The Big Plan

Okay...here I go. Over the last few years, I had heard, periodically, about a guy in Canada that did something amazing. Kyle MacDonald. Although his name might not seem familiar to you, what he accomplished will. One red paperclip. That's how it all started. "Between Jobs", but with a great memory of his childhood, he came to the decision to try something fun. Something that he had tried when he was younger, but luckily for him, the internet is a lot more popular now than it was when he was a kid.
"Bigger or Better"! A game anybody can play.
You take an item you have that is of little value to you and try to "Trade Up" to something "Bigger and Better". The whole idea is so simplistic, but you might be asking..."Why would I want something of lesser value?". Well...in the long run, it's not really about value to the trader so much as a matter of need. Is there something bigger and better that the trader can do without to "Trade Down" for the item that I have that the trader could really use. Okay. Okay. Maybe when I try to explain it, it might come off sounding complex, but it really isn't.
As in the case of Kyle, he had one red paperclip. He traded that for a pen shaped like a fish. He traded that for....well...I'll let you check out. It's a really great story with an awesome ending. Yes, this is the Kyle MacDonald that traded his way up from a colored paperclip to a house. Such a great story. So good that I'm reading Kyle's book, "One Red Paperclip". So far, so good. It really is an amazing accomplishment. So much so, that it has inspired me to start my own test. Yes, this is the big idea.
I've decided I'd like to try a test. I'm going to take 3 pennies (still undecided about the pennies to use. Sad, but true.) These pennies will be posted on winnipeg.kijiji.ca, www.usedwinnipeg.com, Winnipeg's Craiglist, and probably, facebook's Marketplace. Now, the idea is to "Trade Up". I need to trade for something bigger and better than a penny. To me, it'll be kind of a race. A race between the pennies traded. Which penny can I trade up to the best item. I know it'll probably start out pretty slow, and I'm sure it'll seem cheesy for the "cheap" item trades, but the more people that become involved, the more fun it'll become. I would also like to post pics of each trade, but only if the traders are willing to be posted on the Pennies To A Dream blog site. If not, all information will be kept private upon request of the trader. But, hopefully, your not shy and decide to have fun with this.
So the idea is to get the best end item possible. Now, I have to think, what is the best end item for me? Well, I think Kyle had it right. A house. Who wouldn't want a house? Plus, it's really just a test to see if anything could really happen. Like I mentioned before, this could be a complete disaster and fail miserably, but hopefully not. I think the key is to just think positively and know that this will be worth every penny.
Now, I know some of you are thinking...."Why even bother?" or "That will never work like it did for Kyle!!". Maybe you're right. But, why not try. It's all in good fun. Plus, everyone that decides to get involved has the chance to be part of something "potentially big"! So don't be scared. Let's do some fun trading. Follow the path of what one penny can buy. The pennies will be posted this weekend (when I decide which pennies to use, take the photos, post them, etc, etc.) Oh man, lots to do so I'll post back soon.