Portland Hours Turns Your Time Into Currency

edmonton daily photo · 08-08-2012, 04:49 PM

SOOO COOOOL!!!

Portland Hours Turns Your Time Into Currency

http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680233/p...-into-currency

If you’ve lost your health insurance but have a few hours to spare, and you’re lucky enough to live in Portland, Maine, your options may not be as limited as they first appear. Just identify a skill that might be of use to others--providing tennis lessons, say, or installing electrical wiring--and you can trade an hour of your services for an hour of someone else’s. One of the most popular offerings: health care services.

It works like this: After you volunteer your services, the time you spent is “banked” for you in the Hour Exchange Portland’s time bank. Founded in 1997, there are now over 900 members and both individual and organizational partnerships. People trade just about everything they can think of: pet grooming, photography, acupuncture, web design. And as the U.S. economy has shrunk, interest in the program over the past few years has grown at a rapid rate.

edmonton daily photo · 08-08-2012, 04:50 PM

Replacement · 09-08-2012, 06:15 PM

Pretty sure theres been a "Portlandia" episode on this idea. Or that there should be.

This is an age old concept, one thats had impetus here as well, predictably, and usually this ends up with a few people doing a lot of projects for others and banking "hours" until the soup of the day idea runs out of steam, and people end up with actual money as a system of bartering, and theyquickly lose interest in hiring Sam the duct tape plumber..

btw

and its not just me.

But whats with the 25 threadstarts in one week that if properly titled could easily be encompassed in a few threads.

Sorry, this is thread spamming and especially this one.

moahunter · 09-08-2012, 07:17 PM

^you run into tax and GST issues with barter as well, why not use money instead of time? This is just daft.

edmonton daily photo · 09-08-2012, 07:24 PM

Did you read the article Moa?

I love this because everything is equal. And hour of dentistry is equal to an hour of hius cleaning.

I love that it doesn't use money and everyones skill and talent is equal

moahunter · 09-08-2012, 07:29 PM

^yes I did. If somebody is selling, for example, acupuncture services, that's taxable whatever currency you are paid in, be it hours or dollars.

edmonton daily photo · 09-08-2012, 07:30 PM

O Moa... You are so... Moa

Worried about all the wrong things in my opinion.

moahunter · 09-08-2012, 07:34 PM

^Why not instead of hours, put a price on each hour, say $8, and trade that? It would be much simpler. Do an hours work for me, I give you $8. Then, I'll go buy an hour off someone else for $8. That's all this is, price fixing of services for one hour.

edmonton daily photo · 09-08-2012, 07:35 PM

Ask them... Maybe it would make it more complicated!

moahunter · 09-08-2012, 07:39 PM

^i don't have to ask them, the proof is in the pudding, money is a way more efficient form of currency, it replaced bata to make life easier. That some hippies think they can avoid tax or get a better deal with "hours" instead, doesn't make it a good idea.

edmonton daily photo · 09-08-2012, 08:34 PM

That's right and you run a time bank so you are a resident expert.

Silly me.

There is a reason they do what they do... If you aren't going to ask why that is fine but then don't presume to know why they operate the way they do...

I for one think it's an awesome and cool idea.

Not everything is about efficiency..

edmonton daily photo · 09-08-2012, 08:35 PM

We will have to agree to disagree

08-08-2012, 04:49 PM	#1
edmonton daily photo Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2008	Portland Hours Turns Your Time Into Currency SOOO COOOOL!!! Portland Hours Turns Your Time Into Currency http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680233/p...-into-currency If you’ve lost your health insurance but have a few hours to spare, and you’re lucky enough to live in Portland, Maine, your options may not be as limited as they first appear. Just identify a skill that might be of use to others--providing tennis lessons, say, or installing electrical wiring--and you can trade an hour of your services for an hour of someone else’s. One of the most popular offerings: health care services. It works like this: After you volunteer your services, the time you spent is “banked” for you in the Hour Exchange Portland’s time bank. Founded in 1997, there are now over 900 members and both individual and organizational partnerships. People trade just about everything they can think of: pet grooming, photography, acupuncture, web design. And as the U.S. economy has shrunk, interest in the program over the past few years has grown at a rapid rate. __________________ "Do you give people who already use transit a better service, or do you build it where they don't use it in the hopes they might start to use it?" Nenshi

08-08-2012, 04:50 PM	#2
edmonton daily photo Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2008	__________________ "Do you give people who already use transit a better service, or do you build it where they don't use it in the hopes they might start to use it?" Nenshi

09-08-2012, 06:15 PM	#3
Replacement Addicted to C2E Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Edmonton	Pretty sure theres been a "Portlandia" episode on this idea. Or that there should be. This is an age old concept, one thats had impetus here as well, predictably, and usually this ends up with a few people doing a lot of projects for others and banking "hours" until the soup of the day idea runs out of steam, and people end up with actual money as a system of bartering, and theyquickly lose interest in hiring Sam the duct tape plumber.. btw and its not just me. But whats with the 25 threadstarts in one week that if properly titled could easily be encompassed in a few threads. Sorry, this is thread spamming and especially this one. __________________ Making being wrong an artform since 2006..

09-08-2012, 07:24 PM	#5
edmonton daily photo Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2008	Did you read the article Moa? I love this because everything is equal. And hour of dentistry is equal to an hour of hius cleaning. I love that it doesn't use money and everyones skill and talent is equal __________________ "Do you give people who already use transit a better service, or do you build it where they don't use it in the hopes they might start to use it?" Nenshi

09-08-2012, 07:30 PM	#7
edmonton daily photo Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2008	O Moa... You are so... Moa Worried about all the wrong things in my opinion. __________________ "Do you give people who already use transit a better service, or do you build it where they don't use it in the hopes they might start to use it?" Nenshi

09-08-2012, 07:17 PM	#4
moahunter Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton, Alberta	^you run into tax and GST issues with barter as well, why not use money instead of time? This is just daft.

09-08-2012, 07:29 PM	#6
moahunter Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton, Alberta	^yes I did. If somebody is selling, for example, acupuncture services, that's taxable whatever currency you are paid in, be it hours or dollars.

09-08-2012, 07:34 PM	#8
moahunter Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton, Alberta	^Why not instead of hours, put a price on each hour, say $8, and trade that? It would be much simpler. Do an hours work for me, I give you $8. Then, I'll go buy an hour off someone else for $8. That's all this is, price fixing of services for one hour.

09-08-2012, 07:35 PM	#9
edmonton daily photo Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2008	Ask them... Maybe it would make it more complicated! __________________ "Do you give people who already use transit a better service, or do you build it where they don't use it in the hopes they might start to use it?" Nenshi

09-08-2012, 07:39 PM	#10
moahunter Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton, Alberta	^i don't have to ask them, the proof is in the pudding, money is a way more efficient form of currency, it replaced bata to make life easier. That some hippies think they can avoid tax or get a better deal with "hours" instead, doesn't make it a good idea.

09-08-2012, 08:34 PM	#11
edmonton daily photo Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2008	That's right and you run a time bank so you are a resident expert. Silly me. There is a reason they do what they do... If you aren't going to ask why that is fine but then don't presume to know why they operate the way they do... I for one think it's an awesome and cool idea. Not everything is about efficiency.. __________________ "Do you give people who already use transit a better service, or do you build it where they don't use it in the hopes they might start to use it?" Nenshi

09-08-2012, 08:35 PM	#12
edmonton daily photo Addicted to C2E Join Date: May 2008	We will have to agree to disagree __________________ "Do you give people who already use transit a better service, or do you build it where they don't use it in the hopes they might start to use it?" Nenshi