Will Work for Rent

Have you ever traded services in exchange for part of your rent? One apartment-dweller in New York has taken the barter system to the extreme, never paying more than $500/month for the 700-square- foot NYC walk-up where he's lived for more than 30 years!

The New York Times recently profiled theater director Sturgis Warner, whose wide array of set-building skills translated into big savings when it came to fixing up his landlord's dilapidated property.

Warner - a skilled electrician, and passable jack-of-most-other trades - has spent three decades transforming the formerly leaky and rodent-plagued space into a warm and whimsical home for himself and his collection of theater paraphernalia.