd or pt stamped on the back. Could be palladium or platinum.

Best wishes and happy hunting,

Agnut

Good Lord glockngold; you sound like me ! Good dealings buddy !

Bartering and horse trading is a sort of fly by the seat of your pants activity. It is this very uncertainty that makes it so exciting. And as you pointed out, the wise selling is as important as the wise buying. Seasonality considerations as with your rototiller and wood chipper only add to your final profit picture. The only drawback is the longer time you have to hold them before you can sell them for the maximum price. I might suggest that you get them ready now and begin to offer them for sale as soon as possible since we are going into their seasons’ strength. You may find a buyer who has been looking ahead and wants to buy right now. I say this because at the foundation of dealings is the quickest item turnover. This way you are funded and ready for the next deals which could pop up as soon as tomorrow. That’s another aspect of uncertainty to this bartering and horse trading. I have rarely been caught without the cash for a hot deal but in my early years, there were times when I had to pass up a few deals.

Always remember that deal making is a long process of compounding deals into a fortune (if you have a mind to do that).

We are heading into some very interesting times and soon ! The following articles are a heads up to our game plan.


The Real Cause Of Hyperinflation
Jordan Roy-Byrne, CMT

http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials...rne030110.html

And here’s yet another article pointing out the virtues of investing in physical silver :

Silver Supply-Crisis Looms
Jeff Nielson

http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials...son022810.html

I have a bit different opinion of what I expect the future will be like. Take it for what it is worth. I feel that we are and have been experiencing what I call hyper stagflation. It is a subtle scenario in which prices of the things we need rise while wages are stagnant or falling. Also we have high unemployment and serious, irresolvable debt problems. Look around; haven’t we been in this situation for a while now ? And with the trillions of govt spending going to the banks, corporations and Wall Street, the money most definitely is NOT getting to the man on the street. Therefore, money is tight while at the same time prices of the things we need such as food and fuel (commodities) are rising. Those trillions of dollars lost and replenished by our tax money only served to reliquify the banks, corporations and Wall Street. What makes anyone think this will somehow end up in our hands ?

On a societal scale, this fiat dollar tightening drives the middle classes into the lower classes. It is a grinding process through time that, if not redirected, will result in widespread financial stresses and poverty. It may ultimately look like Mexico, with a huge lower class and a tiny middle class and upper class.

Unfortunately, I see no way that we can collectively return to past good times. As Ponce says, “No export, no recovery”. How much longer can we trade our paper dollars for foreigners’ real goods ? Answer : only as long as it is to their advantage to continue to do so !

We face a Kondratieff winter compounded with all the unwise spending and debt, both personal and governmental. However, if we on a personal basis have not gotten into debt and have reliable savings, we may be poised to actually benefit from what will be a disaster for most everyone else. The “reliable savings” refers to the second article regarding silver’s potential. I agree with most of it but am skeptical of the potential for silver’s demand in upholstery. Remember when it came out about treating lumber with a silver solution instead of the arsenic we have been using ? How much silver is being consumed now ? I haven’t read anything about it for a long time.

One part of this silver article that I especially liked is where the author said “As I have also discussed, the supply/demand dynamics of the silver market are vastly different from the gold market. It is those differences which GUARANTEE that the looming spike in the price of silver will be several multiples greater than the increase in the price of gold.” Read that again, slowly, and think of gold increasing to $6600 (predicted lately) while silver increasing “several multiples” of that increase to who knows what. Hmmm…. I can’t help myself so here goes into a flight of fancy. Gold at $6600 is a 6 times increase. And silver at several multiples of gold’s increase would be, let’s say, 5 times (Is that “several” enough for you ?). That would be 30 times what silver’s price is now. And 30 times silver’s spot price of $16.50 would be $495.00 per ounce ! And at gold being $6600 and silver at $495, that would be a gold to silver ratio of 13 to 1. Not too far from the historical 14 to 1 ratio. Remember that historically, 80% of silver’s rise doesn’t take place until the last 20% of gold’s rise. I believe that at this time in history we are at the threshold of great changes and silver’s meteoric rise could be one of them.

Hey, I can dream, can’t I ? If you think this is crazy talk, remember rhodium ($10,000 peak last year from $530 in 2003), platinum, palladium ?

The other day I spoke with a biological researcher who said that they may have a cure for cancer in the next year or so. It is somewhat like a poison pill attached to a medicine introduced to the body. It is only released when in contact with cancer cells. I asked him what he knew about colloidal silver’s antibacterial properties and he completely drew a blank. Didn’t know what I was talking about. In the past I have spoken with other medical professionals and they all were clueless.

So for barterers and horse traders, be out of debt and have cash reserves for opportunities. From your excess profits, you may want to park some fiat dollars in precious metals. I like physical silver best. Silver bullion, 90% coins and sterling silver; it’s all good and each form has its own buying and selling characteristics and potentials.

Ordinarily, fiat dollar reserves/savings get punished with low interest and high inflation. But we barterers and horse traders’ fiat dollar reserves are to be used for a whole different purpose. Deal making and as quick as possible turnover. This is the route to pyramiding a fortune. In my opinion, what will keep it a fortune through time is to have it in physical precious metals. Maybe there is something else with enduring value. Let me know what you think is superior to physical gold and silver.

The spring, summer and fall dealings will be upon us soon. I think this year will be a great year for deals, maybe the best ever. Companies’ inventory sales could make a bundle. If I’ve done it, you can do it too. Time to get our game plan ready. And we must be adaptable to change; what worked last year may not work this year or next year. Gotta go with the flow, ya know.

Best wishes,

Agnut


After Obama is done with his agenda, I HOPE I have some CHANGE left in my pocket

I have been doing more research into catalytic converters. I bought the E-book of Ebay, but it was pretty much worthless so don't waste your money. I also picked up the book on amazon (Scrap Catalytic Converters Buying and Selling). It is much better and has allot of useful information in it, but I am still a little unsure how to value each converter it is not totally clear on that.

Hi davycoppitt. When finding about opportunities it is common to run into dead ends but persevering as you have done is the key in succeeding. A traderism of a trader.

I suggest that you contact a buyer of catalytic converters and ask him which converters are most valuable and how to identify them. He should be only too happy to help you since he will be making a profit as you succeed. The buyer price may vary greatly from dealer to dealer. That is part of your job; to find who the good guys are and who to avoid.

Here is something I think you will find interesting :

I just had two storage containers delivered. They are each 8’ X 8’ x 21’. I saw them at a local wrecking yard, no advertising. They cost $300 each plus $50 delivery for a total of $700. I have been looking for two such containers for a long time but the best price I had found was about $3,800 delivered.

This is an example of a passive 5+ bagger.

I checked on eBay and found a used aluminum storage container that was only 12’ long. Same manufacturer. It was being offered for $2,850 plus shipping from Pennsylvania. The new price was $9,632.

The kicker is that my storage containers are made of aluminum and each weigh 4,500 pounds ! I figure that stripped out they would yield as much as 8,000 pounds of aluminum and at 50 cents a pound would come to $4,000. Admittedly, a lot of work cutting them up for scrap but there is a secondary value here not with steel storage containers.

I’m not bragging here. Heck, I didn’t even think of the aluminum value when I bought them. They just looked like a good deal for something I needed.

If I wasn’t out at the wrecking yard dumping off a ton of scrap steel I wouldn’t have ever known about these containers. You gotta get out there, put your feelers out, tell others what you are looking for. I have paid finders fees for items found. The more eyes and ears you have roaming about the more success you will have.

Coincidentally, I wrote previously about the Dodge diesel truck I got for a bargain price. The storage containers were similar in that I was patient and continued to keep an eye peeled for items on my want list.

Patience pays plenty.

You can always turn down any deal and wait for a better deal. After all, you have the money which buys most anything while a seller has an item which can only be traded or sold for money. You are wide open and free while the seller is at a disadvantage.

Sometimes I leave a seller with my phone number as I am getting his number. I have had sellers call me later and offer a really cheap price to just get the darn thing out of their property.

Lately I have been noticing financial writers alluding to the future increasing need to barter. Good deal; they’re finally catching on.

I’ve been talking to people about buying items used for a fraction of their new price and lately have had a much better reception than I had in the past. I guess the lame economy squeezing the budgets is making folks more open to change. Good deal; they’re finally catching on too.


Best wishes,

Agnut

First post in this thread and I won't pretend to be adding anything new.

There is much to read/learn here and I'll do so over the next few days.

I'm starting from almost the opposite end of the spectrum from you Agnut in that I am a complete loser when it comes to bartering and horse trading; I have been a sucker in the past.

My main problem is I don't know how to negotiate without coming across as confrontational or rude, and that I really don't seem to have any instinct for making a profit off of a person or deal as opposed to trying to minimize everyones costs.

Anyway I'll get to reading on this thread and see if I can get some ideas. I've got lot's of copper pennies I'd love to make a little profit off of so I can buy more unsorted pennies and run my Ryedale, and I need to get off my but and at least advertise them on craigslist.

Update: Well I went ahead and posted 50 lb bags of copper pennies on craigslist for $125 each, so I'll see if anyone is interested.

Its under North Mississippi collectibles if anyone is interested ;)

I'm figuring that's the price for them coming to pick them up in the town I live in, and I'll arrange to meet them at my bank for the exchange. If the buyer actually wants me to weigh the bag in front of him I'll have my scales with me.

Welcome here WilliamC. You may have considered yourself a loser in the past but I see you as a student becoming a winner in the future. Because you are here and obviously feel the need to change for the better. Your being a loser in the past has laid the groundwork for things you do not want to repeat. These are very valuable lessons not to be forgotten but rather utilized in future wise decision making.

Not to be trite but any journey begins with the first step. I made mistakes when I was younger but make a lot less mistakes these days. Bartering and horse trading is a learning process that results in a more fiscally sound and more in control lifestyle. It becomes a way of life that is like a one way door; there is no going back. Another way to say it is that once you lose your ignorance, you can’t get it back.

When I was a young man I was a “complete loser” as you put it. I bought things without thinking of wiser alternatives. I was only beginning to calculate profit return against investment, time involved and risk. It has been a long road to get to where I am today. In writing this thread I am doing my best to compress the years it took me to become aware. I hope that those reading this thread will be rapidly propelled forward into understanding their abilities to take control of their lives. So much of our waking hours are dedicated to “getting ahead”. But first we must get a head.

We all are high horsepower engines, whether we realize it or not. Many with higher education use their degrees and roar their engines to impress others but they don’t fool me. In order to go places in our lives we must be able to engage the transmission, accelerate when necessary, brake when necessary, turn when curves are ahead and to even back up at times. Importantly, we also must know where the road ends up. Our destination.

We all know the power of compounding interest over the long haul. Of course, these days interest is far below the real inflation rate. So I am definitely not talking about bank or bond or money market fund interest. They are all big losers because of inflation. So where can we get ahead of the game and actually increase our wealth ?

It begins with understanding that we are sane people living in an insane world.

Fiat currency backed by nothing other than political promises and confidence is a tragedy waiting to happen. It has been attempted many, many, MANY times through history and the end result was collapse of purchasing power.

Throughout the past centuries, fiat currency has had a 100% success rate of failure. Do you want to be part of that “success” ? Of course not; any sane person can see the madness.

We were born into the mad house but have the power to release ourselves on our own recognizance whenever we want. Trouble is, most are so inured to the system that thought of exiting the matrix and becoming responsible for our actions is subconsciously repulsive to most folks. As in the movie Matrix, we are hooked up from birth and as time passes we take on more hookups. What are these hookups anyway ?

A. Parental influence. From birth we are guided and molded to accept the hookups from our parents. They have been in the Matrix for all of their lives and know no other way. Of course, there are a few parents who have broken out of the Matrix and therefore have the ability to teach their children to also be free.

B. Peer pressure. We learn from an early age what is hot and what is not; at least what is in their beliefs (programming really). Ridicule in its many forms is like a whip to keep others in line.

C. Leadership guidance. Need I say more ? UGH

D. Media advertising. Can’t be a man because he doesn’t smoke. I can’t get no satisfaction.

E. Financial news. It’s not really “news” but “olds”. They will draw you in to invest but when you later lose, blame all sorts of unexpected events. Listening to MSM news is propaganda put out by Wall Street and big banking. Are they looking out for you, the small investor ? If what they tout is so great, why don’t they keep it to themselves and make a fortune themselves. Truth is, their casino needs fresh blood continually. Frankly, I would be laughing hysterically at the financial news if it weren’t so tragic for millions.

F. Retirement planning. I don’t know about you but I don’t plan to retire until they are throwing the dirt on my grave. Life is too exciting and fascinating to suddenly quit and watch the boob tube until I keel over. There are advantages to never retiring. One is that I won’t be always trying to put enough away so that I can sit around idly. Another is that I I will always be active in mind and body. Nothing brings on old age and shortened lifespan like retiring. You have see people retiring after working their whole adult lives and then dropping dead soon thereafter. And never forget that retirement planning requires working double; paying for current expenses while at the same time setting aside money for retirement.

And you tell me what a person can set aside for the distant future that will carry forth purchasing power. Gold and silver are two possibilities. Land maybe. So what else can you buy now that will be worth the same or more in purchasing power in thirty or forty years ?

The simple answer is to educate yourself in things that will be needed and useful. The mind is an amazing tool. Ben Franklin said “Put your money into education; it’s the one thing they can’t take away from you.”

I hope it has become clear that this thread is all about preparing yourself for the rest of your life. It is meant to be an empowering process which will make your life easier to navigate. And fun too; we aren’t here on this earth to be enslaved and to hate our situations. Dream of becoming free and make that a reality.

Don’t be concerned that everyone will suddenly become sharp barterers and horse traders; only a few hundred are following this thread. And only some of those will make this an integral part of their lives. So you are rare; extremely rare. And I expect that it will stay that way. Granted, it isn’t easy to change. But doesn’t anything worthwhile also require effort ? The paybacks are potentially enormous.

They say it’s lonely at the top. No, it is actually alone at the top. The top is a place where you are free to associate with whomever you may want. Maybe even others who are actually using their minds instead of being drones. And this top of which I write can be as simple as working for yourself part time. It doesn’t mean having a big organization with a herd of employees. I recommend as small a venture as possible with NO EMPLOYEES. That’s right; you can subcontract if necessary. For the future years I see one man operations working from the home base as the most efficient and headache free endeavors.

Life is like entering someone else’s casino. Any moron should know that the odds are stacked against him. Who do you think is paying for all the lights, building, employees and glitter ? But the allure of winning big kicks in denial of the reality of the situation. See how powerful and destructive denial (rationalization) really is ?

The world is MY casino; the way I operate, the odds are stacked greatly in my favor. So great that dollar for dollar invested, I make their casino look like a sick joke by comparison.

A big, big advantage is that I have control over my time. When to work and when to play.

Never sell yourself short and say that you don’t have the ability to become a proficient barterer and horse trader. It is so easy a child can do it. And believe me, you will never become bored. I am daily excited at the prospects out there. But my free time is most precious and must be balanced against making more deals and profits. Maybe I’m a bit lazy actually working 10 to 20 hours a week but I’m happy the way things are going. My life used to be like a bubble but I popped it and have downsized to where it doesn’t gobble up my free time any more.

I will post “10 Reasons You Should Never Get A Job” shortly. There is some good advice there. Tell me what you think.

Best wishes,

Agnut

P.S. Hey, you want to see a little insanity ?

Just in on CNBC is Bernanke with banners below that say he has a :

“Dual mandate of maximum employment and stable inflation.”

and

“Home affordability is now at a very good level.”

10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...ver-get-a-job/

Just for fun I recently asked Erin, “Now that the kids are in summer school, don’t you think it’s about time you went out and got yourself a job? I hate seeing you wallow in unemployment for so long.”

She smiled and said, “Wow. I have been unemployed a really long time. That’s weird… I like it!”

Neither of us have had jobs since the ’90s (my only job was in 1992), so we’ve been self-employed for quite a while. In our household it’s a running joke for one of us to say to the other, “Maybe you should get a job, derelict!”

It’s like the scene in The Three Stooges where Moe tells Curly to get a job, and Curly backs away, saying, “No, please… not that! Anything but that!”

It’s funny that when people reach a certain age, such as after graduating college, they assume it’s time to go out and get a job. But like many things the masses do, just because everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. In fact, if you’re reasonably intelligent, getting a job is one of the worst things you can do to support yourself. There are far better ways to make a living than selling yourself into indentured servitude.

Here are some reasons you should do everything in your power to avoid getting a job:

1. Income for dummies.

Getting a job and trading your time for money may seem like a good idea. There’s only one problem with it. It’s stupid! It’s the stupidest way you can possibly generate income! This is truly income for dummies.

Why is getting a job so dumb? Because you only get paid when you’re working. Don’t you see a problem with that, or have you been so thoroughly brainwashed into thinking it’s reasonable and intelligent to only earn income when you’re working? Have you never considered that it might be better to be paid even when you’re not working? Who taught you that you could only earn income while working? Some other brainwashed employee perhaps?

Don’t you think your life would be much easier if you got paid while you were eating, sleeping, and playing with the kids too? Why not get paid 24/7? Get paid whether you work or not. Don’t your plants grow even when you aren’t tending to them? Why not your bank account?

Who cares how many hours you work? Only a handful of people on this entire planet care how much time you spend at the office. Most of us won’t even notice whether you work 6 hours a week or 60. But if you have something of value to provide that matters to us, a number of us will be happy to pull out our wallets and pay you for it. We don’t care about your time — we only care enough to pay for the value we receive. Do you really care how long it took me to write this article? Would you pay me twice as much if it took me 6 hours vs. only 3?

Non-dummies often start out on the traditional income for dummies path. So don’t feel bad if you’re just now realizing you’ve been suckered. Non-dummies eventually realize that trading time for money is indeed extremely dumb and that there must be a better way. And of course there is a better way. The key is to de-couple your value from your time.

Smart people build systems that generate income 24/7, especially passive income. This can include starting a business, building a web site, becoming an investor, or generating royalty income from creative work. The system delivers the ongoing value to people and generates income from it, and once it’s in motion, it runs continuously whether you tend to it or not. From that moment on, the bulk of your time can be invested in increasing your income (by refining your system or spawning new ones) instead of merely maintaining your income.

This web site is an example of such a system. At the time of this writing, it generates about $9000 a month in income for me, and it isn’t my only income stream either. I write each article just once (fixed time investment), and people can extract value from them year after year. The web server delivers the value, and other systems (most of which I didn’t even build and don’t even understand) collect income and deposit it automatically into my bank account. It’s not perfectly passive, but I love writing and would do it for free anyway. But of course it cost me a lot of money to launch this business, right? Um, yeah, $9 is an awful lot these days (to register the domain name). Everything after that was profit.

Sure it takes some upfront time and effort to design and implement your own income-generating systems. But you don’t have to reinvent the wheel — feel free to use existing systems like ad networks and affiliate programs. Once you get going, you won’t have to work so many hours to support yourself. Wouldn’t it be nice to be out having dinner with your spouse, knowing that while you’re eating, you’re earning money? If you want to keep working long hours because you enjoy it, go right ahead. If you want to sit around doing nothing, feel free. As long as your system continues delivering value to others, you’ll keep getting paid whether you’re working or not.

Your local bookstore is filled with books containing workable systems others have already designed, tested, and debugged. Nobody is born knowing how to start a business or generate investment income, but you can easily learn it. How long it takes you to figure it out is irrelevant because the time is going to pass anyway. You might as well emerge at some future point as the owner of income-generating systems as opposed to a lifelong wage slave. This isn’t all or nothing. If your system only generates a few hundred dollars a month, that’s a significant step in the right direction.

2. Limited experience.

You might think it’s important to get a job to gain experience. But that’s like saying you should play golf to get experience playing golf. You gain experience from living, regardless of whether you have a job or not. A job only gives you experience at that job, but you gain ”experience” doing just about anything, so that’s no real benefit at all. Sit around doing nothing for a couple years, and you can call yourself an experienced meditator, philosopher, or politician.

The problem with getting experience from a job is that you usually just repeat the same limited experience over and over. You learn a lot in the beginning and then stagnate. This forces you to miss other experiences that would be much more valuable. And if your limited skill set ever becomes obsolete, then your experience won’t be worth squat. In fact, ask yourself what the experience you’re gaining right now will be worth in 20-30 years. Will your job even exist then?

Consider this. Which experience would you rather gain? The knowledge of how to do a specific job really well — one that you can only monetize by trading your time for money – or the knowledge of how to enjoy financial abundance for the rest of your life without ever needing a job again? Now I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have the latter experience. That seems a lot more useful in the real world, wouldn’t you say?

3. Lifelong domestication.

Getting a job is like enrolling in a human domestication program. You learn how to be a good pet.

Look around you. Really look. What do you see? Are these the surroundings of a free human being? Or are you living in a cage for unconscious animals? Have you fallen in love with the color beige?

How’s your obedience training coming along? Does your master reward your good behavior? Do you get disciplined if you fail to obey your master’s commands?

Is there any spark of free will left inside you? Or has your conditioning made you a pet for life?

Humans are not meant to be raised in cages. You poor thing…

4. Too many mouths to feed.

Employee income is the most heavily taxed there is. In the USA you can expect that about half your salary will go to taxes. The tax system is designed to disguise how much you’re really giving up because some of those taxes are paid by your employer, and some are deducted from your paycheck. But you can bet that from your employer’s perspective, all of those taxes are considered part of your pay, as well as any other compensation you receive such as benefits. Even the rent for the office space you consume is considered, so you must generate that much more value to cover it. You might feel supported by your corporate environment, but keep in mind that you’re the one paying for it.

Another chunk of your income goes to owners and investors. That’s a lot of mouths to feed.

It isn’t hard to understand why employees pay the most in taxes relative to their income. After all, who has more control over the tax system? Business owners and investors or employees?

You only get paid a fraction of the real value you generate. Your real salary may be more than triple what you’re paid, but most of that money you’ll never see. It goes straight into other people’s pockets.

What a generous person you are!

5. Way too risky.

Many employees believe getting a job is the safest and most secure way to support themselves.

Morons.

Social conditioning is amazing. It’s so good it can even make people believe the exact opposite of the truth.

Does putting yourself in a position where someone else can turn off all your income just by saying two words (”You’re fired”) sound like a safe and secure situation to you? Does having only one income stream honestly sound more secure than having 10?

The idea that a job is the most secure way to generate income is just silly. You can’t have security if you don’t have control, and employees have the least control of anyone. If you’re an employee, then your real job title should be professional gambler.

6. Having an evil bovine master.

When you run into an idiot in the entrepreneurial world, you can turn around and head the other way. When you run into an idiot in the corporate world, you have to turn around and say, “Sorry, boss.”

Did you know that the word boss comes from the Dutch word baas, which historically means master? Another meaning of the word boss is “a cow or bovine.” And in many video games, the boss is the evil dude that you have to kill at the end of a level.

So if your boss is really your evil bovine master, then what does that make you? Nothing but a turd in the herd.

Who’s your daddy?

7. Begging for money.

When you want to increase your income, do you have to sit up and beg your master for more money? Does it feel good to be thrown some extra Scooby Snacks now and then?

Or are you free to decide how much you get paid without needing anyone’s permission but your own?

If you have a business and one customer says “no” to you, you simply say “next.”

8. An inbred social life.

Many people treat their jobs as their primary social outlet. They hang out with the same people working in the same field. Such incestuous relations are social dead ends. An exciting day includes deep conversations about the company’s switch from Sparkletts to Arrowhead, the delay of Microsoft’s latest operating system, and the unexpected delivery of more Bic pens. Consider what it would be like to go outside and talk to strangers. Ooooh… scary! Better stay inside where it’s safe.

If one of your co-slaves gets sold to another master, do you lose a friend? If you work in a male-dominated field, does that mean you never get to talk to women above the rank of receptionist? Why not decide for yourself whom to socialize with instead of letting your master decide for you? Believe it or not, there are locations on this planet where free people congregate. Just be wary of those jobless folk — they’re a crazy bunch!

9. Loss of freedom.

It takes a lot of effort to tame a human being into an employee. The first thing you have to do is break the human’s independent will. A good way to do this is to give them a weighty policy manual filled with nonsensical rules and regulations. This leads the new employee to become more obedient, fearing that s/he could be disciplined at any minute for something incomprehensible. Thus, the employee will likely conclude it’s safest to simply obey the master’s commands without question. Stir in some office politics for good measure, and we’ve got a freshly minted mind slave.

As part of their obedience training, employees must be taught how to dress, talk, move, and so on. We can’t very well have employees thinking for themselves, now can we? That would ruin everything.

God forbid you should put a plant on your desk when it’s against the company policy. Oh no, it’s the end of the world! Cindy has a plant on her desk! Summon the enforcers! Send Cindy back for another round of sterility training!

Free human beings think such rules and regulations are silly of course. The only policy they need is: “Be smart. Be nice. Do what you love. Have fun.”

10. Becoming a coward.

Have you noticed that employed people have an almost endless capacity to whine about problems at their companies? But they don’t really want solutions – they just want to vent and make excuses why it’s all someone else’s fault. It’s as if getting a job somehow drains all the free will out of people and turns them into spineless cowards. If you can’t call your boss a jerk now and then without fear of getting fired, you’re no longer free. You’ve become your master’s property.

When you work around cowards all day long, don’t you think it’s going to rub off on you? Of course it will. It’s only a matter of time before you sacrifice the noblest parts of your humanity on the altar of fear: first courage… then honesty… then honor and integrity… and finally your independent will. You sold your humanity for nothing but an illusion. And now your greatest fear is discovering the truth of what you’ve become.

I don’t care how badly you’ve been beaten down. It is never too late to regain your courage. Never!

Still want a job?

If you’re currently a well-conditioned, well-behaved employee, your most likely reaction to the above will be defensiveness. It’s all part of the conditioning. But consider that if the above didn’t have a grain of truth to it, you wouldn’t have an emotional reaction at all. This is only a reminder of what you already know. You can deny your cage all you want, but the cage is still there. Perhaps this all happened so gradually that you never noticed it until now… like a lobster enjoying a nice warm bath.

If any of this makes you mad, that’s a step in the right direction. Anger is a higher level of consciousness than apathy, so it’s a lot better than being numb all the time. Any emotion — even confusion — is better than apathy. If you work through your feelings instead of repressing them, you’ll soon emerge on the doorstep of courage. And when that happens, you’ll have the will to actually do something about your situation and start living like the powerful human being you were meant to be instead of the domesticated pet you’ve been trained to be.

Happily jobless

What’s the alternative to getting a job? The alternative is to remain happily jobless for life and to generate income through other means. Realize that you earn income by providing value — not time – so find a way to provide your best value to others, and charge a fair price for it. One of the simplest and most accessible ways is to start your own business. Whatever work you’d otherwise do via employment, find a way to provide that same value directly to those who will benefit most from it. It takes a bit more time to get going, but your freedom is easily worth the initial investment of time and energy. Then you can buy your own Scooby Snacks for a change.

And of course everything you learn along the way, you can share with others to generate even more value. So even your mistakes can be monetized.

Here are some free resources to help you get started:

The Courage To Live Consciously (article on how to transition to more meaningful work)
Podcast #006 - How to Make Money Without a Job (audio)
Podcast #009 - Kick-start Your Own Business (audio)
Podcast #014 - Embracing Your Passion (audio)
10 Stupid Mistakes Made by the Newly Self-Employed (article)
How to Build a High-Traffic Web Site (or Blog) (article)
How to Make Money From Your Blog (article)
One of the greatest fears you’ll confront is that you may not have any real value to offer others. Maybe being an employee and getting paid by the hour is the best you can do. Maybe you just aren’t worth that much. That line of thinking is all just part of your conditioning. It’s absolute nonsense. As you begin to dump such brainwashing, you’ll soon recognize that you have the ability to provide enormous value to others and that people will gladly pay you for it. There’s only one thing that prevents you from seeing this truth — fear.

All you really need is the courage to be yourself. Your real value is rooted in who you are, not what you do. The only thing you need actually do is express your real self to the world. You’ve been told all sort of lies as to why you can’t do that. But you’ll never know true happiness and fulfillment until you summon the courage to do it anyway.

The next time someone says to you, “Get a job,” I suggest you reply as Curly did: ”No, please… not that! Anything but that!” Then poke him right in the eyes.

You already know deep down that getting a job isn’t what you want. So don’t let anyone try to tell you otherwise. Learn to trust your inner wisdom, even if the whole world says you’re wrong and foolish for doing so. Years from now you’ll look back and realize it was one of the best decisions you ever made.

Sounds good...But the entire world cannot be made up of horse traders.

There have to be bridge builders, electricians, correctional officers, nurses, grocery stockers, ad infinitum.....All of these are "jobs" and can't be compared to finding deals on non-running diesel trucks and fixing and reselling them. Who made that diesel truck? Who made the vehicle you drove to pull it home? Who refined the fuel that you run in it? Who paved the road that you drove on to get it?....

People with JOBS did...

Not to mention the inner satisfaction that it gives a man to work all day and see what he has accomplished in exchange to be able to feed his family. There is something that is an intangible element that men desire...

Hunting through yard sales for used .50 cent DVD's is not for everyone.

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A contrarian among contrarians...

True that, not everyone has the mindset or personal skills
to be what is termed a "horse trader"
I would wager that Agnut has a good paying regular job though.
With many years experience as a professional.
I believe he has spoken about it a few times over the years.
Specialized auto rebuilding or something of the sort ?
Is that what I remember Agnut ?
And all of this horse trading stuff is knowledge he he is sharing has
been gained over the years.
But whadda I know...
Regards,
Haystackneedle

__________________
I was certified as a Forum Junkie by my score in the GIM Aptitude Test (Score: 88)

What Agnut is teaching us, are the skills for our future. I, for one, am glad he so freely shares his wisdom here.

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Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

~ Matthew 7:7, NLT

Agnut's entire last post was making a case for not having a job and highlighting his and wife's experience at making a living sans job.

__________________
Illusions occur when our brains attempt to perceive the future, and those perceptions don't match reality

Hi and thanks Agfinger; you are so right. I DID ask for others to tell me what you think at the end of post #696.

Understand the perspective that what I am espousing is for, first money saving in what I call passive bartering and horse trading and second, deal making in what I call active bartering and horse trading. These begin as part time activities and may only become full time endeavors for those who feel that it is for them. I don’t expect many to ever go full time; it is a money management plan to augment a full or part time job.

For instance if a person makes $1,600 a month ($400 a week) and his bills are $1,800 a month, he is in serious trouble. That $200 shortfall can only continue until he either runs out of savings, credit cards or friends/family from whom to borrow. If this person only begins passive bartering and horse trading, he can preserve enough income so that he has an excess each month. This excess is extremely important in that it can be accumulated for future uncertainties, precious metal purchases ( wipes tear from eye. God bless)), or delving into active bartering and horse trading.

Now active bartering and horse trading is another animal entirely. It involves finding bargains, negotiating the buy and later selling the same item. Not for everyone like passive B&H is above.

So try out B&H and see if it works for you. In fact, you may find opportunities I never even thought of. I know they are out there because I’m still seeing new ways of dealings. I don’t profess to be a know it all. If I did, I would stunt my open mindedness to all the new possibilities coming my way.

You’re right Agfinger; there have to be people working at all sorts of jobs. I respect that more than you know.

I have been an automotive mechanic for about 40 years. I began by rebuilding Jaguar and MG transmissions and engines at a dealership in Erie Pennsylvania. Since then I have had a few jobs and later owned a number of auto repair businesses. I restored Jaguars and resold them. It was just for pleasure; there was no profit in it to speak of. I put years of my life in restoring these cars, refinishing the circassian walnut interiors, rebuilding the engines and transmissions, rewiring the whole electrical system if necessary. One Jaguar, a 1956 XK140, had a body off restoration and took me about 2 ½ years to complete. It was in a Del Mar California classic car show. By the way, this was all done in my spare time; I owned an auto repair shop with as many as 12 employees at the same time.

I once had a news channel do a show on my auto repair shop and another time a newspaper did an article with photos about my transmission shop. Best unsolicited free advertising I ever got; I was packed with customers for months.

Repairing cars in an independent business saves the customer a great deal of money (it should anyway). Furthermore, by repairing an engine or transmission rather than buying a factory exchange unit helps the foreign trade deficit and keeps the money here in the U.S.A. All of these “bridge builders, electricians, correctional officers, nurses, grocery stockers, ad infinitum”, they have to get to and from work, etc. As a fellow blue collar worker I have the highest respect for them; they contribute to making our world what it can and should be (but don’t get me started on bankers, lawyers, politicians and others who aren’t contributing to the furthering of their fellow man). I believe that my work helps others succeed in their lives.

I am very fortunate in that I love auto mechanics and problem solving. Sadly, too many people hate their jobs. So many, many job variables and vulnerabilities as an employee that it is no wonder that they do. Many years ago I chose to work for myself. It was not easy but well worth it.

I can work weekends or nights if I choose. Or I can take the day off to spend with my family. This is very important to me and I will pay whatever it costs for that freedom.

I’m 63 years old and plan to soon turn my business over to one of my sons. He has been with me over 4 years and has learned a lot. I’ll be there to help him until he feels confident enough so that I can spend time with my younger son who needs help with his future work plans. Men need work in order to feel good about themselves. It is said that a man is defined by what he does while a woman is defined by who she is. It is very hard out there right now and I don’t expect things to get better for a long time.

People have to have food, a roof over their heads and a way to get around. These are all necessities even in a collapsed economy. People adjust to changes and I expect to in my work also. I have been making preparations for this very thing.

By the way, there is a person that I have been encouraging to visit us and stay for a couple of weeks so that I can teach him about manual transmission rebuilding. If he likes what he sees he may go back home and try it on his own. We have been communicating for a long time now and have developed a pretty good understanding. I hope he takes me up on the offer; nothing like learning a new skill that may provide a more secure future.

Best wishes,

Agnut

You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down. -Mary Pickford

The secret of man’s being is not only to live but to have something to live for. -Dostoyevsky

Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life. -Sandra Carey

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars or sailed to an uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.” - Helen Keller

Hello,
Yes, a good post that one ( # 697 ) and a link was provided.
A lot of his thinking is in that article.
I have read his writings with earnst since 2003.
I used to print out a lot of his thoughts until the " Agnut " pile
got overly large !
I am missing your point though.
( ? )
I do not believe he has ever advocated quitting a job and becoming
only a trader type for a living.
He is just sharing his vast amount of knowledge and experiences, as well as providing additional articles and links throughout, gained through
many years of having his own businesses.
( qualifies as a job, just like mine, only different, IMO )
The sharing of "bartering and horse trading " in order to
assist with income is a passion he has to assist others to be
more free thinking in the many ways to survive in this world.
I, for one, am indebted to him for his long running thread and
his willingness to openly share his thoughts.
I would also hope that one day he would organize his writings into a
small book.
It would make a fine addition to anyones library.
Regards,
Haystackneedle

__________________
I was certified as a Forum Junkie by my score in the GIM Aptitude Test (Score: 88)

My only point, hystkndle, was that you wagered that Agnut held a regular job when the thrust of his previous post was that he most certainly did not.

Nothing more.

__________________
Illusions occur when our brains attempt to perceive the future, and those perceptions don't match reality

Hello SLV>GLD,
Ahhhhaaaa,
I get it.
Perception is indeed reality is it not ?
I read post # 697 as a paste from a link that Agnut picked up to share
with us and he placed it here.
Certainly not as a post about himself and his wife being sans jobs.
For me, even though the link was there , the way the words were put
together did not quite seem like Agnuts' normal style of prose either.
For example,
He hasn't used the word "moron" over the years to refer to anyone if
I remember correctly...
( that is usually reserved for our favorite HT...heh, heh)
But that is just my perception....
Yours must be different according to your replies.
And that is what makes the world such an interesting one....
different ways to look at things.
His last post though, says quite a lot about all of this as he is saying ( again, my perception from what I read ) he wants to turn his current business, one he has been engaged in for many, many years, over to his sons....so that he can pursue other ventures ( like more looking for bargains etc etc )...
and hopefully he can continue writing and sharing with us about his ( supplemental to his normal job activities ) adventures in bartering and horse trading.
What a colorful guy he is.
Regards to all, what a great thread this is.
Haystackneedle

__________________
I was certified as a Forum Junkie by my score in the GIM Aptitude Test (Score: 88)

.

off hand, anyone know how to put this thread in a zip file ?

.

__________________

That is a good idea CG.

__________________
I was certified as a Forum Junkie by my score in the GIM Aptitude Test (Score: 88)

Hey everybody; I’m already registered at GIM2 and will write as I get time. We should be able to continue this thread over there.

Thanks to all those contributing who made this thread more than I could believe possible.

Best wishes and see y’all on the other side,

Agnut

Agnut,
Got your message.
I thinks Specs is working on a zip file.
I also think some of the stickies were moved over to the new site ???
Is this one over there ?
Haystackneedle

__________________
I was certified as a Forum Junkie by my score in the GIM Aptitude Test (Score: 88)

Agnut,
Why not just start a new thread on GIM2 and copy and paste your well written articles from this thread? That would be very accessible and new readers would find it as well.
I'm sure many GIM2ers will find it useful in the future as they lose their jobs etc.

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Words can be used to convey information and words can be used to prevent information from being conveyed.

In a corrupt society, the truth can be found in what is forbidden to say.