Inventions to keep the banks away

[skintcumbrian]

My brain aches preparing all this stuff for court on thursday so....

 

thought I would see what i could come up with that might mean I never need a bank account again. In this case, I am working on the principle, the old ones are the best....

 

Here's my first idea...dragon's den here I come hahahaha

 

Sleepsafe (trademark applied for...in my dreams!) is a mattress with a built-in safe. No more paying cash into accounts and watching it be gobbled up in charges, I keep it under my mattress in my sleepsafe. Pretty difficult for your average burglar to carry from the house without being noticed for starters. And if the bank didn't have to deal with us pesky consumers they could just spend their days losing (more of) our pensions on the money markets instead.

 

Idea 2 is to dispense entirely with using cash and contact all those for whom I pay for a service - orange, united utilities etc and ask them about non-cash payments eg barter. Can I pay my mobile tariff in homegrown veg for instance? Bumper crop of damson jam for the electricity board? Need any internet marketing, central heating oil peeps in exchange for those litres of your finest during the coming winter?

 

The list of what I can offer, from knitting to consultancy is actually quite long when I think about it. So, all those nice BT call centre people in India could be kitted out with nice corporate scarves to protect their throats (or to strangle them with?!!!) in exchange for my line rental.....etc etc

 

Your turn. What can you invent for us consumers to use instead of banks?! Great podcast on Clive james a point of View worth listening to as well for Heath Robinson type solutions to this type of problem for consumers....BBC NEWS | Magazine | Off your trolley

 

Gosh, I feel better already!

[The Lantana]

Actually skintcumbrian your idea 2 already exists in sorts. It's called LETS (locally traded exchange system) and there is one in Penrith...

 

Penrith and District LETS Scheme - About Penrith LETS

 

I took the liberty of finding one in Cumbria because I assumed from your name that's where you are, but they're all over the world.

 

Regards

 

Lantana

[skintcumbrian]

the trouble is that I need to deal with Orange, BT, United utilities etc and they aren't known to be members of LETS!! A standing order of homemade strawberry jam pls each month in exchange for 750 minutes of call time anyone???