Why are Local-Bucks better than US dollars?
On a practical level, you save a lot of money when you use local-bucks. Businesses find new customers and leverage their unused goods and services for credits with other businesses.

Second, LocalBucks supports the local business community. Once you spend local-bucks, members re-spend them with other members or risk getting less value for their local-bucks on the open market. Since all of our members are individuals or independent businesses, the currency stays circulating longer within the community.

What is the local-buck based on?
The local-bucks currency is backed by the promise of people and businesses to accept them. Local-Bucks can be exchanged with members at the full dollar value or sold for US dollars at a negotiated price.

How is the currency managed?
Local-bucks are sold into circulation in proportion to the number of businesses and people that accept them. Local-bucks are removed from circulation over time through a monthly fee charged to businesses. See demurrage.

The table below shows how many local-bucks are in circulation relative to the number of active businesses:

I'm not a business. Can I still earn local-bucks?
There are endless ways to earn local-bucks if you're not a business: child care, music, martial arts lessons, community outreach, computer help, office assistance, home repair, painting, cooking, running errands, massage, tutoring, gardening, moving help, hairstyling, house-cleaning, translating, and much more! Check our Search page to see all current listings.

Is it important to update my services?
Yes! We think it’s so important that we even send you reminders from time to time. Services that display current dates tend to get more hits than out-dated ones. Also, when services are kept current, it reflects a sense of vitality that is so important in building community.

How do I know how many local-bucks are in my account?
Once you login, you’ll see a menu in the right column that includes “balance/transfer”. From there you can see all current transactions, including your account balance.

How are local-bucks transferred from one individual account to another?
The person who receives a service is responsible for issuing time-bucks to the member who provided the service. This can be done in two different ways: first you’ll have to login and link to the “balance/transfer” option in the right column. Then, you can either transfer time-bucks directly by putting in the amount being transferred and the e-mail address of the recipient. Or, you can create a code that specifies the amount you want to transfer, and then give that code to the person directly for them to deposit.

How do people find out about my services?
Most people will find your service through the Search page. Members can also choose to be notified of new services that are posted in their area through the e-mail options menu item assessable from the right column menu when you login.