PDA

View Full Version : $$-Something of Value-SHTF??



BigJim #1-8
03-19-10, 12:40
Morning All,
How have some of you prepared for money/barter in a SHTF situation.
PM's,Ammo,Guns....?

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!!

snellkid
03-19-10, 14:24
For long term, Money probably will have little or no value, Food,Fuel, Ammo & "other things" will be supplies that are highly sought after and will be the New Currency.

Mac5.56
03-19-10, 17:39
The only reason money has any value to begin with is because we place value on it. Therefore I think money (cash) will be utilized for a the short term simply out of denial by the majority of people in a situation like this. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think people will be able to deny the urge to take a worthless piece of paper initially because they will see it as something of value in the future.

But items are critical, as are skills. I have a wide variety of both, and feel comfortable with being able to get by with bartering.

Of particular value though would be rolling tabaco (why can I never spell this word), and smokes. Being able to grow the plant itself would be even better, but I have heard it is a pain in the butt, and may not be worth the pay off in a barter situation.

ffusaf23
03-19-10, 18:10
Silver has been used for a few thousand years as a means to barter, it has intrinsic value unlike fiat/paper currencies. It might be a good idea to keep some for SHTF situations and it's currently under $20/ounce making it relatively affordable for most.

Of course primary concern is food, water, shelter, safety, etc., but I think holding on to some fractional amounts of silver could be quite practical as well.

geminidglocker
03-19-10, 18:43
I live in Vermont. We have long cold winters, maybe not this year, but typically we do. I bought my home on 13.5 acres of woodland. I've got Birch, Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Beech, etc; and some White Pines and Cedars. I did this because I could not really afford to invest in Preps otherwise,ie; Gold, precious metals etc;. This makes my small forest worth more than Gold in a SHTF situation. Heating your home up here can be the difference between life and death. I also wisely chose a home that lies between a few Farms. Without oil or wood to heat their homes, they go cold. Without food to feed my Dog and Myself, we starve, save for my Garden and Hunting.;) All of my Neighbors are good folk, and most of them Reload and shoot often, so we should be fat, happy and warm in my neck of the woods.;)

RAM Engineer
03-25-10, 10:40
I would be very hesitant to use ammo or guns as barter items, depending on the person. Why give someone the means to take your stuff by force?

I'm leaning towards things that are cheap to buy now, but are difficult to duplicate in a non-industrial society.

Some items I'd considered:

Inexpensive knives (Opinel No. 6, Victorinox Classic, Frosts Mora of Sweden)
Sewing Needles and Pins/Safety Pins
Sewing Thread
Buttons
Shoe Laces
Socks
Twine/Rope
Nails
Whiskey
Tobacco
Coffee

Abraxas
03-25-10, 11:07
I would be very hesitant to use ammo or guns as barter items, depending on the person. Why give someone the means to take your stuff by force?

I'm leaning towards things that are cheap to buy now, but are difficult to duplicate in a non-industrial society.

Some items I'd considered:

Inexpensive knives (Opinel No. 6, Victorinox Classic, Frosts Mora of Sweden)
Sewing Needles and Pins/Safety Pins
Sewing Thread
Buttons
Shoe Laces
Socks
Twine/Rope
Nails
Whiskey
Tobacco
Coffee

I have thought the same thing. Though some of it will have to take place. I like your idea on the things on your list. Not something I had thought of for barter.

PA PATRIOT
03-25-10, 11:25
I think after awhile when commercial foods run out many who did not have prior stores will be willing to trade items such as ammo, med's or other things of use for basis food rations. With that in mind I have laid in a few cases of the Datrex (DX2400F) Emergency Rations were each ration has enough calories to cover a single person 72 hours. Now I would really have to be in the hurt locker to come out of my seclusion to trade but depending on the duration of the event there is a possibility I may need to location certain common med's after six months time. But to this end if the event lasted more then a few months then I think we would see looters more then traders and the greater risk of fire fight would curtail what if any trading I would do.

Plan now or be a victim later.

K.L. Davis
03-25-10, 14:46
Food: No one has ever figured out a way to live without it.

fixer
03-25-10, 15:58
it would depend on the scale of the problem. if it's something like a blizzard, quake or hurricane, ie regional, short term event cash will still have value.

gold and silver have value, but you can't eat 'em. but they are dense and easy to transport.

trading guns and/or ammo seems like a VERY bad idea... even tho many people consider ammo to be post-shtf bartering wampum.

i'd be most concerned about getting MY stuff squared away instead of stocking goods for barter.

now, if you have a skill that can be bartered... for example if you're a blacksmith, vet, doctor, welder, gunsmith, mechanic, plumber, carpenter, cooper, or just a general "jack of all trades" you should be good to go.

dashotgun
03-25-10, 17:10
stock up on salt. The word salary comes from salt. because people used to be paid in it.
It is essential element has medical uses and can be used to preserve food as wll as give taste. If you do not live near the coast it can be hard to come by. Bulk salt will store easily and has an indefinite shelf life. Get some of the iodiazed kind as well with out it you are looking at a goiter before long.

Audacia77
04-04-10, 12:50
Weapons and Ammo I think are going to be a few of the hottest barter items going post SHTF. Regardless of how good or bad the idea is. An exercise in caution could be used by maybe removing the firing pin and having them return for it the following day. It'll be sought after enough that folks will be willing to play ball.

I totally agree on:
+1 on Salt.
+1 on Tobacco and Booze.
+1 on Nails and hardware.
+1 on Sewing Supplies.
+1 on Rope, Twine, etc.

Other considerations could be:
*Clothing. Jackets, Denim & Footwear.
*Basic Hand Tools. Chisels, Hammers, Saws, etc.

Medications and Antibiotics are a big one that will be hard to come by. I was reading somewhere that feed stores sell most antibiotics over the counter for live stock. These are essentially the same thing as pharmaceutical grade. I have been meaning to check into this once I return to CONUS as a possible route for a SHTF stash. Anyone hear about that one?

Additionally, the biggest thing you can barter is learning a skill. That is something you may always be needed. I am thinking some may pay you several meals or essential supplies to either be taught or provide a service.

SO758
04-07-10, 05:16
Interesting, didn't give much thought at all on bartering before reading this

Spiffums
04-07-10, 13:53
TP.


I would hire out for TP if I was out.

dashotgun
04-07-10, 15:05
seeds
canning jars
books on diy type stuff
fishing gear
water purification tablets
hard candy
chicken boulion or beef
tea and or coffee
all fairly compact items which will store well and be worth their weight in gold
I can barter my medical skills

agree on t he TP corn husks do not beat charmin. Ever wonder why people shake with their right hand and no it is not because they are rightys

RAM Engineer
04-07-10, 19:25
chicken boulion or beef


Actually bouillon usually has a marked shelf-life of a year or less. No idea what actual is.

RogerinTPA
04-07-10, 21:31
Morning All,
How have some of you prepared for money/barter in a SHTF situation.
PM's,Ammo,Guns....?

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!!

My guess? FUEL of any type, Food, Potable water, Ammo, and Firearms...would be the currency of an economic collapse.

ThirdWatcher
04-08-10, 05:19
Food: No one has ever figured out a way to live without it.

I agree.

luckyguy1
04-08-10, 23:46
I would be very hesitant to use ammo or guns as barter items, depending on the person. Why give someone the means to take your stuff by force?

I'm leaning towards things that are cheap to buy now, but are difficult to duplicate in a non-industrial society.

Some items I'd considered:

Inexpensive knives (Opinel No. 6, Victorinox Classic, Frosts Mora of Sweden)
Sewing Needles and Pins/Safety Pins
Sewing Thread
Buttons
Shoe Laces
Socks
Twine/Rope
Nails
Whiskey
Tobacco
Coffee

along the same line, think of screws, nails, and bolt/nuts.

ever try to whittle a screw out of a stick? :D

drywall screws nails of all sizes, and other small construction fasteners will be mighty handy when you need to board up that window or fix the hole in the roof from that big storm.

perna
04-09-10, 00:54
Seems kinda silly, if you are going to prepare for SHTF why stockpile stuff to trade? If you use the same money and space why not just prepare for yourself so you do not have to trade?

Last situation I want to be in is needing to trade for stuff. I do not want anyone know I have anything they want, or be in a situation where they might try to take my stuff from me.

westcoastfrog
04-09-10, 01:07
i carry $500 cash as my SHTF plan... overseas. does that count?

Mac5.56
04-11-10, 00:58
Medications and Antibiotics are a big one that will be hard to come by. I was reading somewhere that feed stores sell most antibiotics over the counter for live stock. These are essentially the same thing as pharmaceutical grade. I have been meaning to check into this once I return to CONUS as a possible route for a SHTF stash. Anyone hear about that one?


That is a yes and a no on your question. You need to speak with someone in the know as the dosages are different based on the size of the animal (you are an animal), and there are different chemicals occasionally as a result of differing allergies/reactions on the parts of animals in question. My fiance is a vet tech, with a biology under grad, and vet certification. Large, and small animal trained, and she spent two years in Oregon working at a farm supply store. This isn't as cut and dry as you would think, but you are basically right. There are a lot of factors though to take into consideration, the primary one being that dosage is determined by a ratio that includes the weight of the animal among other factors. Last thing you want is to OD someone, or something simply because the label said it was the same med.

On that note though there are so very many things that carry over from animal to human medicine. Medical supplies are the biggest!!! For example suture. If you add the word "human" to something it increases the market value exponentially, but often times they are the same exact product just under a different name.

(p.s. please read that I am a jack of many trades, but medicine is not mine, it is hers. I speak only with the knowledge that comes from our conversations, and nothing more.)

Mac5.56
04-11-10, 01:06
Seems kinda silly, if you are going to prepare for SHTF why stockpile stuff to trade? If you use the same money and space why not just prepare for yourself so you do not have to trade?

Last situation I want to be in is needing to trade for stuff. I do not want anyone know I have anything they want, or be in a situation where they might try to take my stuff from me.

ANd kryptonite is the only thing that can kill Perna, so let's all keep that in mind... :)

Buddy, you can't prepare for every actuality, and I think that it is with this in mind that this thread serves a purpose. Can you stitch a wound? Pull a tooth? Are your seeds for your garden heirloom? Shoe a horse? Dovetail a join without power tools? Act as a midwife/husband for a birth?

Humans are social beings, and will eventually congregate into groups based off of mutual need.

You can only sit alone in your little bomb shelter for so long before your supplies run out, or you go absolutely insane as a result of having no exposure to the outside world. I honestly can't picture any individual of upper middle class or lower being physically capable of gathering enough supplies to support a family for longer then two to three years without access to either plentiful land, or an outside source of food. Therefore if you venture out into the world, what are you going to do when you come into contact with other humans? Will your tactic be to just kill them all??? If that's so you wont last long, because according to anthropological research the primary reason for murder in "primitive" tribal societies is revenge killings.

trunkmonkey
04-11-10, 23:27
guns and ammo.

I can get everything and anything else if I have those two. By bartering and trading......or doing it the hard way.

perna
04-16-10, 04:58
ANd kryptonite is the only thing that can kill Perna, so let's all keep that in mind... :)

Buddy, you can't prepare for every actuality, and I think that it is with this in mind that this thread serves a purpose. Can you stitch a wound? Pull a tooth? Are your seeds for your garden heirloom? Shoe a horse? Dovetail a join without power tools? Act as a midwife/husband for a birth?

Humans are social beings, and will eventually congregate into groups based off of mutual need.

You can only sit alone in your little bomb shelter for so long before your supplies run out, or you go absolutely insane as a result of having no exposure to the outside world. I honestly can't picture any individual of upper middle class or lower being physically capable of gathering enough supplies to support a family for longer then two to three years without access to either plentiful land, or an outside source of food. Therefore if you venture out into the world, what are you going to do when you come into contact with other humans? Will your tactic be to just kill them all??? If that's so you wont last long, because according to anthropological research the primary reason for murder in "primitive" tribal societies is revenge killings.

Im not implying that you will not need something you do not have. But stocking up on random stuff that you will never need in the hopes that you can trade it makes no sense. You really want to waste money on stuff like large quantities of sewing needles, or rolling tobacco?

I think preparing yourself with say extra food, or other essentials makes more sense to me, and still leaves you with trade-able items. I believe that the most valuable things would be the things that you NEED to support life. Food, water, fire and shelter.

Chris19delta
04-18-10, 18:08
If you can distill alcohol you'll be set. Alcohol was so important that there was a rebellion over it (shays rebellion) and its not overly hard to do.

K.L. Davis
04-22-10, 10:16
Something to be said for the Three B's

Wholesale prices rise in March as food costs jump
Wholesale prices rise by 0.7 percent in March due to sharp jump in food costs

Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer, On Thursday April 22, 2010, 8:57 am EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Wholesale prices rose more than expected last month as food prices surged by the most in 26 years.

The Labor Department said the Producer Price Index rose by 0.7 percent in March, compared to analysts' forecasts of a 0.4 percent rise. A rise in gas prices also helped push up the index.

Still, there was little sign of budding inflation in the report, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, wholesale prices rose by 0.1 percent, matching analysts' expectations.

Food prices jumped by 2.4 percent in March, the most since January 1984. Vegetable prices soared by more than 49 percent, the most in 15 years. A cold snap wiped out much of Florida's tomato and other vegetable crops at the beginning of this year.

Gasoline prices rose 2.1 percent, the department said, the fifth rise in six months.

In the past year, wholesale prices are up 6 percent, with much of that increase driven by higher oil prices. But excluding food and energy costs, they have risen only 0.9 percent.

Consumers are facing smaller price increases, as many retailers are reluctant to pass on higher costs. Last week, the Labor Department said the consumer price index rose only 0.1 percent in March. Excluding food and energy, the core consumer index was unchanged.

Core consumer prices rose by just 1.1 percent in the past 12 months, the department said last week, the best showing since January 2004.

Low inflation has enabled the Federal Reserve to keep the short-term interest rate it controls at a record low of near zero in an effort to boost the economy.

The country's worst recession since the 1930s has kept a lid on prices, as high unemployment and tight credit have crimped consumers' spending power. That has made it harder for companies to raise prices.

Noodle
04-22-10, 11:33
I live in Vermont. We have long cold winters, maybe not this year, but typically we do. I bought my home on 13.5 acres of woodland. I've got Birch, Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Beech, etc; and some White Pines and Cedars. I did this because I could not really afford to invest in Preps otherwise,ie; Gold, precious metals etc;. This makes my small forest worth more than Gold in a SHTF situation. Heating your home up here can be the difference between life and death. I also wisely chose a home that lies between a few Farms. Without oil or wood to heat their homes, they go cold. Without food to feed my Dog and Myself, we starve, save for my Garden and Hunting.;) All of my Neighbors are good folk, and most of them Reload and shoot often, so we should be fat, happy and warm in my neck of the woods.;)

I live in Vermont also. The good news is that we should be able to take care of ourselves. The bad news is that half of Boston and New York will try to make it north for "safety". Better have lots of arms and ammo to protect the limited resources in our Vermont towns and villages. Setting up appropriate armed road blocks will be key to keep outsiders from raping and pillaging.