A work exchange program changed the life of a college graduate my family knows. In December, our friends' son graduated from college with a degree in radio and television. But we live in a mid-size community and there's not much work available for on-air personalities which is what he wanted to do. There really wasn't much work of any kind for him to do except McDonald's which was hiring. He didn't want to keep living with his parents until he found a job in his field so he decided to move to find work. The problem was how would he support himself until he did?

Gary started learning about this host home concept in which he could be paid for some type of provided service with free room and board. I thought, at first, he was crazy for wanting to share space with strangers and offer some kind of free in home care for them. But then we heard about his success.

A couple of nights ago, Gary's parents came over for dinner and were talking about his experience. He moved to the capital of our state which was about six hours away to a host home that needed an elder care companion. Apparently, the patriarch of the family had recently lost his wife to cancer, and he wasn't taking it so well. He had to move in with his kids, give up the home he'd shared with his wife, and spend hours alone while everyone else was working or in school.

As Gary was providing in home elder care for the family, he was also able to start submitting resumes. He could have done this from back home, too, but traveling six hours to get to interviews would have been impractical. Now he was just a hop, skip, and a jump from lots of potential jobs. And the family understood if he needed to leave for an hour to hit an interview. Plus, he didn't have to worry about taking on another job that would interfere with his job search. He provided in home elder care for this man who really needed a friend.

In this economy, the host home makes sense for lots of people. It seems like a win-win experience for everyone.

As parents, we have to make some tough choices in life. We want to provide the best we can for our children but sometimes we also need to have that second income to pay the bills - not for luxuries but just to cover the mortgage, put food on the table, and maybe save some for college. But working usually requires child care for our little ones and that can cost a fortunate, as well as requiring your child to stay in a stranger's home.

A better solution is free in home child care. Now you're probably saying that would be an obvious solution but not necessarily a practical one. Where are you going to find free child care?

The answer is through a work in exchange for rent program. If you have a spare room in your home and can spare enough money to feed an extra person, you could have the child care you want for your child at no additional cost and done in your home.

Obviously, there are some risks associated with bringing a stranger into your home to care for your children. However, you can do background checks on people and other criminal history checks to ensure your child is safe and receiving the best home care you could want. Plus, since you'll be receiving free in home care for your child, you could take additional steps, such as placing cameras in the home (this is not something I would recommend because it can be an invasion of privacy for both your child and the caregiver).

Take your time and get to know the person who will be providing the care in your home before they arrive. And make sure your children meet them, too, and get along with them. Whether the babysitter is living in your home or has a place of their own, you are still trusting your child to someone you don't know very well. But with this type of arrangement, you can get to know the care provider better and take precautions to ensure your child is going to be save while also receiving child care for a price you won't find anywhere else.