A cash-strapped man has managed to swap a ballpoint pen for a MacBook laptop – and now hopes to trade his way to owning a house.
Ben Ruijgrok was inspired by the 2008 book One Red Paperclip by Kyle MacDonald.
The author bartered a single clip all the way up to a home in just a year.
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Ben, 28, began with a pen, which he exchanged for a tea towel, then a plate, followed by a board game.
He later traded the game for a Dell computer without a hard drive, swapped that for two Bluetooth speakers, then an iPad and Polaroid camera – before finally securing a MacBook Air.
“That went pretty quickly, first a tea towel, then a plate, and then a board game,” Ben, of Leiden, near Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, told What’s The Jam.
“I then swapped the board game for a Dell computer without a hard drive, the PC for two Bluetooth speakers, the speakers for an iPad and a Polaroid camera, and now the MacBook Air.
“I’m currently negotiating the next swap.”
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Ben said the project was launched out of frustration with the Dutch housing market.
He said: “The housing market is very difficult for young people.
“My girlfriend and I live in a pretty nice apartment, but it’s a rental and we’d love to have our own home.
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“Our government said student loans wouldn’t affect us getting a mortgage, but they do.
“And the interest rate on our student loan is 2.56% – it was supposed to be 0%.
“Most young people rent and can’t afford to buy so this challenge could be an alternative way to owning a house.”
Ben said his girlfriend is supportive of the challenge and helps him with photos for his Instagram account.
He added: “Regardless of whether I succeed in my ambitious goal, the challenge is primarily an adventure.
“I meet all sorts of people, and most of them are very kind.”
He added: “Honestly, I don’t think it’s very realistic, but we’ll see.”
Anyone wishing to trade with Ben can contact him via Instagram at @pentothuis or email him at pentothuis@gmail.com.
