# Blogger Proves One Red Paper Clip Can Indeed Buy a House By Greg Ponesse | Published 2006-07-11 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blogger-proves-one-red-paper-clip-can-indeed-buy-a-house References: [cnn](http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/07/10/paper.clip.to.house.ap/index.html) Taking a paper clip and turning it into a house sounds like a cheesy magic trick or a phony instance of resourcefulness on the 1980s TV show "MacGyver." Kyle MacDonald, however, has pulled it off. One year ago, the 26-year-old blogger from Montreal set out to [barter one red paper clip](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/prefab-house-changeover) for something and that thing for something else, over and over again until he had a house. On Wednesday the quest is ending as envisioned: MacDonald is due to become the proud owner of [a three-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot home](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-offer-haus) provided by the town of Kipling, Saskatchewan. MacDonald and his girlfriend, Dominique Dupuis, expect to move there in early September. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.4/10 - Popularity: 70% | Activity: 23% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Life](https://www.trendhunter.com/life) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Bartering Economy:** The trend of bartering items for goods or services instead of traditional currency can offer disruptive innovation opportunities for peer-to-peer marketplaces and digital communities. - **Creative Resourcefulness:** The trend of finding new and innovative ways to use everyday items can offer disruptive innovation opportunities for sustainability-focused industries and makerspaces. - **Online Challenges:** The trend of online challenges that encourage participants to achieve a goal can offer disruptive innovation opportunities for companies looking to engage with social media-savvy audiences. ### Who This Affects Most - **Peer-to-peer Marketplaces:** The trend of bartering can be leveraged in peer-to-peer marketplaces such as Craiglist or Facebook Marketplace, providing more choices for buying and selling goods and services. - **Sustainability-focused Industries:** The trend of creative resourcefulness can be applied to sustainability-focused industries such as eco-friendly packaging, waste reduction, and upcycling, leading to more innovative and environmentally-friendly products and practices. - **Social Media Companies:** The trend of online challenges can be leveraged by social media companies to increase engagement and participation on their platforms and attract a wider audience. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Cheesestring Trading Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cheesestring-trading-ad.md) - [Clippable Furniture Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clippable-furniture.md) - [Whimsical Home Tours](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-pillsbury-doughboy.md) - [Sustainably Crafted Pavilions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paper-log-house.md) - [Self-Designed Evolving Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/six-columns.md) - [Reinvented Compact Living](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/affordable-housing-prototype.md) - [Second-Hand Home Goods Catalogs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-ikijijia-catalogue.md) - [Structure Building Cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/house-of-cards-building-kit.md) - [Building Block Tiny Houses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lego-tiny-house.md)