What's Your Favorite 3 Things To Barter?

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by Jassymummy, Jul 19, 2012.


  1. Jassymummy

    Jassymummy Monkey

    Hi. I am new here. I am a "female", but very, very much into survival. I started way back before y2k cuz one time i lost my job and i starved for 2 months. Now i am fine. Anyway, i know we all got stuff stocked up to "barter". What are yur 3 favorite things to stock up on to barter? Mine are...tea bags,
    kool aid and matches. The tea bags are dirt cheap at Aldies or Savelot and you can get cheap
    "kool aid" there too. The tea bags are so strong that i even save them and use them 3 x. I had given a
    casual friend a BIG gigantic jar full of tea bags for xmas, but he didn't like it! He gave it back to me!
    Now i am glad he did cuz now i have more tea to barter or drink. What are simple cheap things to stock up on to barter? Yur favorite 3 things.........
     
  2. CATO

    CATO Monkey+++

    I don't barter...yet, but if the time comes (SHTF), I think these items will be hot commodities and be traded at my store:

    1. .22lr shells
    2. heirloom garden seeds
    3. tampons
     
  3. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

  4. Jassymummy

    Jassymummy Monkey

     
  5. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    My grandmother was born in 1912, grew up in an orphanage, had my mom during the Great Depression. She told me that they never had any money, but living on a big farm they always had plenty of food. One thing she said got hard to come by was sugar. They couldn't make it where they lived. She made sorghum syrup but it's not the same.

    I remember they still made ribbon cane syrup when I was a kid. I loved watching them run the cane through the rollers to squeeze the juice out. Pretty good on pancakes!
     
  6. CATO

    CATO Monkey+++

    Thanks....I'll send these to my boss. Anytime I come across free samples of odd things of this nature...I sign her up. The last thing she got was a sample pack of Trojans. Before that, it was KY Liquid Heat (or something warm). I like to laugh...even when it's just by myself.

    I actually get stuff like this from Amazon's 'Subscribe and Save'. They just keep coming in and you don't really notice the cost too bad.
     
  7. wrc223

    wrc223 Monkey+

    One thing that is made in large quantities around here is maple sugar. Since we are a very rural area, a couple of the maple houses around here still have and use the primitive wood fire bridges so you end up with a 2fer Maple syrup and Maple sugar. I would be wiling to trade/barter with cane sugar that I have stored.

    My personal policy is to not barter with weapons or ammo unless I know the person and trust them with my kids' life. Weapons or ammo have a nasty way of being turned against you in times of dire circumstances.

    When I buy preps I always keep trade/barter in mind. When I see freebies, throw aways, or oppertunity I grab them up and pack them away. Buy 3 get one free, manufacturer coupon, and a store card that will double the coupon value....I came home with 60 cans of hunts spaghetti sauce. I bet someone would give up quite a bit to score 3 or 4 days worth of pasta and sauce 4 months after all the "low hanging fruit" has been plucked.

    Freebies and throw aways that I speak of are things like cast iron pots and pans, oil lamps, shoes, clothes, tools, etc. I bought a box of shoes, sneakers, and boots at a yard sale for $5. I brought em home, sprayed em down with that crap they use on bowling alley shoes and ski boot rentals and stowed them away in the barn. To a person who has worn out their shoes or doesnt have a coat, this will prove to be good barter material. Before I throw anything away I ask a simple question, can it be used in some way if the SHTF.
     
    bgner and ditch witch like this.
  8. bgner

    bgner Monkey

    sugar
    salt
    meat
     
  9. Jassymummy

    Jassymummy Monkey

    Funny you should mention sugar....cuz i just bought 3 bags of it thurs. cuz of the corn shortage we will have due to the drought. Now i know i did the right thing.
     
  10. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    My skills, even used for others they are still mine and I can use them as I see fit.

    My labor, done on my time line and my ability makes me extras in the time of need and keeps me fit.

    Excess livestock products, if our needs are filled then we can use the meat or milk to gain other things we need.
     
    bgner and VisuTrac like this.
  11. Theocrat

    Theocrat Monkey

    1 - 22LR
    2 - Vodka
    3 - Toilet Paper

    All you need to survive
     
  12. PAGUY

    PAGUY Monkey

    First and foremost work. The only thing required is time. Thy you will have plenty of to use your skills. Second would be clean water. I have an abundant source and the ability to purify it to meet even today's standards. Third would be alcohol. All three I these are renewable and can be used to your advantage.
     
  13. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    This may sound extremely paranoid, but....
    I have found, from time to time, that it is cheaper to buy sugar in 1 pound bags when it is on sale, than by the 25 or 50 pound bag. I dump it all into buckets and seal it up. Then I save the 1 pound bags. Not a lot, probably have 30. They fold nice and flat, take up no room a'tall in a little plastic container in the closet.

    If you DID get to the point you were down to trading sugar, IMO it would be better to have a little 1 pound bag 3/4 full to trade, than a ziplock baggie or whatever full. Then you can pass it off as your last bit of sugar, rather than invite speculation that perhaps you have a nice big stash back at the house.
     
  14. oldawg

    oldawg Monkey+++

    Nice use of OPSEC.
     
    ditch witch likes this.
  15. Warscent

    Warscent Corus corax

    Eggs,wine,and potatoes. We produce enough of these items to barter in winter and summer months.I say if you dont grow or make it,dont give it away.
     
    ditch witch likes this.
  16. Jaybird

    Jaybird Monkey+++

    I have started learning to do blacksmith work for the purpose of bartering. The skill plus any metal I can acquire to make what is needed. Don't have the third item yet, still trying to get my supplies together.
     
  17. CATO

    CATO Monkey+++

    http://www.pakalertpress.com/2012/07/10/the-best-bartering-items-to-have-in-a-collapse/

    1. Alcohol: Normally I wouldn’t include alcohol mainly because the bottles are heavy and it is not a necessity except of course if it is needed medicinally, also alcohol is expensive. But, if you can stock up on it you will always have a demand for it, so that is why I have included this item.
    2. T.P.: Have you ever gone without toilet paper for any length of time? It’s not pleasant. There are very few palatable substitutions for toilet paper. Sure newspapers can be used but who knows how long newspapers would be around should a total collapse happen. People used to use leaves, corn cobs and other items but I can’t see that happening except under severe circumstances. The only problem I can see with using toilet paper as a bartering item is that I would be hard pressed to exchange it unless I was starving!
    3. Matches: Matches are a great item to stock up on and use for bartering purposes. They are small, cheap, enduring and necessary, this would be high on my list of items to stock up on.
    4. Seeds: Seeps are controversial. Yes, seeds have been worth more than silver and gold in history. However, if the masses are starving now and if they don’t know how to grow food, they might not be interested in trading for seeds. However, I would have them anyway because they will last a long time and you could always use them yourself.
    5. Batteries: While batteries will be in demand for such items as radios and laptops should a collapse occur, they only problem is that number 1, they are expensive now and number 2 they don’t last. So, although I think they are a good idea, I would not put a lot of money into batteries..still I would have some.
    6. Canned food: Canned food is a good item because everyone needs to eat (and by canned I mean any food that can be stored without refrigeration). The negatives about canned food are that it is heavy, while it will last a long time it wont last indefinitely like matches and if people are hungry enough they will just steal it.
    7. Cigarettes: The biggest problem with cigarettes is that they are expensive now. I am sure that you will have a market for cigarettes however, I am not so sure they are your best bet for bartering. Still, historically, they have been used and so I have decided to include them.
    8. Aspirin: Aspirin is a great choice on several fronts. First of all aspirin will last a long time, secondly if someone needs aspirin they will trade whatever they have for it. Have you ever suffered from chronic pain? Thirdly, aspirin is small and it stores well. A great choice to use for bartering purposes in my humble opinion.
    9. Chocolate: Chocolate is like alcohol, it’s not a necessity but people want it. Also, dark chocolate has nutritional value, is a good source of calories, stores well and is relatively small. I would give dark chocolate 3 ½ stars out of 5.
    10. Soap: Soap is one of those things that you don’t miss until you don’t have it. Try doing without soap for even a day and see how uncomfortable life can be. Not only that but soap is not easy to make for yourself, so it is going to be in high demand. Additionally, soap stores well and lasts a long time. If you can buy it in bulk even better.
    11. Plastic baggies: Plastic baggies can be used for all sorts of things. If the grid goes down they can be used to store food items, as gloves or to keep things from getting wet. All sorts of plastic products will be in demand. Moreover, they don’t expire so they store well. The only issue with plastic baggies is that they are relatively expensive now and you would need a place to put them, in other words the boxes are a bit bulky.
    12. Salt: Salt has been used in lieu of money in history. It’s cheap, stores well and can be used to preserve meat, something that could become very important in a SHTF scenario. Not only that, I love it and so do others and it’s not easy to get. It is definitely an item I would use to barter.
    13. Coffee: Coffee is expensive and it is not a necessity so why have I included it? I included coffee because I, along with millions of other Americans, am addicted to coffee. Not only that but how does one get coffee if not in a store? It’s not like we have coffee plantations in America. So, yes coffee will be in high demand should a collapse happen and even though it is expensive I would have it if not for my own use to barter for other items. Believe me, instant coffee will bring you a high price should a collapse happen!
     
    TwoCrows and bgner like this.
  18. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    I'm resurrecting a dead horse here but didn't feel like making a new post.

    In light of the current idiocy at school, the rent-a-kid was telling me the stories her grandparents told her about surviving WW2 and the Nazis. Stories of people eating their fingernails and scabs and dirt to survive. You can't imagine. Anyway, she mentioned that one of her grampa's friends said if it weren't for cigarettes, he never would have made it out alive. His wife somehow found a way to get a steady supply... no details were given but I can guess.... and it saved them. Bribing people to hide them, trading for favors and food, better than money at the time.
     
  19. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    SUGAR ! Not that I'd barter with it but add it to any number of other products and stretch your barter power.
     
  20. Illini Warrior

    Illini Warrior Illini Warrior

    if a Bartertown market is locally established ..... I intend to set up re-filling station for the 1lb propane bottles ..... any type of fuel is going to be a hot commodity ...... should be able to make some righteous deals
     
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