Trading for items after shtf

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Frodo

Walk with God, You will never be lost
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What do you plan to use as money after shtf?
I plan on trading in booze. I think it will be the most sought after commodity
BUT, You can not just build a still and put out a good product, It takes practice
to hone the skill.
I saw this somewhere, I do not remember.Might have been vermont. But I have not been there so it could have been maine, or texas
still.jpg
 
We have a substantial inventory of hard liquor for barter. As much as I joke about it, I do not drink 1/10th of what I used to. Hard liquor in glass bottles has no shelf life, so we should be in good shape.

Hard liquor and tobacco have historically been good barter items. Some of the other things we save are old clothes, especially SHOES; toiletries (soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo). We hoard toilet paper, but I'm not bartering that. I think I would give up my guns before I gave up toilet paper.

A still could be a good investment if you have the raw materials to make moonshine. I'm no expert, but I would look into the things you need to make a product before I invested in building a still.
 
Frodo, you could take that one step further by making the 100 proof stuff and make medicinal tinctures from it. That would give you another avenue of "income" . I have many bottles of 100 proof vodka stocked, mostly for making tinctures if needed. I don't think I've ever drank 100 proof vodka......that'd be interesting.:confused:
 
I have a fair amount of liquor in my preps, even though I am a teetotaler, to use as trade bait. I also have some precious metals and heirloom seeds set aside that I can use. But my largest stockpile comes in the form of ammunition. An entire wall of my store room is stacked sealed metal tins of Russian produced 9mm & .223. I also have many thousands of rounds of milsurp 22 rimfire. And all of that is just a portion of my ammo stores, which are spread out over 4-5 locations.
 
Frodo, you could take that one step further by making the 100 proof stuff and make medicinal tinctures from it. That would give you another avenue of "income" . I have many bottles of 100 proof vodka stocked, mostly for making tinctures if needed. I don't think I've ever drank 100 proof vodka......that'd be interesting.:confused:
I can see 100 proof alcohol for tinctures and other medicinal use. In a SHTF situation, I wouldn't want to be around drunks. I would want everyone to be on their toes and as alert as possible. I am very aware that when there is alcohol in the house, some people want to empty the bottles.
 
Ammunition could be a form of "money".

I'm a bit queasy about bartering with ammo. I'd hate to have myself or any of mine shot with the ammo that I traded. Trade only with known good guys, but then what guarantee would I have that the good guy wouldn't get raided and my former ammo taken from them?

I'd rather have the ammo market dry up leaving (hopefully) me with the only (unknown to the public) cache.

Precious metals? I'm sorry, my family can't eat PMs.

Frodo. How many clean glass bottles or grain will you trade for some medicinal alcohol?
 
A
What do you plan to use as money after shtf?
I plan on trading in booze. I think it will be the most sought after commodity
BUT, You can not just build a still and put out a good product, It takes practice
to hone the skill.
I saw this somewhere, I do not remember.Might have been vermont. But I have not been there so it could have been maine, or texas
View attachment 33576
Moonshine is why my Dad and Uncle moved from Arkansas to Washington. They were buying supplies and the revenoor walked up and told them he knew what they were doing and he was going to send them to prison. They left Arkansas that day. Mom said she would have turned them in if she had known that was all it took to get out of Arkansas.
Barter items are anything you have that others do not have and they need or want.
I'm sure most of you have read this account about surviving during the war in Sarajevo but it's worth reading again.
https://personalliberty.com/one-year-in-hell/
 
Very good article. I think I first read this on Survival Blog (?), James Wesley Rawles site. This is someone who has lived through it. IMHO there wouldn't be any difference living in Bosnia or living in the U.S.A. I patterned by bartering supplies from this article, and James Wesley Rawles book: How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times

By the way, I probably do have 1000 Bic lighters, or close to it. I also have boxes of wooden matches, and good old fashioned paper book matches.
 
Truth be known, I am married to a hoarder. My basement looks like a goat's stomach. God knows what is in there. I always thought this was a curse until I started prepping. Now I look at it like a gold mine. I have an endless supply of household things to barter. I have on at least two occasions, one a friend and one a family member, allowed them to take what they want from the basement. They had gone through ugly divorces, and had nothing. One came with a trailer. One came with a truck. The caveat was " You take it. You keep it. If you try to bring it back I will shoot you dead. " What they took didn't make a dent. You couldn't tell anything was gone.

That said, a caution, I would NEVER barter from my house. Meet someplace. Take it to a church. NEVER let anybody know what you have. You will become a target in a heartbeat.
 
Truth be known, I am married to a hoarder. My basement looks like a goat's stomach. God knows what is in there. I always thought this was a curse until I started prepping. Now I look at it like a gold mine. I have an endless supply of household things to barter. I have on at least two occasions, one a friend and one a family member, allowed them to take what they want from the basement. They had gone through ugly divorces, and had nothing. One came with a trailer. One came with a truck. The caveat was " You take it. You keep it. If you try to bring it back I will shoot you dead. " What they took didn't make a dent. You couldn't tell anything was gone.

That said, a caution, I would NEVER barter from my house. Meet someplace. Take it to a church. NEVER let anybody know what you have. You will become a target in a heartbeat.


For the wife bless her heart she sounds like my mother.:huggs:.Of course I appreciated her hoarding when I'd need a good old iron skillet for my cornbread,she'd get mad and say ' You took my best skillet'.

Good idea not to barder at home.:thumbs:
 
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What do you plan to use as money after shtf?
I plan on trading in booze. I think it will be the most sought after commodity
BUT, You can not just build a still and put out a good product, It takes practice
to hone the skill.
I saw this somewhere, I do not remember.Might have been vermont. But I have not been there so it could have been maine, or texas
View attachment 33576

Good idea Frodo.:thumbs:
 
A

Moonshine is why my Dad and Uncle moved from Arkansas to Washington. They were buying supplies and the revenoor walked up and told them he knew what they were doing and he was going to send them to prison. They left Arkansas that day. Mom said she would have turned them in if she had known that was all it took to get out of Arkansas.
Barter items are anything you have that others do not have and they need or want.
I'm sure most of you have read this account about surviving during the war in Sarajevo but it's worth reading again.
https://personalliberty.com/one-year-in-hell/


Good story BackL, we read it and had lots of reminders in it.:thumbs::Thankyou:
 
For the wife bless her heart she sounds like my mother.:huggs:.Of course I appreciated her hoarding when I'd need a good old iron skillet for my cornbread,she'd get mad and say ' You took my best skillet'.

Good idea not to barder at home.:thumbs:


Meerkat: You cannot even believe the ridiculous requests we have been able to fulfill. It is well known in our circle that before you buy anything call us and we might have it. One time a sister-in-law called asking if we had a hitching post. Yes we do. Come and get it. On the heads of my children that is a true story.
 
The problem with barter is that the person you are bartering with must need what you have and have something you need.
In the first two or three months people will need water, food and heat. What will those people have? NOTHING! If they have a useful skill and the means to provide it then you might trade with them.
Those who are addicted to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs will have nothing of value.
Barter will be more important as society rebounds from totality.
 
The last thread I read at night usually sticks in my head for a while. Last night it was this one. Sheepdog has a good point as far as trading with addicts etc. but got me to thinking even further. What would I need to trade for? I still have more thinking to do since I'm not really sure for myself, but those items should be on the list of supplies to acquire now while we aren't in that situation.
Also, Morgan brought something to light - not trading from ones house. More than that though wouldn't trading bic lighters indicate that you have lots of them (or ammo or whatever?) Could set you up as a target even away from the house. Just curious as to thoughts from others on that.
Also Morgan - a hitchin' post !?! That's hilarious.
 
LadyL: I think that is the whole point of a barter system. You never know what you might need. There are a million reasons why. Maybe your stores are lost; fire, flood, stolen, vandalized who knows. Maybe somebody has something you need (like a hitching post). I don't know if anybody can think of all the eventualities.

I guess I might be considered a Rawlesian prepper. I have read his books (James Wesley Rawles), and watch his website. There is a lot on there about the war in Bosnia. Those people were true Urban Survivalists for a couple of years. They had trade zones established where you could go and barter. You never went alone. Always two or three people together, and you always went armed. You never traded from your house. Going to a church also seems to be a recommended venue to barter, or to donate. I wouldn't give anybody food from my house. I would tell them where the church is, and they could go there.

Never say never, but I would be very careful about trading ammo. In my gut I think I would never do it. You may trust the person you are trading with, but there is no guarantee they aren't going to trade with somebody else unknown to you. You don't want your ammo coming back at you from the barrel of a gun.
 
A lot of small towns will establish a trade/farmers market area that should be protected by the local police( if they want continued trade) and yes it can be a danger zone for the underclass to scope out who has what and track back to homestead but that is nuthin new since our ancestors had to deal with the same hazards, you must learn to be aware and travel in groups.
 
Naproxen is always in stock ! I feel like an overacheiver for distilled items of interest. Access to the library and my knowledge base are also up for barter.
 

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Mine would be alcohol, fire wood and 6" stove pipe.
Stove pipe? Yeah. It really does not last that long and you can't very well use your wood heater or wood cook stove in the house.
I have 11 wood cutting saws. Some of them are 2 man some are 1 man with varied soft wood and hard wood teeth profiles. I have many splitting mauls, splitting wedges, felling wedges, axes in single and double bit. I also dropped the money on saw sharpening equipment. It's some high dollar stuff but i'm pretty sure there are few who have these tools.
I see good serviceable saws at sales all the time. Maybe in hard times, some will need their saws sharpened.
 
Mine would be alcohol, fire wood and 6" stove pipe.
Stove pipe? Yeah. It really does not last that long and you can't very well use your wood heater or wood cook stove in the house.
I have 11 wood cutting saws. Some of them are 2 man some are 1 man with varied soft wood and hard wood teeth profiles. I have many splitting mauls, splitting wedges, felling wedges, axes in single and double bit. I also dropped the money on saw sharpening equipment. It's some high dollar stuff but i'm pretty sure there are few who have these tools.
I see good serviceable saws at sales all the time. Maybe in hard times, some will need their saws sharpened.
What do you mean "in hard times"? You could do that now. You know how hard it is to find someone to sharpen anything! If you did clipper blades too, you could probably recoup your outlay in short order.
 
Ammunition could be a form of "money".

I'm a bit queasy about bartering with ammo. I'd hate to have myself or any of mine shot with the ammo that I traded. Trade only with known good guys, but then what guarantee would I have that the good guy wouldn't get raided and my former ammo taken from them?

I'd rather have the ammo market dry up leaving (hopefully) me with the only (unknown to the public) cache.

Precious metals? I'm sorry, my family can't eat PMs.

Frodo. How many clean glass bottles or grain will you trade for some medicinal alcohol?

I do not know. I age and flavor the clear liquid using charred white oak
gives it a smooth smoky flavor.

chared.png
proof.png
 
I agree with others; Tobacco and alcohol for those that are addicted. Medicines will be in demand too.

I haven't figured out how I would live with myself knowing the medicine I'm trading the father, to save his daughter's life, is trading the last of their food.

Charity should be part of the barter system as well. I agree with your quandary, Lazy L. I would like to think I would give them what they need, and maybe take a marker for a rainy day. " Pay me when you can, or help me when I need it." Even in the worst of times we have to maintain some type of humanity, and human decency.
 
In order to have charity work both the giver and receiver have to recognize the value of what is given.
For instance: it is not charity to give an addict his next dose or a panhandler a $20 bill. All that does is prolong their agony. Give the panhandler a job to pull himself out of his hole and the addict a path to detox. If they accept it they get what they need, if not they haven't gotten encouragement to continue their path to destruction.
 
In order to have charity work both the giver and receiver have to recognize the value of what is given.
For instance: it is not charity to give an addict his next dose or a panhandler a $20 bill. All that does is prolong their agony. Give the panhandler a job to pull himself out of his hole and the addict a path to detox. If they accept it they get what they need, if not they haven't gotten encouragement to continue their path to destruction.

I will respectfully disagree, Sheepdog. Charity does not have to go both ways. The receiver does not have to recognize the value of what is given. To use a clinical definition:

Definition of charity
1a : generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering also : aid given to those in need

You give from the heart because you want to give, and help someone in need. I will only speak for myself, but I do not expect the recipient to see anything but a helping hand; a random act of kindness. If the person has a problem maybe it gets them through the day or gets them one step closer to getting the help they need. I understand what you are saying about the addict, and there is a case to be made for enabling.

This is a true story about a panhandler. There was a guy who always panhandled around the stadium. He was in a wheelchair, and he didn't have any legs. He was at every game I ever attended. I was with a friend one time, and he gave the guy a few bucks. I guess I was giving my friend and odd look. His comment was " You can't fake that." I gave the guy a few bucks as well. We need more kindness in the world.
 
The key is aid: When aid just enables it is not helping.
NOUN
  1. help, typically of a practical nature.
    "he saw the pilot slumped in his cockpit and went to his aid" ·
VERB
  1. help, assist, or support (someone or something) in the achievement of something.
 

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