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'I'm swapping a BUTTON for a HOME because I can't get on the property ladder'. Part 3

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A mum is bartering her way to a house – and it all started with a button.

Sharon Pavey Jones decided to give the cash-free challenge a go after years of struggling to get on the property market.

She began her leap of faith last August starting with a blue button from her sewing kit.

The mum-of-three spreads the word using Facebook groups and by emailing local businesses when hunting for her next swap.

Her first trade saw her gain a stapler, which was upgraded to a violin and then a coffee machine.

The psychotherapy student has also received a painting of Exeter cathedral, a cottage stay and a professional photoshoot.

She is now on her eighth swap, giving away a photoshoot for a holiday – worth £2,000.

"I'm thinking outside the box but I can't see another way,” Sharon told NeedToKnow.Online.

"It's extremely unlikely my family will be able to buy a house in the UK.

"It's virtually impossible to save for a deposit while paying rent and rising bills.

"But it's not a charity.

"Everyone who swaps with me gets something they want or need.

"They often offer me something they no longer need in exchange or want the item I have more than the thing they have.

"Bartering has been around for thousands of years."

Sharon came up with the idea after reading about Canadian Kyle MacDonald who traded his way from a single red paperclip to a house in 2006.

She plans to copy the success, hoping to nab herself a house in the next two years.

Sharon added: "I'm completely open to whatever comes along whether that be a flat or a house.

"At the moment I tend to go from one swap to the next and just focus on each one as I go.

"I'd be more than happy with something small and manageable where my children and cats would be happy."

* BOXOUT: ITEMS SWAPPED SO FAR *
Button with a stapler
Stapler with a violin
Violin with a coffee machine
Coffee machine with a painting of Exeter Cathedral by Alice Mary
Painting with a holiday at Mazzard Farm Holiday Cottages in East Devon
Holiday with a company photo shoot with Leigh Farmer Photography in Exeter
Photoshoot with a painting by Anita Nowinska
Holiday at Yonder Meadow

ENDS

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