Work Exchange sites...WOW!! What a great idea. As the economy gets worse and we have lost all but two clients, I had to find a way to save money.  I prayed for an answer and WOW did I get one...I came across two sites that are the best for work exchange.  The first is http://www.wwoofusa.org/.  This is the largest site and there are more hosts all over the world.  It is a one year membership and costs more.  

The other is http://www.workaway.info, the cost for one person is 22.88 and for two people is 30.50 for a two year membership.  This is the one we signed up for because it cost less to obtain a membership. I contacted a host in Northern AZ that has an Alpaca Ranch.  I went up first and checked out the property to see if our Vectra would make it through the 6 miles of dirt road and stayed for 5 days and just loved it.  I fell in love with the Alpacas...what amazing creatures!!!

I came back to get the rig ready to go, we stayed for a week and realized that we needed to do some things with our motor home to be completely off the grid and more self sufficient.  We plan to go back in Sept to stay a month, Hosts do have accommodations in their home for people who do not have their own.  The requirement is to give 4-5 hours of work a day that is needed on the property for room and board.  Now that is what I call a great deal and a great experience.

Our goal is to escape the heat of the summer and help folks at their property somewhere cooler, then come back to the Phoenix area and help someone in the winter.  I am currently in contact with a couple who have a horse trail and pontoon business, for a winter stay.  Doing this bartering will save us 3,600 a year in rent and about 2,000 a year in electric use.  To me this is huge and I can still take care of my last two clients in Phoenix every two weeks and make money for the things we need to buy

So no matter where you are in the world you can be what is called a wwoofer or a workaway participate and save money and learn new things...maybe you want to learn a new language...go to the country of your choice and immerse yourself in the culture.  If you want to learn more about ranching, farming or off the grid living, these sites are right up your alley.  

Happy trails to all who are looking for a new experience and great learning opportunities.

Kat Affholter is a member of the freedom movement with the Freedom’s Phoenix workshop.  She and her husband Greg have been trying to stay one step ahead of the disaster that is coming.  Though she is not very active in activism, she does pay attention to issues in many venues, especially our food and all things related to it.  She does keep her ear to the ground and wants to learn how to survive when all hell breaks loose. 
She has teamed up with Jeneen Zucker to start Whole Body Armor podcasts, which are produced at the Freedom’s Phoenix studios.  Jeneen also has WholeBodyArmor her store for the Oil of Four Thieves products she makes.  Jeneen also has a blog that I encourage folks to visit, WholeBodyArmorBlog. 

Kat's sites are below

Pets Need Stem Cells