Boise beautician Heather Wood has traded haircuts and pedicures for years of day care, children's clothes, a paint job for her car, an oil change, a set of professional portraits for her family and dental cleaning.

Bartering - the trading of goods or services without using cash - is making a comeback in a troubled economy. It can be as simple as trading baby-sitting with another family or as complex as an exchange with strangers assisted by one of several Web sites that have sprung up to connect barterers.

"It's fun, and it builds a whole different kind of a relationship," said Wood, who has five children and works at Caritta Salon at 808 W. Bannock St. in Downtown Boise. "They're getting what they want, and I'm getting what I want. I would much rather do that than make cash most of the time."

Bartering ads on Craigslist have about doubled since last year, said Susan MacTavish Best, a spokeswoman for the online classified advertising service.

Traffic is also up at local organizations like the Midwest Barter Exchange, a Kalamazoo, Mich.-based outfit that acts as a go-between for about 1,000 business clients.

"Before, we were out beating the bushes trying to get people to join, and now they're calling us," said Lance Dorsey, a customer service representative for the exchange.

These days, making cash isn't always an option, so many have decided it is worth the effort to trade, say, an outgrown kid's bike for a neighbor's lawnmower, or a massage for some gardening supplies.

"I'm finding it a little bit difficult to sell anything right now," said Jeremy Kildow of Nampa, who chose bartering when he decided to get rid of a $1,000 camera, a kayak, a stainless-steel kitchen range and other items.

Kildow put his stuff on the Boise-area Craigslist site under "barter" and suggested horses, pack mules, a four-wheel-drive truck, a computer or a flat-screen TV in exchange. So far, he's had an offer of a truck, some computers, and a wedding ring.

Bartering can be less expensive than buying because there are few overhead costs for rent or staff. However, not all costs are eliminated. The IRS considers barter dollars as identical to real currency for tax reporting, and barterers must obtain a special form, the 1099-B.

But bartering can also be more fun than laying down cash.

"The human element and the relationship between buyers and sellers becomes more important when we get involved in bartering transactions," said Gary Forman, president of a company called Dollar Stretcher that publishes methods for saving money. "I'm not sure we don't have some longing for that."

The quirky, independent aspect of bartering is what Vermont resident Matthew Stewart likes. He got his Honda motorcycle in a trade with a stranger through Craigslist. Stewart gave up a wood-burning cook stove he'd acquired but didn't need.

"If somebody wants something that you've got, there's probably a good chance they've got something you want that they don't want," Stewart said. "With bartering you end up with something interesting."

Of course, there are no signs that bartering will ever catch up with cash.

Professor Andrew Whinston at the University of Texas-Austin, who has written about bartering, said the Internet has made bartering easier, just as eBay has made it easier to sell things that used to sit in the attic for years.

He doesn't see bartering as something that will "take over the world," but said nobody knows for sure what's going to happen next with the markets that rely on credit and currency.

"Maybe if the economy goes totally down the drain, we'll all be bartering," said Whinston. "I'll be selling copies of my articles in academic journals for a meal at a restaurant."