There's a fine line between raising morale and lowering awareness

But I'm with you on the disinfect and barter rationales.

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If it's in your pack, but you don't know how to use it...it's useless. So, always test your skills as a form of preparation...Don't wait until your life depends on it. That's a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

I understand why people want goods they can barter. Alcohol is not one commodity I would be willing to, along with guns and ammo.

Most people you will be dealing with, you don't know at all. Therefore, I would never barter away anything that could be turned against me like guns and ammo can. I also would not want to give someone I didn't know alcohol, AKA in these parts as liquid courage. Some people turn into totally different people when they drink. The nicest guy on Earth can become a real blood thirsty SOB. I will not take my chances that someone drinking liquid courage that they got from me, would get drunk and come back and try to take my preps, assault me and my family, or just cause trouble. If SHTF I will have enough trouble without all of this to worry about.

Once I get me food stocks back up, I will get extra 50 lb bags of dried beans and rice to use as barter, along with meat that I have hunted that I may not be able to use before it spoils. In a SHTF situation, I think there is more trading power in food anyhow.

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Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Handgun and Personal protection in the Home.
V.F.W. Life Member
NRA Member
U.S. Army Veteran

Interesting points dclaarjr. Perhaps a better commodity to stock up on from a food store would be tobacco products like cigarettes and chew. Those would be valuable in a barter situation but wouldn't pose the "liquid courage" threat.

With limited hauling capability, even with vehicles, I think the best barter items are food items. Dried foods are light and if packed properly won't take much space. Those who didn't prep will need food. Plus, if you don't end up bartering any away, you will always have it for your own use.

_________________
Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Handgun and Personal protection in the Home.
V.F.W. Life Member
NRA Member
U.S. Army Veteran

I'll take the "this is my only shot approach" and pretend that the SHTF has taken be by surprise. I'm going to dried goods: oatmeal, nuts for protein, dried fruit, canned veggies, my hunting skills aren't good so cured ham/even spam if necessary....some first aide supplies just in case, and aluminum trays to catch water in.

How screwed am I?

During the biggest natural disaster my little town has actually faced, stores ran out of stuff on the first day we were allowed out of our shelters/homes. By day 4 most places were closed. Managers said that the first items (non-perishable) sold out were bottled water and batteries.

Depending on the nature of the disaster, I'd go for different items. If this looks long term, I'd want to get stuff that people overlook now but that might be worth bartering later, such as lighters, shoelaces, duct tape, etc.

If it's local/short term, I'd go for "luxury" food that I otherwise couldn't normally afford, like steak and wine, along with ice to chill it.

I think I'd have enough in storage not to worry about my own basics, except to refresh things that need rotated.

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If better is possible, then good is not good enough!

I think I'd take a mix of mostly items for my own use, and a few barterables (is that a word? ). As I prep continually, all year-round, I probably would have most of what I needed already in place at home (but would still panic, and throw stuff, like toilet paper, into the shopping cart anyway!). I recently had some experience with this when the swine flu pandemic was declared last April. I went on a hurried, one-last-shopping-trip at the warehouse club (I think I may have been the only one doing this there, though). I remember thinking, "I don't really need sugar, oil, etc, as I always keep a few months' supply at home, but..."

My pets would need litter and food, too. I think I'd need to buy more of that at the last minute, even though I stock canned meats they could also eat (but not vice-versa! Wonder what Friskies flaked beef in gravy tastes like??).

I'd probably buy: vegetable oil, flour, salt, yeast, sugar, cracked nuts, canned meats, cheese, powdered milk, bottled water, batteries, toilet paper (some t.p.; not a priority, as one can improvise, and space in the cart is limited. I can't grow wheat for flour, etc.), canned vegetables and fruits, dry and canned beans of all types; those nifty packaged tortillas that don't need refrigeration until opened, Jiffy baking mix, some suagr-free desserts (I'm a diabetic, and crave chocolate), and something sweet for my husband, who is not a diabetic. I'd also make sure I'd buy another bottle or 2 of aspirin, Tylenol, and Pepto-Bismol, and any other first-aid items.

All of the above would be for personal use, though, if I felt we had much more than needed to ride out an emergency, some of it could be for barter.

For barter: batteries, toilet paper, chocolate/candy, powdered milk, canned vegetables, soap, hand sanitizer, tissues, flashlights, mouse traps, peanut butter (could also be used in those mouse traps, ), condoms (embarrassed to say that here!), matches'lighters, fire-starters/logs, bags of rice, flour, sugar; yeast, bottled water, infant formula, baby bottles, fly-swatters, bug spray and repellant, plastic sheeting (if available in a grocery store), safety pins, sewing thread/needles, scissors, rulers/measuring tape, straight pins, sunscreen, first aid items. Some grocery stores occasionally carry sweatshirts, esp. hoodies. I'd buy a few in size large and XL, and in unisex colors, and any sweatpants, if there.

I would not need to by alcohol for barter (I have mixed feelings about this), as we make our own wine and beer (I don't drink, but hubby sometimes takes a glass. He makes it mostly for entertainment AND entertaining purposes.) I hear that his homemade beer is amazing, so that could be a good bartering point.

Too funny! It's true though. Would certainly need food for the pooch.



Can I come visit when SHTF?

I tried to think of things that might be hard to come by for awhile, and things that I can't easily get myself. Canned fruits and jellies would be of lower importance for me, I have some that I canned last summer/fall and I'd be able to put more up as the crops come in. Also have a solar oven where I can sun-dry the extras.

First I'd fill the bottom of the cart with water and milk. In the basket goes cheddar/mozz cheese, american cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese and 3 dozen eggs. Assuming we'll still have electricity for at least a few days. Then spaghetti sauces, pizza sauce, lots of salsa, dried fruits, nuts, peanut butter, lots of salt, sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses, dried beans, peas, lentils, rice, pasta, potato flakes, boxed meals that include the meat (ordinarily NEVER buy these, but in a SHTF situation...) milk powder, condensed milk, UHT milk, cream of wheat, cream of rice, oatmeal, canned meats: ham, spam, canned chicken, shrimp, salmon, bacon bits, precooked boxed bacon, and vienna sausages. Shelf-stable pudding packs and Jell-o, corn meal, crackers, graham crackers, salsa con queso dip, campbells beef-barley, split pea, bean & ham, cheese soups, cream soups. Also as many Progresso soups as can fit since they don't need to be reconstituted (water may be scarce). Canned pastas (ravioli, spaghettios with meatballs). Then fresh fruits and veggies (who knows when we'll have oranges and bananas again), things that will last awhile like cabbage, onions, potatoes and apples. On top of that, the light stuff like tortilla chips (last a long time and can also use in recipes), potato chips, Doritos. Then I'd fill in any gaps with small containers of spices, they don't take up much room but are SO important.

And now my cart's full.

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Waste not, want not, use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without.