Best barter items for SHTF

Needles, thread, neosporine, alcohol, batteries/battery chargers, food, ammo, knives, etc.

I'm concerned about all the cities going bankrupt....is this the beginning of the end?

 

Im not expecting much help. Ive just been watching the news and noticing how cities are going bankrupt and the police and firefighters pay has been cut to 7.25 per hr. They cant make their mortgages and pay their esential bills on this amount. I expect them to walk away and get other jobs, then who is going to work for 7.25 and hour and put their life on the line for that. Just noticing a lot of cracks that could be leading to the collapse sooner than I have planned for.
Could be Im over reacting......I hope so. Thanks for listening!

 

And when the syphillis ruins those good looks and the crabs make their welcome mat fall out, merkins will come back in style.
Any wigmakers among us?

 

yah you're funny but not so much, those of us women with piles of dollars and things like guns, ammo, antibiotics, salt and can make grain alcohol....... and are able to hunt, fish, grow food and livestock will survive...and some of us are pretty hot.....especially the ones of us who are WFAR certified.

 

Piles of dollars will not be much good a when tSHTF, better to spend them on the other supplies while you can.

 

Lighten up just a bit and step back and look at it again. Yes, what he said was rather crude. If he had said ALL good looking women/females will be able to .... yada yada yada. That wasn't what he said. Any realist male or female is aware that prostitution has been around for a long long long time. As much as most of society wishes it were not so, it still is, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Gold diggers and gigilos are whores too. These people make up a small percentage of the population.
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I for one am glad that another capable female has joined the ranks of Survival Monkey. Pick your battles with a little more care. This was not aimed at you. And, like it or not, history says that he is right.

 

1) If you are not a realist, you will not last long.

1) There is a very simple reason why prostitution is called the "Oldest profession", because it is.

Maybe you will not, but that does not mean no one will.

 

Aaaaggghhh....!!!
Now my coffee taste funny.....ccc...

 

Prostitution may be called the oldest but farming/gardening really is and will keep one alive, safer, and happier. We do not have to revert to animals just because of social problems. When the going gets tough the tough get going. 521, thanks for your response.

 

Calcium hypochlorite and weed

 

What I'm stocking up for barter:
honey mead (found an easy recipe, and my first batch is 'cooking', I'll let you guys know how it goes)
healing herbs
home grown tobacco (seedlings are starting to look good!)

 

I agree with PaxMentis. I store all of those items in abundance,except I used instant coffee (Nescafe Clasico), The pipe tobacco is sealed and kept in freezer, the sugar and salt I have been putting in plastic quart containers (like the kinds that soup comes in from Chinese restaurants). As far as liquor, I buy cheap. When the good stuff is gone, alcoholics will drink the cheaper stuff, just don't buy garbage liquor, and buy various types. I have 500 rounds of 22LR, but as most gun owners know, that's not much. Since the new laws in NY, amounts are small as far as purchasing. When I wanted to buy in bulk, the gun store was out. I'd suggest 9mm, and shotgun shells too. Both are used by police, and here in NY, a lot of folks don't own guns, so if they loot off of dead police officers, those calibers and shells will be in demand after SHTF. Not a nice thing to think about,but,.......
I bought a book called 'Survival Bartering' by Duncan Long (Loompanics publishing), not sure if it's still in print. He had said, that simple items that are hard to manufacture that are used every day with be worth tenfold after SHTF. Things like sewing needles, and nails. He wrote about bartering services, as a mechanic, handyman,etc... And proper etiquette when trading and bartering. It was extremely insightful.
***UPDATE*** Survival Bartering by Duncan Long (Loompanics Unlimited) is no longer in print. But there are 8 copies in stock at Amazon.com as of this update 3/15/13.

 

I have to agree ,, a bit of SWEETWATER goes a long way...

 

Sass...the reason I choose to stock top quality alcohol is because I don't plan to deal with alcoholics and certainly not in the early market. By the time my premium stock gets dug up, there will be a market for sipping whiskey and it will be a luxury item that commands a far higher price than the skullbuster being made.

I am a scotch drinker (a fifth of my favorite single malt lasts me about 2 months minimum) and I know that a couple of years into the fall (assuming I have beaten the odds that long and HADN'T had any since the fall) I would trade a goodly amount even for 2-3 fingers of something akin to Glenlivet, Glenfiddich or even a top shelf blend.

As opposed to something to get you drunk, it is the taste of civilization to many.

 

I keep some of the cheap zipo type lighters and fluid, cheap knives and so on for barter and normaly try to have extra smokes on had in case I needed some barter while bugging home 100 miles or so from work, figure a smoker out of cigarettes might well take on a passenger for a pack or 2. By far though the best barter is skills like I can butcher, I can do cole forge blacksmithing, I know how to tan leather and do leather work and how to sew. One skill many also may not think of is cooking from scratch. Very few folks today have any idea how to make a meal that dosent start at least in part from a can, box, or pouch.

 

Amen. I'm always amazed at how little people know about actually cooking.

 

The other issue to keep in mind is that from a security point of view, having "stuff" is a security problem. If people know you have it, some will try to take it.

On the other hand, having usable, marketable skills, is a security asset. The people that need your skills the most, will see you as essential to their survival, and try to protect you.

I know most on here will say "I can protect myself from anyone who tries to take my stuff", and that may be true, but having others that "have your back" is a very good thing.

If all you are doing is stocking up on supplies and weapons, you are limiting your long term survival options. If you have marketable skills, keep them polished and make it known before they are needed.

It is sad, but when times get tough everyone's value as a human will be based on their ability to add value to others. If you do not add value, you will be seen as a liability.

In simple terms: Friends don't let friends kill people they need

 

I would hope that most here, when looking at barter goods are not looking at them for the immediate aftermath of SHTF.

Try to cover your needs for the short term aftermath and think mid and long term for the barter items.