"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

I bartered my way...

...during the time prior to DD and WGuy's wedding, as things were tight.  Very tight.


Not a nice situation to be in as the parents, and specifically, not nice as the mother of the bride, who wanted to do something special for her only daughter on her wedding day.  So I scratched my head.  And scratched it some more. And paced the house - thinking, thinking, thinking...


And I came up with one small solution.


A light bulb moment happened when I realized that over the past 34 years since we met, I had been sent quite a few bouquets of flowers by RMan, and a lot of those bouquets had arrived in vases to the extent that I had been left with a whole ruddy cupboard full of them.


Could I - would I - be able to barter these vases for a wedding bouquet?
Some of the vases thoroughly cleaned
and looking like new :)
I carefully packed the clean vases (thank you bi-carb :) ) into a box, and, with a certain amount of trepidation, I went to visit one of our local florists.


I explained that shortly we were going to be relocating to a smallholding in the country, where precious water would be reserved for edible crops only. Therefore having fancy vases for non-existent cut flowers seemed illogical. Would she be interested in bartering my vases (here, I pulled them out of the box and carefully placed them on her counter) in exchange for a wedding bouquet?  A simple wedding bouquet?  Then I showed her an image of what I was looking for.


Happily the florist agreed!


And this is what she created and carefully packed so that I could transport it on the plane with me to Johannesburg.
A wedding bouquet of orchids in
a tube of water for transport and
with a clever clip attached to
the back... 
The florists attention to the packing detail ensured that it survived the trip perfectly and DD was ecstatic - as I had planned this as a complete surprise. It even came with a special clip so that it could be attached to the cover of my late mother's Prayer Book (which had been given to her by her Godfather on her Confirmation at the age of 16) - "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed..." sorted :)



Viewing the situation from a different angle and the solution presented itself. De-cluttering, recycling and bartering simultaneously - what could be better and more satisfying?
Posted by Dani at 10:29:00
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26 comments:

  1. Tami23 May 2012 at 10:37

    What a wonderful story to share with us, Dani. Your gift was that much more special to you because of the effort you put into it. You'll never forget it, like you would if it was a store bought gift.

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    1. Dani23 May 2012 at 12:08

      tami - Thanks :) DD also knows the story - hopefully she remembers it too? :)

      Delete
  2. Sue23 May 2012 at 10:58

    Great thinking. And as Tami said, this will not be forgotten.

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  3. Linda23 May 2012 at 11:38

    Impressive!!! Win/win/win/win! You are one clever lady and I love the way you think outside the square!

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    1. Dani23 May 2012 at 12:09

      Linda - Thanks - when one's back is against the wall, thinking laterally is the only way to achieve your goal :)

      Delete
  4. kymber23 May 2012 at 13:23

    that was pure brilliance on your part Dani! and what a beautiful bridal bouquet! i am pretty impressed and will try to remember this story every time i need to think of something in a slightly different way!

    your friend,
    kymber

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    Replies
    1. Dani23 May 2012 at 14:46

      kymber - Thanks:) To paraphrase : "Invention is the mother of necessity" LOL

      Delete
  5. Quinn23 May 2012 at 13:58

    Perfect in every way! Clever you!!

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  6. 1st Man23 May 2012 at 17:10

    What a touching solution to a problem. I bet she sure was surprised and as has been said, she will remember this always. And as a side benefit, the vases get reused again. Brilliant!

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    1. Dani23 May 2012 at 19:18

      1st Man - Thanks :) Yeah, it worked out well.

      Delete
  7. DFW23 May 2012 at 18:14

    Excellent. You accomplished a lot in one transaction!

    I have a bunch of vases that I think I will donate to one of the smaller florists in the town nearest our country house. I've tried selling them at garage sales and they never seem to sell. Now to just gather them all up fromtheir various hiding spots. This is going to free up under sink counter and garage cabinet space! Thanks for the idea.

    DFW

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    1. Dani23 May 2012 at 19:19

      DFW - If times had be better I probably would've freecycled them. But, they certainly served their purpose... And, yes, the extra space is a definite plus :)

      Delete
  8. Mrs. Mac23 May 2012 at 19:44

    What a gift from the heart. I loved reading this story.

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  9. Little eco footprint23 May 2012 at 19:45

    I admire your courage. What a great idea and what a beautiful gift for your daughter. The things that we don't use anymore are brought to the Recycle store. You can buy there secondhand stuff for a small price. But I really like what you did.

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    1. Dani24 May 2012 at 07:18

      LCE - Thanks. Yes, my first forage into bartering commercially was nerve wracking... :)

      Delete
  10. Mum23 May 2012 at 20:38

    What a beautiful bouquet with a wonderful story behind it.
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  11. Lindsey @ Bear Soap23 May 2012 at 23:59

    That is fantastic!! I love the idea of bartering - it's so honest and simple. I will give you one thing of mine for one thing of yours and be both prosper. And cut out that nasty dollar bill that seems to make people crazy (literally).

    I barter my soap for everything from babysitting to local honey to jams and jellies. Every 3 months in Seattle we have a barter fair and people bring their stuff to peddle. Last time I was there someone was trying to barter a duck.

    And that bouquet is absolutely stunning!

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    1. Dani24 May 2012 at 07:19

      Lindsey - Thanks, Oh, a barter fair sounds brilliant!

      Delete
  12. Leigh24 May 2012 at 12:02

    You clever girl, you! What an excellent idea. Those leftover vases are such a nuisance. They take up a lot of storage space but are too valuable to throw away. Brilliant!

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    1. Dani24 May 2012 at 15:32

      Leigh - Yeah - plus the vases also have an emotional value, having received them from RMan. This way everyone scores - including my emotional quotient :)

      Delete
  13. Bee Girl25 May 2012 at 07:01

    Absolutely fantastic! Good job thinking outside of the box! What a beautiful story to go along with your brilliance :-)

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Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.

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