Any entity that people want to use as a unit of exchange could be seen as money. You might exchange doing the dishes for a plate of food. In this case you are using your labor as money and the soup kitchen is using food as money.
The rich already know this. The powerful have convinced the masses to use fiat currency to exchange the necessities of life. That way the powerful can tax the masses.
You said it all in a nutshell, that’s just the summary of it and I hope you keep the good work up