The following story is written by Teresa Batterson, a member from Toledo, Ohio, USA. Teresa is a stay-at-home mom and part-time church organist and cantor. She enjoys music, books, writing, are, camping, canoeing, baking, gardening, traveling, crochet, and hanging out with her family.
I first heard about Simbi about six months ago, when it kept popping up on my Facebook newsfeed. I signed up, but I didn’t do anything right away because I had so much going on this summer. About two months ago, I started checking out the Simbi website more seriously.
The very first trade I did as a “Newbi” was with a teacher named Dominic. He wanted encouraging letters for his students and in turn, he sent my husband the best birthday present ever– a glitter bomb! My husband, who is a music teacher, loved receiving such a fun surprise at school.
I then decided to spend some of my Simbi credits and started ordering art and craft work from various Simbians. The first thing I received in the mail was a package of original art greeting cards from Michaela, followed by adorable hair clippies from CJ. I was hooked!
One of my favorite things about Simbi is the “pay it forward” option. I love that people are offering Simbi stays for Simbians who have been displaced by the hurricane, encouraging words for someone who is struggling, listening ears, care packages, and question answering, all for free!
If you sort the services by price from lowest to highest, you can see that there are a ton of “pay it forward” services. (On my phone the list is several pages long!)
I received a wonderful “pay it forward” service myself. Samantha makes beautiful tutus for little girls, and she offers a service where she will make you a tutu with a t-shirt and a hair accessory if you have a “rainbow baby” (a baby who was born after a miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss.) My daughter loves the beautiful outfit she sent her! After this experience, I decided to offer a few “pay it forward” services myself. I have had the opportunity to answer questions about “Sensory Processing Disorder” and about the services provided by Ronald McDonald House Children’s Charities.
I am very excited that now the Simbi Marketplace has expanded to include household goods. I am getting several of my Christmas gifts for my children and other family members through Simbi, both handcrafted items and household items. So far, I am looking at trading for an Ikea play tunnel, two souvenir maple syrup lollypops from Canada, a pencil holder made from a Play Station IV controller, and several pieces of jewelry. Incidentally, I love that Simbi is being used by many people in Canada, as well as the U.S.! I’ve been enjoying meeting people from all over my country and Canada as well!
There are so many things I would like to achieve through Simbi. I am beginning to use Simbi to trade my homemade crochet items and I am hoping to add some of my other crafts, as well as developing my writing skills. Currently, I am giving virtual piano lessons and I’m looking forward to having a one-on-one tutorial for how to grow a pineapple. Sooner than later, I’d love to do a Simbi-stay, if more people start making that an option. When Simbi becomes more established in my area, I would also really like to be able to trade for professional massage and professional haircare.
Overall, I think that Simbi is a really great platform, and I’m excited to see where it takes us in the future! (Can you tell???!!!)
Simbiotic Stories are real anecdotes told by you and other Simbi community members. Tell us about your Simbi deals and experiences with other members. If your story is published, we’ll credit your account with 150 simbi. Submit your entries by starting a conversation with us via this link.
