No Money? No Problem!

When people say, "Time is money," they usually don't mean it literally. But Maria Villacresses does. When the economy put a hitch in her wedding plans, she used "time dollars" on everything from a wedding-day makeover to an elaborate seven-layer cake. In a time bank, members get credit for services they provide to other members, from cooking to housekeeping to care rides to home repair. For each hour of work, one time dollar is deposited into a member's account, good for services offered by other members. Scores of time banks are being started in hard-hit communities around the nation, and thousands of devotees are helping each other survive tough financial times. "I'm enriched by it, not only from the services I receive, but by being able to contribute," says Joan Stevenson, who earns time dollars by writing for the Community Exchange in Allentown, PA.

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