Barter

Ane CRABTREE, a costume designer and stylist, was on location in Bulgaria when a professional chef e-mailed to say she'd be happy to give Crabtree free private cooking lessons when she returned. Then a neighbor in Angelino Heights e-mailed and offered to water her plants -- gratis -- the next time she goes out of town.

In this tough economy, Valerie Whitlock uses two forms of currency: money and barter. The 37-year-old actress and writer from Studio City holds down sporadic film and television gigs to cover her rent, utilities, car payments and insurance. For everything else -- head shots and haircuts, clothing and cut reels -- she trades her handcrafted jewelry. She started swapping for goods while at work on the set.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez suggested at a regional summit in Cienfuegos, Cuba, that more of his neighbors could pay for cheap oil with goods or services in lieu of cash. Chavez said his plan to provide low-cost oil to the region should go beyond financing mechanisms. He offered other countries the option of following the model of Cuba, which repays by sending doctors who offer free services to the poor in Venezuela.

Shade Gomez wants his adopted hometown to flourish. He uses the local currency. Instead of greenbacks, one-tenth of his paycheck comes in multicolored scrip bearing the oath "In Ithaca We Trust." He can pay his rent with it, eat out, go bowling, pick up groceries, even buy a car. "You only spend it at places also committed to the local economy. It makes me feel really good knowing the money stays right here," said Gomez, who works at the GreenStar whole-foods co-operative.

During the week that Diane Sawyer interviewed Michael Jackson in a highly rated interview on ABC News' "PrimeTime Live," the network ran 10 TV commercials promoting Jackson's new album. The 30-second commercial spots--five of which ran in prime-time--were given for free by the network in exchange for the rights to air upcoming videos from Jackson's album on ABC entertainment programming.

Brea printer Lanny Doyle recently vacationed for six days in a secluded, 10-bedroom oceanside villa in Puerto Vallarta. The villa came with maids, a chef who prepared gourmet meals and a bartender to serve exotic drinks beneath blue skies. Also enjoying the idyllic vacation were Doyle's wife and two children, along with his two brothers from Oklahoma and their families--a total of 22 people.