A Local Economy That Works, Even When Things Get Weird

At our second Queen City Sovereignty Salon I gave a short presentation on the current economic moment: why growth is slowing, jobs feel less secure, and prices continue to rise. When I say the dollar is “devaluing,” I’m not referring to a formal foreign-exchange devaluation; I mean a sustained erosion of purchasing power in real terms, which many people are experiencing in their daily lives. The video below is that presentation, and it explains why I see a growing need for local, community-driven responses to economic uncertainty.

The presentation above focuses on the big picture, but it boils down to a simple question many people are feeling right now: What do we do when jobs feel shaky, prices keep rising, and the old systems don’t feel as reliable as they used to?

The good news is that many of the answers are surprisingly practical, and even fun!

At its core, the economy is simply services and goods. We all have to eat. And the whole system is supported by communication, technology, and money.

What follows is a preview of a few focus areas or “Teams” we can explore together in future meetings. These are meant as starting points, not a finished plan. I’m still learning about the many resources, skills, and initiatives that already exist in this community, and one of the reasons I wanted to bring people together is to learn from each other and build on what’s already here. You don’t need to be interested in every idea, most people will gravitate toward one or two.

Strengthening locally helps everyone, whether you’re struggling to make ends meet or trying to protect what you’ve worked hard to build.

Services Team: Skills Still Matter

When paid work slows down, skills don’t disappear. A timebank lets neighbors trade skills (childcare, tutoring, repairs, tech help, creative work, etc.) without money changing hands.

The Services Team would focus on strengthening and evolving this idea locally. Staunton already has an hOUR Economy timebank, but like many community tools, it lost momentum as platform costs grew. That’s the risk of relying on paid systems.

A free, open-source timebank, built by the community, would keep skills circulating no matter what big platforms charge or shut down. No ads. No algorithms. No dependence on Facebook.

A strong services network keeps people active, connected, and useful when the economy wobbles.

This isn’t about replacing jobs. It’s about keeping momentum (and dignity!) when the economy hiccups.

Goods Team: Trade, Repair, Share

When money is tight, stuff doesn’t disappear. Closets, garages, and basements are full: the challenge is moving things where they’re actually needed.

The Goods Team would explore a community-run barter board: a simple place to post what you have, what you need, and what you’re willing to trade. Think less “marketplace,” more mutual matching. No ads. No algorithms. Just neighbors connecting surplus with need.

Online exchanges could naturally roll into real-life events. At the end of our second meeting, we talked about pop-up markets, and many of us already know how well this works. Friends used to host “switch and bitch” clothing swaps: bring what you’re done with, leave with something new-to-you, and make friends in the process. Low pressure, high payoff.

Repair clinics add another layer. Instead of tossing broken items, people with skills help fix them. Money stays in pockets, things last longer, and knowledge spreads hand-to-hand.

We also discussed a tool share: because most tools are used once a year, if that. Sharing drills, ladders, and specialty tools saves money, space, and hassle. Coordinating thoughtfully with existing local resources, like Staunton’s Makerspace, could be one place to start exploring what’s already working.

Of course, sharing raises real questions: fairness, care, accountability. The Goods Team would explore light-touch solutions: time credits, deposits, or simple guidelines. Not heavy rules, just enough structure to keep things running smoothly and avoid the "tragedy of the commons".

The goal isn’t to stop buying things. It’s to make sharing, fixing, and trading the obvious first move, and to turn everyday exchanges into friendships.

Food Team: Small Efforts, Big Payoff

Food is one of the easiest and most empowering places to build resilience.

The Food Team would focus on practical ways to make food more accessible locally. Community gardens, backyard plots, and even window-based urban gardening can make a real difference, often with very little upfront cost.

Coordination is where it really shines. When neighbors share what they’re growing and trade locally, food becomes more abundant, affordable, and healthy. Surplus can also support local food pantries with fresh produce.

There’s also interest locally in exploring a food co-op. I’ve seen co-op models where people can volunteer hours in exchange for food, an approach that lets folks contribute time instead of cash while keeping food community-run and accessible.

The Food Team could explore garden coordination, skill-sharing around growing and preserving, volunteer-for-food models, and partnerships with farmers, pantries, and markets.

The goal isn’t perfection or self-sufficiency. It’s making good food easier to access and strengthening community one meal at a time.

Communication & Technology Team: Owning Our Tools

Social media is noisy, exhausting, and increasingly unreliable. Communities need better ways to stay connected without constant ads, data harvesting, or algorithmic drama.

The Communication & Technology Team supports all of the other teams. It builds and maintains the shared tools that let everything else work: services, goods, food, and the digital infrastructure that supports things like privacy-respecting communication and alternative financial tools.

This isn’t about rejecting technology. It’s about taking responsibility for it.

Free and open-source tools, local platforms, and community-run servers allow us to communicate, organize, and share information without paying rent to systems that don’t have our best interests at heart. This is about reliability, privacy, and collective sanity.

This team could explore:

• FOSS tools that support time banking, barter, food coordination, and events
• Secure, privacy-respecting communication channels
• Local data storage and lightweight server infrastructure
• Education and onboarding so these tools stay accessible

When communities own their tools, technology becomes connective tissue instead of a point of failure, and every other team gets stronger.

Bitcoin Team: Taking Money Into Our Own Hands

Bitcoin is exciting because it’s new, powerful, and still being shaped.

The Bitcoin Team is about turning curiosity into capability. Not hype. Not scams. Real tools, real understanding, real freedom.

Bitcoin offers something rare: money that anyone can verify, hold, and use without permission. That’s a big idea and a fun one to explore together.

This team could explore:

• Running community Bitcoin nodes so people can see and verify the system for themselves
• Self-custody and non-KYC pathways for those who want true independence
• Creative, energy-smart ways to run hardware locally
• Experiments with local businesses and community use

A “Bitcoin Citadel” doesn’t mean forcing adoption. It means making Staunton a place where Bitcoin is understood, practiced, and alive where people can learn, build, and decide for themselves.

Bitcoin is still early.
That means communities like ours get to help shape what it becomes.

Why This Works for Everyone

These ideas can help people who are having a hard time, but they also help people who are doing okay and want to stay that way.

When everyday necessities become more affordable and accessible:

• We stress less
• We save more
• We have more room for creativity, fun, and generosity

Working on shared, practical problems brings people together in ways that cut across backgrounds and beliefs. It gives us something concrete to build side by side.

What’s Next

At the next Queen City Sovereignty Salon, we’ll begin exploring whether it makes sense to organize around a few of these Teams. Nothing is fixed. These ideas are starting points, and the real value comes from the people, skills, and experience already in this community.

You don’t need to be interested in every idea. But if any of this sparked curiosity, whether you want to help shape an idea, share what already exists, or just listen, you’re warmly invited to join the conversation.

This isn’t about ideology.
It’s about being useful, resilient, and connected.

Hard times are when everyday people become heroes: right here, right now!

Our next meeting is Wednesday, January 8th, 6:00–8:30 pm at the Staunton Public Library. I hope you can make it, and feel free to invite a friend who’d enjoy the conversation.

Stay Connected

Website: https://www.kamresearch.global/queen-city-sovereignty-salon/

Email: s i g n a l @ k a m r e s e a r c h . g l o b a l