Hemming and reaffirmations of the Time Bank...

the burlington timebanks has been an organization i whole-heartedly have believed in since its conception, trying to localize our economy, but more importantly our community. funny enough, not until almost a year after signing on as a member of the burlington timebanks did i have my first interaction/transaction. i have sent a few emails around to varying members of the timebanks community, and have also received my fair share. alas, sara giannoni needed two pairs of pants hemmed. this is my one and only offer, sewing/clothing adjusting. i have hemmed my own pants and pants of dear friends into shorts, never have i simply taken a few inches off for someone. this has never been a need of mine, because at 5'11 a few additional inches is more the need at hand.

so, last friday, well two friday's ago now, the 29th of february i walked up to sara's house on one of the coldest mornings of this winter, with hemming needles in tow. i arrived, entered her warm home, met her housemates, began chatting and eventually began measuring how much she would like her pants taken up. this procedure was followed by some more chatting, and divulging of each of our life's details.

thursday afternoon, the 6th of march, i dropped off her pants. this was such a delightful experience that fostered dialogue between the two of us and a rebirth of the recognition that i need to be crafting with the people and for the people. so, i think my one offer will turn into two or so now. i would like to learn needlepoint, but from my own drawings or patterns. and i would also like to sew a silk dress, if anyone has patterns or silk scraps they would be willing to share please send me an email.

oh, and keep in mind i am still mending and hemming!

Lindsay Donnellon

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We still have a wealth of stories on this blog, but we have moved to burlingtontimebanks.wordpress.com in order to create a more user friendly blog. Please visit us there.

Member blog re: toast oven experience!

The very first thing I tried to do upon joining the ONE Time Bank was to get my lovely toaster oven fixed. I had a nice, shiny, red toaster oven that did everything right for the first nine months of its life. Then suddenly, as if I had said something extremely offensive to it, it decided to no longer function properly. It refused to heat up, even after long hours of coaxing and massaging. So it sat around my kitchen, and then in my car, for about another nine months until I finally had the wonderful opportunity to possibly get it fixed. The Time Bank had offered me its sole intention - a service I normally could not afford (not to mention - the price for repair probably would have been the same as a brand new toaster oven at Wal-Mart)!

Admittedly, I was a bit nervous when I arrived at my fellow Time Banker's house, but then I thought to myself: "This is indeed Burlington, and this person has indeed taken the time to join a pseudo-communist network of time-dollar exchange, so I probably do not have much to worry about." Needless to say, my assumption was perfectly accurate. We had a great time tearing the oven apart and fidgeting with all its little gadgets. While working, we filled each other in on our past, our present, and our plans for the future. We talked about our jobs or volunteer work, and we laughed a lot. Eventually, the time came to put the toaster oven back together, and the scene could have been taken right out of the latest Hollywood blockbuster comedy. At least three times, we realized that we had mismatching parts, layers overlapping the wrong layers, things sticking through the wrong areas, and windows not able to close. But it was hilarious. And it helped us get to know each other even better.

In the end, we never achieved our original goal - the toaster oven has since been recycled at Small Dog Electronics ($0.25 per pound!!! I highly recommend it!). I'll miss my toaster oven, and I have yet to mention the episode to my stepmother, who bought me the precious gift two years ago. But during my Time Bank experience, I met a new person: a "friendly face" to greet around town, a "future collaborator" for volunteer projects, and just a plain old nice guy.

--Nolan Masterson

Birthday Party Madness!

On Friday, November 30th, the Time Bank celebrated its First Birthday at Contois Auditorium! Over fifty people attended the bash, including 19 non-members who signed up to join! There was food (delicious soups, pasta, bread, and of course birthday cake), live music and games! Woot woot!

The party was a great way to connect new members to old members as well as to spark interest in the community about the Time Bank. I'm excited to see what services these "newbies" will be offering!

The Holidays are A'comin!

Yes, it's that time of year where the weather gets crisper, people come together to celebrate candles and turkeys and fat men in red suits and little babies. It's also the time of year where we are trying to stretch every last dollar to cover expensive meals as well as giving presents to everyone we know.

Why not use the time bank to make the holiday season a little less stressful!

Have company coming over and you have no time to clean? Have a time bank member come over and make your house shine! Or maybe you were so busy cleaning that you didn't remember to make the lemon bars? Find someone on the time bank who offers that skill and see if you can simply buy a pan of bars from them with time dollars! Or use someone's offer for fiddle lessons as a most excellent Christmas present! Or maybe your Aunt Hilda would love a Reiki treatment...use the time bank!

Another way to use the time bank: Have your entire meal made by different time bank members! Search the marketplace for people offering to teach cooking/baking skills. See if they would be interested in preparing a course for your holiday meal. You could arrange to drop off the ingredients at their house and pay them in time dollars for the time they spend preparing and delivering the food! Imagine, a five course meal that you don't have to stress about!

So, destress this most stressful time of year by checking out the time bank marketplace!