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When is something better than great? When you get twice the benefits!

So you may or may not know that Twice is Nice Upscale Resale Boutique (TIN) receives (FABULOUS) donations of clothing, shoes, jewelry, and household items from generous community members. TIN takes the very best items and displays them in their beautiful little storefront on Preston Avenue in Charlottesville. Believe me when I tell you that you can go by there every 4-7 days and find almost a whole new store-full of beautiful goods. (Wonder who might shop for clothing exclusively at TIN?….. That would be me…)

BUT that’s not the best part. Not only do fabulous clothing and household items find another good home (REUSE/RECYCLE!) but the proceeds from those purchases go to provide affordable housing with essential care and services to those residing at JABA’s Mountainside Senior Living in Crozet. Seriously. How great is that??!

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! TIN volunteers who are also TimeBank members get TWICE the benefits. TIN members get TIN dollars (one per volunteer hour) to spend on store items. TimeBank members get TimeBank Hours for every hour they volunteer at TIN. So if you are a TIN volunteer who is also a TimeBank member, YOU SCORE BIG TIME!

Is that great or what??!

I am currently writing from among a couple dozen unpacked cardboard boxes, a junky pile of miscellaneous items that currently make up my dining room, furniture that looks like it was arranged by a drunken crew of pirates, and – oh look! – a basket of clean, unfolded laundry. (Don’t ask me what’s in there.  I just keep wearing the same clothes to work as well as some outfits that are better suited to other occasions, but which I can at least locate.)  

The aftermath of moving. It may sound bad, but I’m actually happy about my new home and how my move went. And TimeBank really helped.   

For me, the most stressful part of moving is packing, hands down.  I connected with a TimeBanker (Ruth) who came over on 3 occasions and helped me stay on track with packing.  She was a godsend since I’ve been known to stand for long periods of time with a single item in my hand, trying to decide which box to put it into, all the while my blood pressure rising.  With Ruth there, I was able to keep moving forward. A dear friend, Theresa, who is also in TimeBank, came over the night before the move as well. Between the 3 of us we finished the packing and kept me calm.  

On moving day I had an amazing and unusual crew made up of a paid mover, a teenager, my daughter’s dad, my daughter (9), some friends who dropped by briefly, and a TimeBanker (Todd) who was willing to dive into my life and stuff for a full 6 hours on a super hot day.  Todd was amazing. We finished unloading hours before I expected even after the required pizza break.

I had also invited folks over for what I was calling #Cathy’sFlashMove and had hoped to meet a bunch of folks, especially neighbors. This did not work out as planned but I did meet one close neighbor (a TimeBanker) who arrived in time to help with a cleaning task that has made my first days here much nicer.  

So… help before, during and after my move, saving money, stress, and time.  Wow.  But just as valuable are the new connections I’ve made.  I really like all of the folks who helped with my move and have already been in touch with or spent time with 2 of them. I hope to see the others soon.  That’s not something I generally expect to get out of a move!  With TimeBank you never know if what you need will line up with what someone has to offer, but it worked out for me this time and I am incredibly grateful.  So despite the chaos in my house, I am very happily living in my new home with some new friends to boot!                         

– Cathy B.

What would you like to have done?

Check out the TimeBank FAQ, “What Services Are Exchanged?” to get an idea of what offers and requests you might typically find in our member software.  The list is a snapshot of the skills within the membership, including things like home repairs, anything having to do with your garden, pet care, child care, even chicken consultation (yes really!). But don’t be discouraged if what you need done is not listed. As long as it’s legal and won’t get anybody in trouble, ask for it.  There may be someone out there who can do it. A pretty nice camel saddle was fixed up at one of our fabulous repair cafes. You won’t find that kind of match-making in the Yellow Pages!

I wish the TimeBank had been around when I lived in the country and had a daily supply of fresh llama manure. I bet I could have found plenty of takers for that perfect garden fertilizer. As a matter of fact, I wish I had some of that llama poo for my city garden now —I’d be happy to drive out in the country to shovel it.

Need something unusual or have some rare but useful skill or resource to offer? This could be the place to get your needs met. And while you’re thinking about it, take a look at the latest requests. Share an hour or two of your time and—I promise—you will be rewarded with far more than TimeBank hours. You will make someone’s day—and you might find that you made your own day too.

– Gail South

I sometimes get caught up in work and family and taking care of all the crap you have to take care of in life, and forget to reach out to people.  And I absolutely HATE to ask for help.

I joined the timebank because I thought it would be cool to get some of those hard-to-find-help-for chores done.  Like when the strap on my purse came loose and needed a skilled seamstress before I left town the next day.  Happy to say an amazing timebanker stepped in and took care of it – while we talked about jobs and gardens and traveling.  I also found help for my garden, got some lights repaired, and got all my garden tools sharpened.  I’ve done some photography, writing, rug moving, and drove people to the polls to vote. But the bonus, the thing I didn’t expect and the BEST PART of the timebank, is the community.

I feel incredibly lucky to be part of this dynamic group of like-minded folks who want to help each other with whatever comes up.  It’s great having someone help mulch the garden or clean out the basement – not just because the work goes faster, but because having someone to talk to, to share with, to learn from, makes a tedious job fun.  I love having someone water my garden while I’m out of town, or knowing that I can quickly find someone to feed and pet my cat when I’m away – but mostly, I love being part of this generous group of people who joined a community for the sole purpose of helping each other.  A community whose riason d’etre is to be generous and kind to each other is a rare gift indeed.  Thank you, timebankers!

– Gail South

Hey, Timebankers! I’ve had the topic of asking for what you want on my mind recently in conversations with friends and also on the Timebank member Facbebook forum. I’ve been hearing that some folks find it hard to ask for what they want- and that some even find it hard to admit that they want (or need) anything at all.

I’m here to remind you that Timebank relies on people making offers AND REQUESTS and to encourage you to go ahead and ask for that thing that’s been on your mind that you haven’t posted.

I also found an interesting article: 7 Keys to Asking For What You Really Want (So You Can Get It!) in Forbes Magazine online. Here are the pared down and slightly paraphrased bullet points with my notes in italics.

Cheers!

1.  Don’t assume others are mind readers. Other Timebankers don’t know what you need unless you post a request.

2.  Be bold in what you ask for (don’t dilute!). Ask for what you really want. You never know what might happen.

3.  Be specific about what you want and when you want it.

6.  Ditch the martyr act. No fair complaining that your life is too busy when you have 30 unused Timebank hours and haven’t asked for anything!

7.  Don’t make ‘no’ mean more than it does.

– Cathy Butler