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Hi I’m Mim, from Money IS math!
Edison 'hired' me, yeah hired in quotations as he didn't actually 'hire' me. I'm this character he has in his head that will do a better job talking about money.I have three objectives:
1. Explain to readers, how I understand what money is
2. Teach the expert money habits I know
3. Start writing two times a month on Thursdays and see how it goes.
Mim here,
Welcome to my second episode of Money IS math. Today is all about bartering:
I) You and I go bartering (potatoes for fish, bread and apples)
II) I ask you four questions about our bartering experience
III) Five questions from my hyped up super-keen audience
IV) Mim’s terrible experience that led to the demise of bartering
V) Disclaimer, and Disclaiming the disclaimer
Let’s dig into Episode II, bartering.
Okay, so before money was invented, this trading or exchanging of stuff between two people, was given a name. Barter or bartering. What Mannii and I did in Episode I, with the blue and white balls were a barter, except I called it a trade. Why? Easier to understand the word trade, than barter!
Okay, here’s my take on bartering and why it got snuffed out by money … and I actually like my take.
I) Let’s go bartering (shopping)
You and I go back to a farmer’s market thousands of years ago. You take the potatoes you grow to the market to barter for some fish, bread and apples you need.
Characters are: Freddii and his employee Fishii, Bonnii and Breadii, and Andii with their employee Aplii.
You take 40 of your potatoes to the market, and find Freddii the fish guy, and ask him, “I need 2 fish, how much for 2 fish?” Fredii asks, What are you bartering with?, and you say, Potatoes. Fredii thinks about it and responds, 20 potatoes for 2 fish. Now you have to decide if 20 potatoes for 2 fish is a fair barter for you. If you accept, you do the trade and the barter is over. If you don’t like his barter offer, you can say so. No, no, no, Fredii, I’ll give you 10 of my potatoes for 2 of your fish – this is called negotiating, but I digress. Negotiating is another money skill that I’ll get to in another episode. You both agree to the barter, 2 fish for 20 potatoes.
2 fish for 20 potatoes.
Next you go to find bread and apples you need. You do a barter with Bonnii the bread lady, 3 loaves of her bread for 5 of your potatoes. With Andii the apple grower your barter is 6 apples for 2 potatoes.
3 bread for 5 potatoes.
6 apples for 2 potatoes.
So your bartering for the day looks like this, 2 fish for 20 potatoes, 3 bread for 5 potatoes and 6 apples for 2 potatoes. No, money is part of any of these barters. But notice numbers are a part of bartering and numbers are a part of math, yes?
You’re about to leave the market, when you bump into me, Mim.
II) I ask you four questions:
Q1
Mim: How many potatoes do you have left?You: 40 - 20 - 5 - 2, 13 potatoes left!
Mim’s self talk: You did subtraction, that’s math, no?
Mim: That’s too easy for you. You didn’t even have to think. Let me amplify my questions to get you to amplify your thinking.
Have a seat reader, Mim is about to rock your world.
Mim: Okay, so today at the market you got, 2 fish for 20 potatoes, 3 bread for 5 potatoes and 6 apples for 2 potatoes. Use your bartering ‘numbers’, to figure out how much the other market growers would barter for each other’s stuff.
Q2
Mim: If Bonnii the bread lady and Freddii the fish guy want to barter ... I think you know where this is going … I smellfish, bread,math in the air. How many of Bonnii’s bread and Fishii’s fish will they barter with each other?
Mim’s self talk: Love that question - there’s math in bartering 😊😊. Now