This article has been contributed by Joshua Krause and was originally published at The Daily Sheeple.
Among preppers, there is a common argument between those who buy gold and those who don’t. On the one hand, gold has been used as money for thousands of years. It wouldn’t be a stretch of logic to assume that if our current monetary system falls apart, something like gold might pick up the slack.
But, on the other hand, gold by itself can’t help you survive. “You can’t eat gold” is a common saying on the other side of the debate, and I can’t disagree.
I would argue though, that it depends on how severe the collapse is. If we’re talking about an economic collapse, I believe gold will become very valuable. After the Greek economy contracted several years ago, gold was being sold on the streets of Athens for more than double its spot price.
However, if we’re facing a truly devastating event, something that may kill millions and take decades recover from like a nuclear war or an EMP strike, then things like gold may go on the back burner for a while. It’ll still have some value, but when survival consumes your every thought, your priorities tend to change.
So if you want an idea of what items may be used as currency when the grid goes down, it would be wise to look into history to see what our ancestors used for bartering. These people lived their entire lives with a standard of living that was far lower than ours, and the commodities they prized were essential to their survival. If you want to call yourself “rich” after the collapse, here’s what you can look forward to accumulating.
Salt
Water often gets all the praise for being so essential to our survival, while salt gets to play second fiddle. In reality, salt is almost as important to our well-being as food and water. Nowadays salt can be had for a few dollars, but there was a time when it was worth its weight in gold, and was used as currency to pay Roman Soldiers. Not only was it valued for its health benefits, but it could be used to preserve food and cleanse wounds. Anywhere in the United States that is far away from the ocean will probably see the price of salt skyrocket after the collapse.
Fur pelts
During the Middle Ages, squirrel pelts became a common unit of exchange among the lower classes in Russia, and the Czarist government sometimes demanded their taxes be paid in pelts. In Finland the term for money (raha) used to be synonymous with “squirrel skin”, a throwback to when pelts were used as legal tender. And in the colonial New England, beaver pelts became so prized that they could be used in lieu of money.
There’s really no mystery behind this. While clothing is relatively cheap nowadays, before the industrial revolution a good jacket could set you back. And in places like Canada, New England, and Northern Europe, the clothes you wore were a matter of survival. So holding a handful of beaver pelts might as well have been a wad of cash.
Tobacco
While tobacco has likely been used for trade among Native Americans for centuries before the Europeans arrived, by the 17th century it was practically an official currency of colonial America. In modern times, it’s frequently used as currency in American prisons, and its portability and addictive nature makes tobacco a hot commodity almost anywhere in the world. After the collapse, it would be safe to assume that a pack of cigarettes will go a long way in any barter situation.
Knives
One of the strangest stories in the history of currency, involves a prince from ancient China. He was running low on funds for his army, and gave his soldiers permission to trade their knives with the local villagers for supplies. The knives became so popular among the people, that it soon became a standard form of payment for the next 400 years.
It’s easy to see why. Knives fit the profile of a good currency. They are portable, durable, and they have intrinsic value(especially for a population that is struggling to survive). It wouldn’t be surprising to see knives become a part of everyday transactions after the collapse.
Alcohol
During America’s colonial period, it was common practice to reward slaves with alcohol. However, even free men expected more than just pennies and silver for their hard work. Paying laborers beer in addition to money was considered customary.
However, if the grid goes down tomorrow it’s the hard stuff that would become highly sought after. It has a much higher shelf life than most beers, and is far more useful. Liquor can be easily rendered to its purest state, where it can then be used for fuel, food preservation, and for disinfecting wounds. In addition, alcohol is fairly portable, divisible, and durable, making it a great stand-in for modern currency.
Herbs and Spices
Much like salt, peppercorns used to be far more far more valuable than they are today, and were used as currency for centuries. No matter where you were in the known world, having a sack full of pepper could buy shelter, clothes, and food.
In South America, Cocoa beans were frequently used in trade, and cultivation of the plant was often suppressed by the Spanish to keep its price high. And in China, tea leaves were usually compressed into bricks which made them far more durable for long distance trading with their neighbors.
However, these items aren’t as valuable in modern times, and few would argue that these plants are essential to human survival. They are mere luxuries. If our modern world were to fall apart though, there is one plant that will likely become an essential part of everyday trading. That plant is marijuana.
Not only has it been recognized for it’s medicinal and pain relieving properties, but its hemp fibers can be used to make rope, clothing, paper, and fuel; and the seeds can be eaten for their protein. In Colonial times, hemp was so important to the British government that farmers were forced to set aside a small percentage of their farms for growing it. The plant was so valuable that it could be used to pay to your taxes. So if there’s one item on this list that may end up being the survival currency of the future, then I suspect marijuana is the strongest contender
Resources:
The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster
The Pantry Primer: How to Build a One Year Food Supply in Three Months
How to Build a 30 Day Food Supply…Fast
The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse
Prepper’s Home Defense: Security Strategies to Protect Your Family by Any Means Necessary
Delivered by The Daily Sheeple
Joshua Krause is a reporter, writer and researcher at The Daily Sheeple. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a freelance writer and author. You can follow Joshua’s reports at Facebook or on his personal Twitter. Joshua’s website is Strange Danger .
Alcohol and salt I can most easily understand… though a lot of these items will depend on region.
For instance, salt will be kind of worthless on either coast – a bucket of ocean water can be boiled down to provide a tablespoon of salt (or just use the stuff directly as a brine, since preservation is what salt is primarily used for.)
Some things I didn’t see on the list that would make sense as high-value items:
* Certain metals, such as aluminum, and copper. These metals are incredibly hard to refine from ore if you don’t have electricity or sufficient chemicals.
* Gunpowder. In the long run (10-15 years post-TEOTWAWKI), smokeless powder will be rare beyond belief, and the old-fashioned stuff relies on one ingredient that’s going to be hard and/or time-consuming to make.
* Coffee. Unless you’ve bugged out to Central/South America, you’re not going to see any after awhile, and substitutes are going to be hard to find/grow/make.
* Sugar. While easier to grow than coffee (maple sap, sugar beets, sorghum, etc), it’s still going to require a lot of plant product to make enough for even a cake, let alone a 5-lb bag of the stuff.
There’s lots of other stuff, but that comes up with only five minutes of thought.
You’re right on about the coffee, but maybe not so much about the rest. Metals would only be useful for craftsmen. The average person will not know what to do with a spool of copper wire.
Smokeless powder may become rarer as time goes on, but there are decades worth of ammunition stored up. Unless we enter a full blown mad max apocalypse, it’s unlikely that we’ll burn through it in a century. How many of us are still shooting surplus stuff from the 60s? Even then, it’s more likely people will take to crude weapons like crossbows and machetes before turning towards blackpowder. Besides it’s not gunpowder that’s going to be hard to acquire, it’s the flints or caps.
Sugar will not be as big of a deal if you are near US sugar producers. People will just do without or turn towards easier to acquire sources like fruit and honey.
If you want something very valuable then go for chocolate. Impossible to grow in the states and will be a major comfort/decadence food. Just make sure to pack them well in mylar.
Coffee is CHEAP right now at Wally World. Buy some. Coffee, sugar, and salt are good barter items, but save your spices. Coffee also has many important health benefits, especially if you can drink it black, so I wouldn’t be trading it either.
Sugar is death, but the sheeple will kill for it. Trade yours.
Spices are very high in antioxidants and phyto chemicals that are essential for your good health. Never sell or barter theses items unless you grow them and grow them in quantity. Your health is priceless and will be more difficult to maintain when stress levels are very high in SHTF.
Gold is for a store of your EXCESS wealth through the Changes that are coming. It should not be used for barter or purchase. That is what junk silver and silver rounds are for.
Finally, concentrate on food and ammo; not barter items. If you are purchasing items for barter rather than survival; you have missed the point entirely. 🙁
…or you’re full up on survival items…
You can throw all that crap away…. if it is truly a complete collapse, it will be brass and lead in the form of ammunition that will be the most valuable commodity. All of the list above is something that would eventually become more valuable years down the road assuming things didn’t get back on track. Brass and lead will be the ultimate currency.
Brass is useless unless you have primers, a press, a gun that’s chambered for it, a means of cleaning the brass, powder to put into it, etc.
Lead is a bit more useful; well, it would be if you had a muzzleloader, or if you have bullet molds (again, right size/shape, etc).
Exactly- check out the show Revolution. Post SHTF show and really great sword fighting in addition to the gun fights. (how we return to primitive weaponry after SHTF)
While there may be decades worth of stored ammo- how does one get into a military armory with a stick? I highly doubt most people would have the tools and the know how to get into the stores of the military after SHTF.
Odd Questioner, “”””Certain metals, such as aluminum, and copper. These metals are incredibly hard to refine from ore if you don’t have electricity or sufficient chemicals.””””
now is a good time to put away a few hundred dollars worth of pre 82 pennies for their copper content,, 95% copper compared to after late 82 which are 95% zinc and worthless.
Same shit, new day…
2 Questions for Religious Folks this Holiday Season.
1. How Old is the Earth?
2. Did you buy your wife a Diamond ring to celebrate your marriage?
If you could answer these 2 questions please. Thx.
To the 26+ People who RED THUMBED MY POST ABOVE. The Answer to the Questions, that are most commonly answered by Religious folks, is that the earth is only about 5000 to 6000 Years old at the very most, because the Bible and their religions tell them so.
However the facts are, is that nice Diamond Ring on your Wife’s Finger, if it is a real natural diamond, is 1 billion to 3.3 billion years old or (25% to 75% of the age of the Earth.
Source: Wikipedia
Most natural diamonds are formed at high temperature and pressure at depths of 140 to 190 kilometers (87 to 118 mi) in the Earth’s mantle. Carbon-containing minerals provide the carbon source, and the growth occurs over periods from 1 billion to 3.3 billion years (25% to 75% of the age of the Earth). Diamonds are brought close to the Earth’s surface through deep volcanic eruptions by a magma, which cools into igneous rocks known as kimberlites and lamproites.
**I hope by you getting the Real Facts of the truth, vs. what you are preached to or told to believe. There is a distinctly clear difference. And if you don’t believe me or Wikipedia, take your wife’s diamond to the certified Gemologist, and ask them the approximate age of your wife’s diamond.
I would also then go ask your Minister or Priest what he thinks the age of your wife’s diamond is? I find it Utterly Amazing how many people love to be lied to.
So bottom line, do you like Facts and the Real Truth?? Or to be Lied to? At least 26+ Red Thumbers above like to be lied to. Thanks for playing!!!
A better issue is how can we track tree rings back over 10,000 years. There are a number of things that have been alive longer than 5-6,000 years. But let people believe what they want. as long as it doesn’t rain on your picnic who cares. As WC Fields said: Everyone has to believe in something; I believe I’ll have another drink”.
I do not know or really care how old the Earth or Universe is. I will not be judged on that when I die and stand before the Almighty on why I should go to Heaven. Nobody but the Almighty God was their when it was created so I will find out someday. Several things that are used to date fossils and things are based on assumptions and that rates of decay of elements have remained steady over a period of time. For instance, soft tissue preserved in a perfect enviroment may last a million years at best before it breaks down but a T-rex fossil has been found to contain red blood cells and thier have been several finds of soft tissue on dinosoar bones. All I can say is that I know who created it and that is good enough for me.
AMEN!
WWTI:
I didn’t have to go to wiki for the answer to your questions. I have a better source, the Bible.
It tells you the earth is much, much older than the supposed 6,000 years. Even dinosaurs are listed there. Can’t help what todays teacher/preachers tell their congregations; people should do their own Bible research.
They could start with the “apple” crock they have been taught and go from there. The truth is there for anyone who ants to spend some quality time finding it.
Using various methods, man has been creating his own diamonds for decades now. Some, depending on the method, are harder and more pure than found diamonds. I would think that blows the whole it takes a long time to make a diamond theory. There are plenty of HPHT(high pressure high temperature) scenarios in nature to produce a diamond in a few hours. I don’t know how old the earth is. Nobody does. Your problem is you believe the lies you support hold more weight than the other ones do. Your real facts are based on faith just as any christians beliefs are. Can you hear that?…the earth is making a diamond right now.
So, you were just looking for an argument on Christmas Eve?
It would appear that way sixpack. To me, personally, I think the earth is probably billions of years old. I also believe there is a God.
My point is, you don’t have to decide in one or the other. I take the words of ANY religious tome with a grain of salt. Whos to say whos teachings are right? Surely not I, and neither is anyone else here. Its a philosophical debate by nature.
At the end of the day, if you have a personal relationship with God, nothing else matters.
Merry Christmas All!
Is a God who is powerful enough to create the universe with his power and his words also not powerful enough to create a mature earth? You have gotten so wrapped up in the “facts” that you have lost sight of the truth. So then how did the world come to be in your world? By chance? That my dear friend takes a bigger stretch of the imagination than believing in an all powerful God. To not believe in God takes much more faith than to believe in him. Today I will worship the Truth who came into the world to die for my sins and yours. I will take his word over that of a scientist because, I don’t know, something tells me he might just be a wee bit smarter than they. Merry Christmas.
Hey Wudda ever consider the universe and everything in it was created in various stages of maturity? Was Adam a full grown man or a baby? Were trees full grown or saplings? think about my friend.
I’m confused. You talk about “facts and the Real Truth” but then quote wikipedia.
You just lost all credibility in my book.
The Earth is old enough to remember. The Earth s old enough to love.
No, I did not buy my wife a diamond ring. Diamonds do not have any real value beyond industrial use and enticing young girl’s.
1. Billions of years old.
2. Actually no – she didn’t want one, but I have no moral/ethical problems with buying a diamond should the desire and excess income arise.
Something you may want to know, though: Catholics comprise the largest single Christian denomination on the planet, and we’re perfectly okay with evolution. 😉
Surely, OQ, you are referring only to modernist (Yes, modernism is a defined heresy) Novus Ordo “Catholics” …even after looking since the 19th century, there is absolutely NO evidence of one species evolving into another species? Sure there is evidence of micro-evolution, one species adapting to different environments, but NO evidence of macro-evolution, one species evolving into another species.
Similarly looking at cosmology since the 19th century, the Michelson Morley results disproved heliocentrism… the General and Special Theories of Relativity contradict each other… and the last several probes of cosmic background microwaves disprove “the Big Bang” and confirm the earth at the center.
Sorry, JQ – but outside of the SSPX, evolution is perfectly okay (even before Vatican II!):
” Early contributions to the development of evolutionary theory were made by Catholic scientists such as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and the Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel. For nearly a century, the papacy offered no authoritative pronouncement on Darwin’s theories. In the 1950 encyclical Humani generis, Pope Pius XII confirmed that there is no intrinsic conflict between Christianity and the theory of evolution, provided that Christians believe that the individual soul is a direct creation by God and not the product of purely material forces. ”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_evolution
OQ
PLease look up Stephe Meyer, author of Darwins Doubt. Evolution theory is dead.
John Q. the depth of your ignorance is only matched by the breadth of your arrogance, which is completely unwarranted by the way. You have set the bar about as far down as it can go when it comes to total lack of scientific understanding. You really should get your money back from whatever trade school you attended because a dimwit like you could barely clean grease traps without some picture book to explain it to you without killing yourself in the process.
One day without your nastiness would be nice.
http://evolutionfacts.com/
Argument over…
Yep if you do not have most things now.
Who is a fault ???? common (CENTS) folks.
If you have not bought items by now.
If you had any doubt about their hatred of Christianity, notice how they violate the Blessed Virgin Mary on Christmas:
http://www.salon.com/2014/12/21/why_rape_is_so_intrinsic_to_religion_partner/
Old ,been doing that for years,find a few rare coins along the way.I also do it with nickels,the final coin the fed just screwed with,plenty of good ones around still.By rolling all my change get a nice find say one/twice a month,the copper clad silver adds up and is what I consider play/fun money,a allowance for whatever I want if enuff there.
Common US Currency Coins are not worth their weight to have to haul around. Unless Pre-1964 Silver or any Gold coins.
I mean if your prepping plan consists of collecting copper pennies, go try to sell them to a scrapper or melt them down, and I highly doubt their value will cover your Bill to Bond or bail you out of your illegal new found metallurgy skills trade.
To be truthful, I don’t like WWTI. He attacks people who are just expressing their opinion and has no tolerance for others. But this comment does not rate so many downs. He has a real point. Having just helped settle an estate, the jugs of copper pennies were far more trouble than value. I admit to having a gallon jug of coins, for no good reason other than I empty my pockets of extra coins and keep all my nickels. My thinking is different; I believe when they ruin the dollar they will introduce new bills worth 10-100 x more and keep the same change. This has been done several times other places. So I hope for good profit.
The era of the wondering Tin smith is long gone, and if TSHF there will be an enormous amount of extra metal around. Just like you won’t have to worry bout finding bones for knife handles, lots every where.
He gets all the red thumbs no matter what he says, for the same reason I do….boooo hoooo.
A lot of childish of age cowards here who just red thumb a post no matter what it says if people don’t like the poster.
People hate when you offend their egos. Here there are a lot of Christians, cop, and military worshippers. Beware where you tread. They will answer with passion rather than logic and that is dangerous.
BJ,
You missed one point about them, they’re ALL big sgt dale fans who just can’t resist sucking law enforcement, at least as long as it’s a white cop anyway.
Hey, if people want to associate themselves with and befriend (albeit on the internet) a statist fuck who intimidates young 8th grade boys in their underwear while tapping his gun to scare them, who violates the rights of 8th grade boys, while running his finger along the inside of their underwear waist bands while behind a wall for privacy all to find some allegedly small amount of money, more power to them……I could give a shit less about anyone who would support that kind of man or any childish red thumb green thumb game they want to play. IMO the thumb thing makes the site look a little childish….but hey, that’s just my opinion.
Part of the reason we red you is this is not your opinion site. Provide useful comment or just go. I for one do not care what you like.
LMFAO……
“this is not your opinion site”
Really? You posted a great OPINION on prepping, which btw I thought (OPINION) was awesome. You post OPINIONS all the time ya dickhead….so does EVERYONE on this site. Newsflash……over 90% of posts on this site are OPINION….who’s site this is irrelevant. Some are good and some not so good depending on who the reader is. And I try to talk prepping and try to post what I think are good/interesting videos. But when the subject of the state comes up (and that includes all that entails along with the state) then I am going to talk about it whether you like it or not. So those like you and renegade braveheart can continue your ridicuous attempt at telling people to leave all you want….it’s actually kind of entertaining to watch someone on the internet tell someone else what to do or where to go.
And when it comes to true law and history, you get into FACT, not OPINION….something you and your statist badge lickin boot suckin friends here know nothing about.
I serve the King and am under His authority only since we no longer have a legitimate government or legitimate true laws.
Paranoid,
So you consider opinions of posters you like as a useful comment and indulge in your little girl game of Facebook ” Am I popular?” nonsense? Grow up for Christ’s sake.
Pardon me, I should have said WHO you like not What. Far to many unprovoked attacks on people for opinions that are not attacks, just personnel choices.
Paranoid,
Thanks for a little clarification there, the “who” does make a little more sense. I still think your piece on “opinion” is ridiculous….but that is JMHO
Paranoid. I have no problem of other people expressing their opinions. I just like the truth and facts and accuracy. This forum is designed to debate these opinions and or facts if you have more honest facts to present. Uninformed people makng unimformed comments that have no basis does not help in gaining any knowledge. Knowledge is power andthe smarter you are will add to your success to survival. Counting on some magical character to fly out of the sky to rescue or save you is just fantasy. Do you think fantasy is a logical prepping plan? Life if full of choices. I choose not to be duped nor lied to and I will continue to fact check. Btw/ I was raised Lutheran/ Christian and when I became an adult and fact checked, Religion is just one Big Fraud in so many ways it makes me want to puke.
WWTI You arrogant SOB!! If you were so happy with being an atheist you would not attack Christians all the time! I for one do not care about your beliefs but be happy about them vs attack and your arrogant, idiotic attitude to think you are right !!
IMHO, you are so hateful brcause others’ believe diff than you!
A happy person does not attack!
Take it easy lady, he’s entitled to his opinion also, whether or not anybody agrees with him, that’s what makes America different, at least for the time being.
It is not illegal to melt coins. It is only illegal to deface coins with the intent to defraud.
I’ve noticed that of all the people who post here you seem to be the king of ostentatious, ignorant statements. My father always told me that it is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. It is advice you would be well advised to follow.
Ross, one thing you just proved to be a fact is that ignorance is generational. And by the way, your quote is from Mark Twain. Another Athiest. Thanks for playing though.
I will add that Mark Twain also said it is easier to fool a man, than convince him that he has been fooled.
Religion and POG comes to mind when I think of that quote.
Ross, one thing you just proved to be a fact is that ignorance is generational. And by the way, your quote is from Mark Twain. Another Athiest. Thanks for playing though. WWTI
Thats “metalurgical” skills
Quote ~ “The real owners are the big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions. Forget the politicians, they’re an irrelevancy. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the statehouses, the city halls. They’ve got the judges in their back pockets. And they own all the big media companies, so that they control just about all of the news and information you hear. They’ve got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want; they want more for themselves and less for everybody else.” – George Carlin
They can never own your salvation unless you consent (as it appears they’ve already bartered away their own). And that is all that will ever truly matter.
How about things like livestock or seeds? Ammunition?
The first thing you have to decide is what you are prepping for. For every total SHTF there are lots of less significant problems. The sun will go nova just once; and is VERY hard to prep for. You will have lots of flat tires. So start small, for the “normal” things and work up.
First prep for losing your job. That’s likely in lots of SHTF. Then prep for being stuck at home for an extended time, 1-2 weeks, that’s also likely. Then extend the time and conditions, No water, no power, etc. A gun and a small amount of ammo first, more latter. Livestock is a pain and I suggest it only after a lot of other stuff has been done
Very good practical advice
PARANOID , Thats a great post.
In reality livestock aint such a pain , it keeps you busy , at home thus saves money on frivilous hobbies.
Just my take on it.
Like firewood , you get warm cutting it , you get warm splitting it , you get warm haulin it and lastly you get warm burnin it.
Keeping livestock is much the same . IMHO
You feed them well, treat them well and they return the favor many times over.
Goats
Primers
Salt
Shoes and boots
Matches
None of these can be used as a form of money today. To begin, you have to go back to Aristotle’s definition of what money is. It has to be tangible, divisible, portable, fungible and durable. None of those items listed offer a long term store of wealth or meet the basic criteria. The only two solutions are Gold and Silver. The argument of “you can’t eat gold” doesn’t hold water. I can’t eat a dollar bill or a bond either. However Gold and Silver standards are a unit of measurement. It is internationally accepted on a global scale which has been proven historically time and time again. I can barter, buy, sell or trade Gold and Silver anywhere on the planet for the same unit of measurement and value. You can’t say the same is true with a Russian Ruble, the dollar or the Euro. Last, what happens if I have all those things mentioned…salt, fur pelts, tobacco , etc and don’t need anymore. What median of exchange or item do I use if I have nothing else to offer? Case is simple, don’t read into it or try to reinvent the wheel. It isn’t quatum physics or the Pythagorean theorum. Gold and Silver along with some other metals are both currency and money. Always has been, always will be. End of story.
Good comments but no mention of .22LR ammo? Seems to me that it would be extremely valuable after the SHTF. Same for fish hooks and line, needles and thread, vitamins, meds, spices, etc. Honey works well enough as a sugar substitute and lasts for darn-near-ever. We got a bunch of spices recently for $1 a 5-oz. plastic bottle. Chili powder, garlic salt, black and red pepper, and onion powder will be in demand. And what about tampons and other personal care products? All good for bartering.
I think a couple cases of .22 ammo would be more valuable than most of the items mentioned. A few .22 rounds could be coin of the relm.
Also other common calibers, .223/5.56, 7.62×39, .308, 9mm, .40, .45 and 12ga.
Sugar, salt, wheat store forever and are good barter items.
.22 rounds thank god there plentiful here. litterly i can go to my local canadian tire store and buy 5 gal pails of it little pricy but 22 never goes out of style excellent caliber. my ol man often told me stories about poaching deer back in the 1930s just gotta be good with em and no excuse not to be.
This may sound odd (s’cuse the pun), but I always wondered what the value was in giving anyone ammunition – at least outside of a bonafide emergency where you;re giving it to someone helping to defend you and yours…
Also, there is way too much room for fraud in there: Disassemble bullet, replace powder with a sufficient amount of dirt, and voila’ – easy money. You now have usable gunpowder from the cartridges, and the sucker will either be long gone, or at worst won’t have usable ammunition with which to dispute the quality of the counterfeit goods.
In all honesty, a savvy survivor would never buy the stuff without at least some sort of test (grab a random bullet out of what you’re buying, test it in your gun) before payment. A smarter one wouldn’t even bother.
I would never give anyone anything that could be used against me unless I treated them like Barney Fife and gave them one bullet to hunt with, they could use it on me and starve or they could go kill a rabbit.
Long pig even thin and bony will dress out to more edibles then a rabbit,well,assuming rabbits don’t become giants to to the fallout of nuke war anyhow!
I also don’t think I’ll be bartering with knives, as suggested in the article…
Ammo is never money.
If you ever have to trade with ammo, it is only the projectile part of it that you trade, as it is exiting your muzzle toward them.
Nobama, Lots of Morons here today sucking on their Red Thumbs. I take it as a Badge of honor. They love to remain ignorant and belied to. And when SHTF – Ignorant people will be the first to die. Huddled like sheep in a corner clinging to their Babbles looking to be rescued by Jebus.
Even tho I stuck up for you above; you are still an egotistical ass; With you attitude you are unlikely to last 24 hours. Everyone will decide you need culling from the tree of life.
funny thing is you get along with and talk to the same guy under one of his other names. its happening a lot here the last year here.
pay attention people
YUP
your not immune, been happenin to you 2
I reply to what people say. I don’t care what they say under another name. I also have a “Nom de garre”(Spelling?) but it’s never seen here and won’t be. A few know it, but none here.; There is no such thing as OPSEC here.
Good Luck. Game On. Religious people are predictible. I know where you are every Sunday. Just saying. And yes I occasionally post unfer different names and get mostly thumbs up. Proving thumb suckers dont judge the content and like to click on thumbs for the flashy color graphics. Very childish. I don’t need anybody sticking up for me. I would rather my content speak for itself. , cause I like to stick to facts rather than emotional arguments.
WWTI, I’ll make sure I keep my guns to protect myself from pricks like you. Although you’ve made some good posts on certain subjects and we do have some common ground on certain subjects, the way you behave toward other people is all wrong. If you’re looking for morons, go to the MSM sites where that’s all you’ll find.
bravefart,
Sometimes you’re a dick. Sometimes you’re not.
Name anyone you know that’s Never a dick. If you can name one, I’ll know you lie also.
Or worse, they could salt the ammo and make them dangerous to use! Plenty of governments and even our own has done this against their enemies. Only barter ammo with people you trust.
“salt the ammo and make them dangerous to use”
Please explain.
During Vietnam, we had SOG units boobytrap cases of Chinese ammo to make the North Vietnamese distrust Chinese munitions. They would replace one round out of a case with one where the gunpowder had been replaced with C4. It would explode, wounding or killing the user. The low number of rounds tampered with made them blame the Chinese manufacturers, not sabotage.
add a few hundred pounds of each white rice and dry beans with lots of different seasonings.
Both honey & cayenne pepper sauce have a long self life & are perfect additions to rice & beans.
With AMMO you can acquire all the rest of the items listed above and more. Just saying..
Not if the ones you are trading with also have ammo. Just saying
No worry JimB, it will be a quick transaction at about 3200 FPS. I Promise you won’t dispute the trade.
OK, you keep thinking that.
“With AMMO you can acquire all the rest of the items listed above and more.”
…inly unti the easy pickings are stripped – then what?
I can’t argue much about this article except to say anything someone wants and you have is currency.personally I don’t go overboard with the silver but id say anything that can directly feed you will be valuable in the short and lo.g term ie bullets small animal traps in lieu of direct food exchange.
“In Zeus We Trust” ~ “In God We Trust” ~ And how’d that work out for ya?
I Trust Myself and My Best Friend Called “Karma.”
Red Thumb Sucking Trolls out there today. So what did we learn today about the thumbs program? Yes not one coward comes forth to argue or dispute my comment, so it stands as correct. The laziness is rampant.
Again, keep thinking that.
I’ll bet Mac knows who’s all sucking on the red thumbs today. If he traced the IPs they’ll probably originate from Israel, or churches. Lots of religious zombies online today.
Nobama, are you related to WWTI by chance? What is your problem?
No problem bravefart, I guess we just see common ground with reality and dispense with the BS.
You dont have to be an antichrist jew to red thumb WWTI.
No, you just have to be someone who does not care to engage in a shit-slinging, name-calling argument about nothing important.
I answered above, so as usual your comment is invalid. But I’m retired, most people haven’t the time to argue with children or the wind.
quite an obvious list, but that crap wont get you much…
think of things that people are dependent on, like coffee and drugs/pills.
you’d probably get quite a bit of sh1t for a little baggie of dope.
if you really want to survive what’s coming, get as far away from dope and dope users as you can, they’ll only drag you down eventually.
nothing is coming, man ppl are so paranoid…
but in case something did…dope will get you a lot of valuable goods.
i’m no dope-head, but i’ve known many and known plenty who would give or do pretty much anything to get some.
drugs as in also, medicine…the ones who clean out a pharmacy first in a shtf, wins.
shtf or not, businesses make money by selling products that people need.
no one is always gonna need furs and herbs(unless it’s the smoking kind 😉 )
Dopers become great cocksuckers when they’re down and desperate.
Karmageddon, I have nothing against pot heads, but I do know that people with an addiction can’t be trusted when they need a fix, booze or drugs, I just wouldn’t take a chance of being sold out for a joint.
maybe nothing will ever come, but with an 18 trillion dollar debt and climbing plus 123 trillion in unfunded liabilities, smart people are getting prepared for some real bad times coming down the tracks. I hope nothing ever happens and at my age I probably will not see it anyway but I spend every minute preparing my family just in case..
Our house probably will never burn, but we have the insurance anyway.
@ old70 Agreed! Junkies seldom ever have anything of value to offer in exchange for their fix or they’d already have their poison. Excluding pain meds most drugs are a poor barter item.
MaryJ an be used as a pain killer by putting it on a wound. Don’t recommend it but that’s life.
while this is true…they could make some good lackies, and as nobama mentioned, other favors can be aquired.
bein a pimp with drugs, you could technically live like a king in shtf. it would be a dark under world…but i doubt shtf will be all sunshine and daisies anyways.
C’mon old70…yer harshin’ my buzz.
JRS, LMAO
Aint heard that phrase in a few decades !
chemistry is key – making explosives, fuels, herbal homeopathic medicines, oil tinctures and poisons will be my money.
pk
stock up on stump killer and sulfur now, you can always make charcoal
thank you @old70
good to know.
http://explosives.wonderhowto.com/how-to/make-homemade-black-powder-without-sulfur-234786/
Watch the video……..you don’t need sulfur 🙂
The three classic ingredients are sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate (saltpeter).
You can get by without sulfur, and charcoal is relatively easy to make in quantity… it’s that third ingredient that’s damned hard to make, and is going to be fairly scarce, even in its natural state (e.g. guano).
Essential oils are excellent, especially for viral infections. I use them now, far better than overused antibiotics and the overused snake oil that big pharma calls drugs. Unfortunately, most essential oils don’t have a long shelf life. The ability to grow them and extraction may be of extremely high value.
GM—
Excellent point!
..which ties in w/ my belief that an overlooked currency, per a collapse…is knowledge!
Hence, Merry Christmas to all here..see the 2 pdf files below:
ht tps://buelahman.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/wild-edibles.pdf
ht tps://buelahman.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/1881_household_cyclopedia.pdf
————————
Enjoy..& GOD’s blessings to everyone..
Lavender oil is high on the list (bites, burns, cuts…). You can get a big 4 oz. bottle for @$22 on Amazon lately
Thats where my heads at,
We have castor beans,,, tons of em,
makes a nice lamp oil from pressing them and the byproduct can be cooked into Ricin, not something you want to inhale or eat,,,
Bar Soap and Toothpaste are compact and easy to store. They store for a very long time. TP is bulky but you should store it for yourself. Life without TP really sucks.
LOL. If you need TP then that means your eating. How bad can things really be?
We use crystal for deodorant and I found that it is not only healthier but works better. I am a heavy sweater from 70 degrees on up and that stuff works better than any actual deodorant I’ve ever tried AND it lasts a long time. One large one will last me 1.5 years or longer, so I store 2 of them at all times. I also have 3.5 years of toothpaste…doesn’t take that much space. My goal is to have 3.5 years worth of everything storable eventually.
Crystal? Explain please. First I heard of this.
All Natural Protection
CRYSTAL
Body Deodorant Stick
No Aluminum Chlorohydrate
Hypoallergenic
Fragrance and Paraben Free
That is what it says on the face.
In Michigan 3 years ago we only found them in health stores like GNC. Now here in Illinois we are seeing them in Walgreens and even a Walmart or two.
When wife first bought in 2011, I was a serious skeptic and was stubborn to even try. Then I did and was amazed at how well it worked…..plus it is all natural. One thing I have found though….put it on when arm pit is still wet enough but not too wet. Too wet or not wet enough and I noticed that I stunk later in the day. But when I figured out how wet the armpit needed to be (as funny as that sounds) it worked better than any deodorant I had ever used. It comes in roll on, spray or stone. I use the stone and they last a really long time. They are only $1.79 for a small one, like the one I am using now and have been for over 6 months, and I have 2/3 left. So actually I think the large ones ($5-$6) I have stored would last longer than 1.5 years by quite a bit.
Brigade-Quartermasters dot com…have carried such…for years!
..old school soldiers..don’t miss much!
What do you mean by “crystal” for deodorant. What exactly is crystal?
I have tried the crystal deodorant before and it was not that good. What I store and use is baking soda. Mix a small jar of baking soda with enough colloidial silver to make a paste and use a cotton pad to apply. This works better than anything guaranteed! Besides being made from 2 things you need to have in your preps anyway. Baking soda has hundreds of uses (stopping heartburn, cleaning, nuetralizing acid, nuetralizing odors, etc.) The same mixture will cure athletes foot and stop foot odors. Colloidial silver is a great anti viral/bacterial and is cheap to make yourself. Be sure to add baking soda to the list above in your preps, it is cheap and very useful. Sugar is also great for trading or to make alcohol and fuel. You can buy a 5 gallon complete still setup on ebay for 200 bux. That includes mash pot, thump keg, worm keg, all piping. Also stock some tampons as they are good for boolit wounds and large puncture wounds. Sugar can also be used as a clotting agent. I could go on all day but I havent had my coffee lol 🙂
Everyone’s body chemistry is different, so that must be why it works better for me than any thing else and maybe not for someone else. I know one thing for sure….I couldn’t handle pasty junk on me. One of the things I love about the crystal stone is that it is like nothing is there, yet I know there is due to how heavy I sweat and the lack of “stink.”
Lead is the only precious metal that actually increases in value as you give it away. I’ll go with that.
I think GOLD will be almost priceless when TSHTF. Because there HAS to be a valid reason why Russia; China; and India are importing TONS of Gold into their reserves. Maybe they know something the vast majority of Americans don’t; and can actually see whats coming in the not too distant future?
Fiat currencies historically never last more than 40 years & it is believed that China is preparing to back their currency with gold.
Ol 70 you got a recipe
go to U-tube and type in Making black powder.
Or better yet just go to skylighter.com and get everything you need to make it.
Stock up on frends and neighbours who can be trusted and who have skills.
Learning to make a nice soft non abrasive toilet paper from natural products would be a great business
in the post apocalypse
Make it from bibles.
Do not stock toilet paper or worry about making some. It is a one time use item that literally gets flushed down the toilet.
Prepare cloth pieces now for that use and store them. They are soft, and reusable.
Cloth diapers cut into squares are ideal. They last for years. My mother kept the diapers I used when I was little and used them for my siblings until almost 20 years later. Then she used them for other things. Use the diaper squares and toss them into a diaper pail just as in the old days.
Yup.
I haven’t understood the whole concern or time to talk about TP for a while now when the answer is so wonderfully easy and obvious.
Scott Paper says the average person uses 16,000 squares a year. No doubt you can get by on less. No possible way I’m going to wash diapers for $10 per year. No way I’m going to collect leaves for the first year or two for $20.
Just be sure you dont mistake your buttcloth for your hankerchief 🙂
*buttkerchief
I think if you made enough they could last a long time. And for me it isn’t as much the money as it is the space to store enough TP. @ 16,000 sheets per person a year x 7 x 3.5 = 392,000 ain’t no way! Plus out of 7, 5 are women….nope, not storing TP.
Non-Electric Mechanical Bidet:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KKRCFA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That is awesome 🙂
Actually even your number is only 400 rolls. That’s a long way from impossible. Especially considering it stores in any place that’s dry. I stored 38 rolls in the attic for nearly 30 years, kept just fine. If you are bugging out it’s a problem. But saving time and effort trying to do without it’s a great idea. I keep enough for a year and it’s on my last item list.
Surprised that in 30 years mice didn’t make a lot of beds from that TP.
something no one is mentioning is a few good prs of shoes, not Walmart sneakers but good shoes-boots. I prefer Carolina log walkers, water proof and insulated, no steel toes. during the last depression, shoes were hard to come by, even in the forties, post WW2 early fiftys, they weren’t scarce but many people couldn’t afford them. one pr a yr or maybe every two yrs. Cow manure was rough on them.
Cow manure rough on em?Well,stop standing in cow manure!
shoes in those days were real rubber and real leather and it was impossible to milk twice a day and clean the barn without stepping in a little shit. today the chores can be done in a tux without getting dirty.
Old70 – I would agree with you on this one. Get at least 2 or more good pairs of hiking boots. Buy as much foot ware you can buy for the next 10 to 15 years. Also get several pairs of rubber boots, calf -knee high and hip boots. Wetness kills, and you can be sure you will be walking and crossing creeks and streams, for hunting or taking short cuts to the General store. Also get at least a dozen pair of good wool socks calf high. Go break your hiking boots in and also your feet, and pick up some mole skin for new blisters that may form. Know all of your gear and make sure you are comfortable in them.
Don’t forget to add extra shoe laces and sole inserts. I always wear out the original inserts and laces before the shoes themselves.
GR
@Ghost Ryder….Good tips for some of the little things that we easily 4get….I actually did put insoles in the boys stockings this Christmas…..always looking for ‘stuff’ that they can use!
On a different note, thought I blew up my stove last night….most of you will get a chuckle out of my ‘Christmas story’……
I put eggs on to boil for devilled eggs….but got a phone call, and 4got the eggs till I heard a ‘bang’ in the kitchen…..got cold water on them real quick….and other than a few cracked eggs, they seemed to be in ‘tact’…..but just then I saw a ‘flash’ coming out of the top of the stove(where the fuse is) well I guess what happened was the steam from the (over boiled) eggs got into the clock/timer and shorted out the rest of the stove ……also the Christmas tree lights…..but the funny thing was that every time I tried the front burner on the stove, the Christmas lights would come back on??weird or what??
All was saved this morning when my son (who is an electrican and electronic specialist…)got here and did ‘something’?? and now everything works as it should!! whew! I guess that is called ‘Murphey’s Law’…I’m glad I didn’t panic…..The big ole Butter Ball will now get cooked for sure!! Thank you Lord! You all have a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family! take care, CC.
If you are out of laces though, cordage both bought and natural made, would work as well.
A 500 ft roll of paracord is another item to have stored, there’s plenty of it right now with free shipping.
Also some good bank line
550 paracord will make a lot of spare laces. And has a million other uses. Good to have items that have multiple uses and are cheap.
Pelts? Flintstones, meet the Flintstones, have a dabba, dabba do time….WTH? You can barter just about anything that someone else thinks/feel they need.
This article seems to be based on old timey stuff, it doesn’t take into consideration mechanization, electrification, the tons of machinery for various purposes. It would be all too easy, in todays world, to quickly replace the previous debt based currency with a non-debt symbolic currency. That’s what Hitler did that created an economic turn-around, and Newsweek magazine made him man of the year for it, don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of Hitler. But the owners of the debt-based system aren’t going to give it up easily. The worst thing about it is, the way these bank-sters at the top seem to think, is that anything you buy with federal reserve notes is really the property of the owners of the federal reserve, if FRN’s are ‘loaned’ for use as money. Think of it this way, if someone loans you money and you buy a car with it, and you don’t pay them back, they can claim ownership of the car, especially if said loan is documented. That would be a good reason for them to replace the police who answer to local authority, with the military that answers to the owned politicians. That would make mass confiscation of wealth to keep their system going easier.
Knowledge and skills. Most portable form of wealth there is or can ever be.
There are numerous underground salt mines away from the coast. There’s a huge one under Detroit. Figuring out how to exploit them without electricity will be interesting.
Also salt wells. The Chinese were getting salt from wells before the time of Christ.
Metals. Iron and steel, yes. Can be worked with blacksmith tools to make a vast array of useful implements and weapons. If the knowledge of what alloys were used for car parts survives, parts like axles and gears will be very valuable to any smith.
Borax. Used as flux for forge welding iron and steel. Every smith will need it.
Charcoal! Has a myriad of uses, from heating a forge to clarifying water to brushing your teeth. (Don’t do that with modern briquettes.) Hard work to make charcoal, but anyone who does it makes portable wealth.
Salt… I grew some salt a few months ago. Boil water and add table salt ’til it quits dissolving and heat just before a boil, then pour into a cookie sheet and leave for a few days and you’ll see crystals growing. When all the water’s gone, grind it up and you’ve got salt (more than you started with).
BH – Wouldn’t the fuel required to boil water exceed the value of the potential salt increase?
YBY,
That depends on how expendable ones fuel source is.
Old, charcoal is NOT hard to make….leave it to an engineer to over complicate something.
Your normalcy bias betrays you. Easy if you’ve already got a retort and the fuel. In which case TSHTF yet. Try doing it by going into the woods with an axe and shovel, as you would after TEOTWAWKI. Bet you don’t even know how….
At some point after the economic collapse, the countries currency will be re-issued. This is when precious metals will be most valuable … buying new currency.
I wouldn’t give up any PM’s for paper currency for sure.
Off topic, anyone know the best way to trap a mink, ones been getting my ducks, the live traps not working. Thanks.
you’re lucky, I saw a mink on my property last summer for the first time is over 60 yrs..if you can, try a ducks head in the trap or a rabbits leg.
Thanks 70. Never seen one here, been scarce around here for thirty years. Tricky little buggers!
Pick up a good set of several dozen animal traps. Conibears 220’s and 330’s, a set of good snares and a few live animal traps, you can keep the animal in live, until you are ready dress them out and eat them.
I would also highly suggest getting a good Pellet Gun .177 Break Barrel cocking type and NOT the C02 cartridge type.
These high powered pellet Rifles can shoot 1200 FPS for about $150.00 and $200 for 1400 FPS. Enough to take down a wild pig. They are super quiet and the Ammo is cheap and light weight. There are many types of Pellet Ammo,some more accurate than others, look up the ballistics of Pellet Ammo.
Also have several Knives, one with a sharp gut hook and for dressing out small animals; a fillet knife for fish cleaning and a larger Full Tang sheath knife for procuring fire wood, carving, etc.
Thanks WWHTI, been thinking about getting one of those pellet guns for varmints around here. Honey says steel traps too, I’ve got live traps and get possums and rabbits, but the fox was too tricky and now the mink, I don’t like steel traps cause I’m a little scared of em, but think I’m gonna have to overcome it, I like my birds!
I can see the pd from my back yard. We use a pellet rifle 1400fps to take care of varmints that try to get at the garden and chickens. We got a very “big bird” that was trying to catch a chicken, 2 coons and a gofer this year. And no one is the wiser for it. Highly recommended.
While the break barrel pellet guns re much quieter than a regular rifle or pistol, they are far from being super quiet. They are about twice as loud as the Daisy pump action I used to use. They are extremely accurate with the standard scope, and I’ve killed dozens of squirrels, rabbits, and a few raccoons, often with only one shot.
Yes MommaD- Looking for a quieter Pellet Gun? – Try the Gamo Whisper Silent Cat which you can find for about $150. It comes with a (legal) silencer and scope. I upgraded the scope and zeroed it in and can put a pellet in the circle the size of a dime just 25 yards away with the scope. It works too, I took out a nasty big Black Crow -head shot at about 20 yrds away. dropped it. They have a hundred yard range with practice. A whole lot quieter than a .22 for pests, barn rats, varmints, or hunting food like rabbits, birds, raccoon, etc. Check out Youtube Vids Pellet guns killing wild pigs.
Got one of these for the wife and zeroed the scope and she bullzeyed the first shot at 25 yds. She likes it a lot except the cocking and only being a single shot. But Cross fit is changing the cocking part.
Been collecting knives (both fixed blades & folders) & precision air rifles for nearly 40 years. Avoid the cheap Chinese crap. Archery is quiet & is always a great alternative. A surplus supply (especially the arrows) makes for excellent barter.
Recently bought myself a compound bow with a bowfishing kit. Sometimes fish wont bite but if you can see ’em you have a good chance of getting a feed.
Also, a good quality air rifle is well worth having. Pellets are cheap but easy to make in any case. Mine is 22 cal and I made up a little mould on a lathe that makes my own basic flat tipped pellets. I then form them in a die I made myself to suit a Rockchucker press. I believe pellet moulds and dies are commercially available too. For a “springer” air rifle theonly spares you will ever need is a spare barrel washer, plunger washer and mainspring. My 2 are German made Diana 52’s, are side levers and send a pellet out at 1,000fps and is quieter than a suppressed 22 rimfire. Will take rabbits and birds/ducks out to 25/30 yards easily.
Aussie
good old fashioned jack magazines. these youngsters today have become so spoiled what with all their free digital porn on the internet. in a true grid-down situation what will YOUR loved ones beat off to? and you thought you were a prepper. stockpile old copies of Juggs and Hustler now. a couple weeks without my computer and I would DEFINITELY trade you an MRE for a 1977 Playboy. ahhh, memories….
merry xmas
pig!
Pay for poor sluggo!
Pray
A pig he may be, but the idea is pretty solid, and it is based on this:
The biggest profit-makers are vices.
Alcohol, Marijuana, Porn mags… all of these are vices. Of the three, which is the least likely to have someone following you home discreetly to help themselves to your stash?
Dear Sluggo, Put Your money where your mouth is! I have a 1977 issue of Playboy and I will trade You for an MRE!
PS- be advised- the pages are all stuck together!
Dear sluggo,
You left all your Playboys behind when you cut out. Please pay your back child support for sluggo jr.
luv, Nancy
Alternative currency,tis a easy on,Federal ammo and Goldfish crackers of course!
Ummmm, I don’t see AMMO on that list. Seriously??
some things are best not talked about in front of the kids.
don’t trade things to people that they can turn around and kill you with… just sayin’
I would think a nice packed column reflux still would be worth its weight in gold .
You can make fuel , antiseptic and booze.
Make sure that it has a copper column at the very least alot of the stills out there are all stainless and wont filter harmful chemicals , only copper will .
Also, shoes, clothing, and seeds not on the list. Something to think about…..
Shoes & clothing for your BOB are fine, but as a barter item they’re pretty much worthless unless the person your bartering with is your size.
Liberty John
Shoes? So right! How many people will arrive on someone’s door or BOL with only the shoes they are wearing?
Harsh climates equal frostbite or a foot full of splinters – care to walk around Arizona amongst the cactus in bare feet? Or steep rocky mountains?
Aussie
Not necessarily – most folks can get by with wearing shoes one size larger or a half-size smaller without any real interference or discomfort. Anything larger than one size up can be compensated for with layers of socks if it comes to it.
Thought provoking article…..I tend to prep in priority of worst case scenarios. Consider Maslows Hierarchy….air, water, food, etc…. You must be able to breathe first. Gas masks and filters. You may need to defend yourself if you are still breathing. If you can breath and defend yourself, you will soon need water. Then food, shelter, on and on. Point is, all these things would have value depending on the severity and sequence of any evolving scenario. God Bless..Merry Christmas everyone.
lighters,batteries(rechargable)
1. Salt
Some salt is good, but for curing meat is not the best. Pure salt will preserve the meat, but to cure it you need more. Pure salt will eventually preserve your meat but it will be too salty to eat. You need to store up some meat cure. It contains nitrates and nitrites that actually do the curing. You can buy them separate, but if you put too much in the meat could be toxic.
I have enough Morton cure put up to cure around a thousand lbs of meat. I use it when I make jerky and have experimented with bacon. The bacon was a tad salty for me, so I need to try some more. You should try now so you can know how to do it when SHTF.
I have some hypodermic injectors that I am going to use to inject the cure in a fresh pork shoulder. This speeds it up and is how the butchers do it. Experiment now while your reefer is still up and running.
Morton has a booklet on home curing from years ago, but I believe you have to pay for it. Here is a lot of info from Mother Earth News on home curing:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/curing-meat-at-home-zmaz73jfzraw.aspx
sheesh…once again link is broken.
I guess you can search it up.
JRS;
Here is a link to Morton (remove the space)
ht tp://www.mortonsalt.com/for-your-home/culinary-salts/meat-curing-methods
Thanks Ghost Rider.
That’s a good link to learn while we still have refrigeration. If and when the juice goes, we will be doing it all when it’s cold outside.
Also, everyone should learn how to field dress an animal. Deer, cattle, rabbits and chickens. Doves and robins, peigons also. This is still a bountiful Nation. People have lost a lot of self sustaining skills, to many rely on the grocery store.
I can dress almost any animal; but those Windsor knots is hard.
So, our ancestors ate meat preserved in salt for 2000+ years, but they all immediately died in agony?
I’m guessing not, though most didn’t eat 2 lbs of meat at every sitting – most were lucky to eat two servings of meat on a given week.
What about tulips? Have you all forgotten the experience with tulips? Once a slam-dunk investment & hedge, tulips will again regain their place among the ‘currencies’ to be recognized when all else falls apart…..remember……TULIPS!
Yea Anne, I do remember the Great Tulip bubble back in the 1600’s (I was there!) I lost everything!!!!
Go Check out Amazon you can buy 50 lighters for $10; I have about 200 lighters now, perfect for barter or fire. throw a dozen of them in each of your families bug out Bags.
You can also take off the metal shield on the top of the lighter and turn the wheel to make the lighter into a torch for emergencies when big winds and you really need to get a fire going. With a Sharpe Marker write torch on that lighter so you don’t burn yourself. It can produce a 10 inch tall flame if you want. You can also clip the metal shield back on the top of the lighter with your Multi-Tool another Must have bug out bag item.
I think those cheapo lighter packs are a decent barter idea- $20 @ Amazon for for 100- with free shipping…
-gotta admit it though- Bics are way more reliable & worth more in a bater. 50 full size for $54, 50 minis for $35
Get a couple 50-packs of small Bic lighters.
They will have much trade value.
You’ll need at least that many because 2/3rds of them won’t work after several years of storage. Know that first hand, been preppin many years now.
Better to have a good old American made Zippo & loighter fluid. It won’t fail you.
+1 for Zippos as well, picked some up used/cheap, they’ll burn other fuel besides lighter fluid in a pinch- get the wick and flint 5/5 pack too, also at Amazon
(I oughta get a kickback from amazon for cryin out loud)
Govt Hoarding Food into Bunkers at Record Levels
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rUAHKorcKlY
sh_t gettin’ real
Ukraine Temporarily Cuts Off Power To Crimea
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-24/ukraine-temporarily-cuts-power-crimea
100 Items to Disappear First
http://www.thepowerhour.com/news/items_disappearfirst.htm
The fur trade may not hold water in a collapse. Russian pelts and American Beaver pelts were used as a fashion statement for the rich. They may make a case for those who don’t have blankets or clothing, mainly desperate people.
The most valuable currency I find in a global collapse are FOOD, FUEL, AMMO, MEDICINES, and LABOR as exchanges. The list here is secondary, although important.
Nuka-Cola caps should be acceptable as currency, lol. 🙂
Hey! Amigos!
WHAT GOVERNMENT OFFICE DO I GO TO SO I CAN GET ALL THESE ITEMS FOR FREE?
ARE INSTRUCTIONS IN SPANISH?
P.S. DON’T LET UP ON THE FREE SNAP CARDS, SECTION 8 HOUSING, FREE MEDICAL/DENTAL/SURGICAL/METAL HEALTH CARE, FREE UTILITIES-HEAT, COOLING, WATER, AND OBAMA PHONES, THE LIST IS ENDLESS.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO PUT IN SOME EXTRA OVERTIME TOMORROW TO HELP PAY FOR YOUR INCOME TAXES COME 4/15/2015. I SURE WON’T BE PAYING ANY! SOMEBODY’S GOT TO DO IT–MAY AS WELL BE YOU ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ FOLKS.
Your Brown Brothers,
/ss/ “Speedy Gonzalez”
Speedy Gonzalez, go suck an egg and go home.
After a collapse who gets to determine the value of Gold? The same banks that got us there? Or Joe Shmo whos got a pile?
The first idiot flashing his Gold coins out in public will be a dead broke idiot, in about 5 seconds flat.
The only free & true market place remaining will determine the value of PM’s. And that is the barter exchange system.
i.e. the bearer of the gold or silver will determine their value by what he’s willing to exchange them for.
Well the bearer can take his gold and silver home and try to eat it…cuz I don’t need it.
With you on that. I personally will never exchange food for PM’s in a post collapse environment.
But it’s still something I can’t use…being a Blacksmith I can draw iron from the dirt and make durable tools. Gold is a neat metal only for the fact that it is soft and easy to work with, plus it adds a bit of “pretty” to piece and even though it doesn’t corrode it’s not very functional. Silver is slightly harder but not much. Also food is the only thing I WOULD trade for PM’s because for me that’s a renewable resource. I can get my food directly from the forest here so charging a pound of gold for a plate of food so I can decorate some tool handles sounds like a good deal to me. The point is that the bearer wont be in as much control over the price as you might think…You need something I have, you have something I can use but don’t really need. I would be more inclined to bury gold and wait for the world to recover. The common man may not be as gullible as you may think.
diesel, diesel and oil when diesel will be finished. It`s really good currency.
The best barter exchange I will have will be colloidal silver. I agree with some other posters that food, alcohol, tobacco, knowledge, and the ability to fabricate things outside of the box will be invaluable barter items.
I have pounds of junk silver and silver eagles. very few gold coins. remember if you need to cut an eagle in half to pay some one, use a chisel and not a hack saw, the filings from a saw add up after a while. I love silver, just waiting and hoping it will drop below fifteen bucks a pd again.
I meant 15 bucks an Oz.
I agree on all this stuff being used for barter I’m no financial guru or any thing like that if people are hoarding supply’s money or gold won’t work not gonna take food out of my kids mouth for gold coins there is always someone trying to make $ off others you need to decide for yourself what is important to you I would feel like a piece of crap if my kids were hungry because of my greed let the new currency establish its self first have an in demand skill that is desperately needed and search for the highest payer just like now this is not wrong but how free market works they exploit you and you do it back when their chips are down I mean let’s be real your services are not for free just like the corporation kicked you when you were down you do it back a currency collapse could be good for wages if you know something and don’t tell anyone that is not lying it’s withholding if you tell someone false info that’s lying it’s not like everyone has your skills if someone pays you more than others your not robbing Them they feel you are more valuable than others which is almost certainly the case Obama wants us to be the same wether we work or not this is communism it’s not fair and equal like he says him telling people they didn’t build their business the gov helped them they got there by their own hard work so what if they used the roads to move their product their taxes payed for it but anyway if you can trade things for things you need we should do that Uncle Sam don’t get no$ for that deodorant and soaps would be good the ladies will appreciate that hard liquor wine cigs are a luxury people will want for sure but if it’s that bad lighters cheap flashlights hats gloves boots hoodies stuff will be what people are looking for especially kids sizes they outgrow stuff overnite it seems don’t give all the clothing your kids outgrow to sals army keep some for barter kids coats buy them every year it seems whatever happens soap and staying clean will reduce the need for antibiotics the military people always like to get new socks when they are away at war these are cheap have some on hand
I have been buying one Smith & Wesson MP 9mm pistol per month for over a year. They are all in their boxes and continue to go up in value. Cheaper than gold, just as valuable in a SHTF situation.
If nothing ever happens, I’ve get rid of them at a gun show or pawn shop.
Smart investment, I wouldn’t let go of them unless I was destitute or desperately need the money.
If you are to get any use from furs, you better have tanning chemicals and the right needles and threads.
Salt, again. Been used to make leather for millenia.
Look into Black Walnut husks
Yeah black walnut husks work great for hides and other things as well.
I know nobody wants to hear it from my perspective but I’m just trying to contribute to the discussion i learn from y’all as they say down south I’m from the northeast we are used to being under snow cold temps power outages don’t know how many times have been on my own been through a flood they said it was a 100 year flood it was def epic around these parts nobody came to my rescue had to pump out my own house i never get water it was coming in through cracks and the chimney door water table was so high everyone got it inside basement the state ema did nothing for me they were worried about businesses more once again money goes where money is FEMA came in the whole area was declared a disaster I know the people in New Orleans had it much worst these government bums work for we the people if you want something done right you gotta do it yourself that’s a fact jack
As for me it’s SALT you have to have SALT to live that is what I’m putting back for barter among other things. Absolutely no Ammo to trade your just asking for trouble.
MTCFMF!!//RIP America.
ys ago I went up to the farm store and bought five hundred pds of loose cow salt and put it in sealed mylar bags in Homer buckets.
I would also say Non hybrid/GMO seeds, hand tools, and nails, stock up on axe heads, and handles.
Right now hand saws are easily found at many thrift stores for a few dollars, the older the better, the new ones are poorly made.
Power tools will be useless without power
Ed Dan – Yes I broke a Hammer handle the other day, but have 4 or 5 more hammers on hand. I’ve been going to Yard sales and Estate sales for years. You can pick up an entire tool box for $10 stuffed with tools. Sort through them and keep the best, and donate the rest. But having a few extra handles is a good prep. It may just be cheaper to buy the whole tool at these yard sales, then try to stock only handles. Axe Handles are a little different. Bigger and more precise than a hammer handle.
Good thought about nails. Screws, too. In colonial times nails were so valuable that, if you abandoned a house, you’d burn it down to recover the nails before you left.
Seeds, I dunno. How do you validate the value of seeds without actually planting them?
Question for those who smoke: what is the shelf life on processed tobacco? I can’t imagine it is that long.
Silver, Gold and Oil at the Close today Wed.
Silver $15.75 Oz I bet we see $8 Silver within 2015
Gold $1174. Oz I bet Gold drops back to about $800
OIL – $55 a Barrel could go as low as $30 /Barrel
And every single one of these commodities are because they are under price manipulation by TP2B.
store some potassium Iodate tablets and a few bottles of Iodine Tincture in case one or more of the reactors lets loose, also have instructions and make sure everyone in the house knows what to do.
S.C
I have smoked 10 year old plus pipe tobacco. Mostly it dries out, so you put it in a sandwich baggie with an apple slice or a folded damp paper towel and leave it for a day or more and it rehydrates. You can buy big bags of cigarette tobacco cheap at Sam’s Club or Costco. Buy lots of rolling papers too. I have also bought 100 butane lighters at Costco for $10 before (a dime apiece!) I plan to try vacuum sealing bulk rolling tobacco for barter.
I don’t smoke but would one of those food savors work to save tobacco?
Seems it would…keeps other stuff safe,good question! REB
I quit but still want one. Trust me, shelf life or not, smokers will want that cigarette no matter how old it is. They will last longer of left sealed and frozen….but maybe a Mylar bag and o2 would help?
Non smokers should collect every butt they see and place them in a small plastic baggie. Smokers will likely give you ALL of their silver for it or their first born; whichever you prefer.
I remember that menthol cigarettes were the best currency in Vietnam. It could get you anything and everything you wanted. For a non-smoker with a two carton ration every month, it was like owning Ft Knox.
Just saying. A little butt goes a long way. 🙂
I think the answer to storing tobacco is be sure it is bone dry before sealing it, you can always put a piece of bread or apple with it after it’s unsealed.
Cannabis is important to have on hand at all times. It makes life better, no matter how you look at it. If everybody indulged, there would be no collapse, no war and no evil government. The U.S. would instantly become for the people. “Up come a man with a guitar in his hand, singing have a marijuana if you can”. Legalize the most beneficial plant known to mankind. Free the plant and humanity!
Agree Alijamo. Make pot legal and you can get rid of at least half the commercialized toxic concoctions they call medical pharmaceutical drugs they are pushing out there today. Phony and poisonous. That’s why they like to keep pot illegal, cause it would cut their current market drug pusher scam in half. Doctors are worthless today, all they do is sell drugs. unless you are a surgical doctor, the rest are drug pushers that don’t cure jack shit. Just mask the symptoms.
As a bladesmith I may do alright in the post apocalypse world according to this story. I may have to learn how to make plows eventually though.
For the AVERAGE American I would strongly suggest you buy lots and lots of Storable Food and Water Filters (Berkey Black water filters etc.) then weapons, ammo, first aid supplies Anything and everything you could possible need in a total SHTF scenario.
And ONLY AFTER you have bought enough supplies for you, your family, your neighbors, your friends, co-workers, then and ONLY then should you even consider gold & silver. Personally I would only buy junk silver pre 1965 U.S. silver coins as everyone recognizes them as silver. A foreign coin even an American gold coin may not be recognized as real gold or real silver. Keep it simple and buy U.S. junk silver coins that everyone recognizes.
And then you have to contend with the exchange rate. As the dollar collapses your gold and silver will go up in value but just what will you be getting for it (food, water, water filters, seeds etc.) things you can get cheap now. In the future your one ounce gold piece may be worth a 20 lb. bag of beans but later it may only be worth a 10 lb. bag of beans. See why it’s more important to stock/store the stuff you may need tomorrow, today.
And IF the Dollar goes to 0 how do you value your gold & silver then. Remember you CAN NOT eat gold and it will not keep you warm on cold winter nights.
For more insight on Prepping at home get your FREE copy of “I Plan To Survive” at: http://www.iplantosurvive.info
Heads Up. Off topic.
Jacksonville, Florida.
Two drive by shootings. One on Police. One on Firefighters. No one killed. Slight injury to Firefighter.
Sad to hear, and another reason to get your concealed weapons permit ASAP and carry daily. Don’t leave home without it. I carry 2 pistols, and have 2 extra 20 round magazines for 1 gun, and 2x 8 round mags extra for the other gun with me, when I leave home. Just blast them if they pull that BS!!
I almost bought gold, just for trading sake, and then it started to decline in price – which I believe was due to manipulation. As a currency fails, it’s value relative to gold declines – and it does so asymptotically, meaning we’d see the value hyperinflate. But this condition is not indefinite; it only last long enough for the politicians and bankers to recalibrate – by either developing a new currency or by confiscating all the gold from the public and resetting its value – like from $3500/oz to $35/oz. I think its better to buy life preserving staples first, then land (with water feature), livestock (chickens, milk cow), and a good acoustic instrument if you have any money left.
Tampons
Pads
Bandaides
Peroxide
Rubbing Alcohol
Herb Teas
Blankets
Flannel PJ’s
Socks
Slippers
Dog Food
Canned Tuna
Heirloom Seeds
Thread
Needles
Safety Pins
Sewing Kits
Manual Can Openers
Magnifiying Glasses
Books
Tweezers
Scissors
Shampoo
Soap
Razors
Moisturizers
Vaseline
Condoms
Tooth Brushes
Tooth Paste
Dental Floss
Aspirin
Pain Killers
Don’t forget the world’s oldest currency – pussy. I’m stocking up.
Good article. I find that I have all but one. Pelts. I do have a way to get them.
when I first started reading this I thought I would see Silver, Gold, Sugar, Salt, Alcohol, food, water, meds ammo.
But I think there might be one other Knowledge.
A.S.M.S.
Sgt.
Sugar is also an antiseptic for wounds and like salt, never expires. Same with honey, honey is both an antimicrobial and can be used to treat burns. Though sugar can harden over time if exposed to moisture or heat. To make a potent antiseptic, also known as sugardine, mix sugar with 10% iodine (povidone, but betadine works too) at 2:1 parts respectively until it becomes a thick paste.
I personally wouldn’t barter anything lethal or addictive unless it’s with someone I trust. I think condoms ought to be on the list, for obvious reasons.
Water filter got the katadyn pocket with the carbon filter this thing is sweet was gonna get the berkey but wanted portability bought a chest rig too like the way I can carry 30 lbs of shit not all on my back and easy access to it all the pocket filter was on sale a while back looked at everything else similar to it all plastic junk won’t last a serious event got a running creek nearby for flushing toilet and such have other sources for drinking water bought a gas turkey fryer one year at Wally after thanksgiving for like 30$ for those with children that love milk get a big bucket of morning moo powdered milk thing has over 800 servings for cooking too you could barter servings of this in ziplock bags bags of rice are cheap and you can add it to hunted meat to stretch your food get multivitamins this will help keep immunity strong work gloves will make good trades people with tender hands don’t want open blisters something I need to get is those muck boots those are perfect for outside chores sometimes those can be had for cheap footwear usually you get what you pay for like the timberland goretex hikers they are super comfortable out of the box but they are worn out in 6 months where I work the soles gone they are around 100 $ a pair for 200$ you can get heavier chippewas or something like that they are tough as nails too but heavy on your feet they will last many years but not in the mud that’s what you need the mucks for those felsnaptha laundry bars would be another barter item people will want clean clothes you will feel gross not having clean laundry those little nip bottles of hard liquor will trade easily one won’t do much but I’m sure there will be people that would give their wife for it me I don’t drink that much got the same 12 pack from 2months ago too busy to get sauced the guy with the pussy currency will be successful good luck stockpiling it buy it cheap stack it deep ha ha I’d take a good woman over that anyway but if it is your thing go for it my wife helps me a lot she is 100percent dedicated to our children and this makes me want to help her my kids are very loved and mom will be very nasty to protect them
Currency and Barter are two different things.
Barter is indeed the items that you might use to trade for other item (collapse, or nor collapse.) Post-collapse, “life support” items are often bartered (e.g. salt in exchange for sugar; alcohol in exchange for bullets; coffee, cigarettes, etc.) During these immediate and short-term emergencies, the most-valuable barter items are usually: 1.) Needed to sustain life (like water, ice, medical supplies, etc.,) 2.) Needed to sustain addiction (coffee/caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. The barter items of most “power” are those with a limited shelf-life. These are items that are difficult to stockpile, and are consumed/exhausted the fastest. These items represent “repeat customers,” instead of one-time customers.
Currency, on the other hand, is generally just some sort of “chet.” e.g. an item of essentially worthless “actual” value, used simply as a bargaining chip (akin to poker chips.) The REAL reason for currency, is to pay your taxes — period. If you are a sheepherder, and you own the government 30% of your sales, you can’t give them 30% of the sheep you sold/bartered that year. So, they assign a chet-value to each head of sheep, and you owe them “chets” (aka dollars, or euros, or whatever.) These chets inherit a PRECEIVED value. Since they are used to pay taxes, they have an inherited value within the domains of the respective territory. e.g. Pesos don’t buy you much at the average restaurant in London, etc.
When the population loses faith in the perceived value of a chet-currency, then hyperinflation occurs. The government will then attempt to rebase its chet (repeatedly) until the perceived value stabilizes once again.
Occasionally throughout history, governments have sometimes tried to tie the value of these chets to something tangible (e.g. gold, silver, diamonds, etc.) This is usually done with “new” chets, in an effort to establish some sort of perceived baseline. Once the public indeed accepts the perceived value of the chet, then the alignment is usually removed (aka fiat currency.)
Some people THINK that this represents a currency that is “backed” by gold, or “backed” by silver, etc. This is an incorrect assumption. e.g. You can’t take any of the old “silver notes,” and cash them in with Uncle Sam for silver. They are truly the same “perceived value” as any other chet currency.
Perceived chet currency values are not unlike stock certificates (in many ways.) e.g. their perceived values go up and down, like the wind… When they crash, they are all just useless pieces of paper…
If you are seeking something of “value” to “invest” in, then you should consider based on three criteria:
a.) Assets (things that appreciate in value)
b.) Things (things that maintain a neutral value)
c.) Liabilities (things that depreciate in value)
Assets will increase in value over time. Some things are bigger assets post-collapse, than others. You can pay cash for assets, barter for them, etc. Heck, if the interest rates are in your favor, you can even leverage credit to buy assets (and you SHOULD!) Note: Credit should NEVER be used to buy “Things,” nor to purchase “Liabilities.” Hint: Most vehicles are liabilities. Most appliances are liabilities, etc.
You can also barter, or pay cash for “Things.” They have a neutral position, so they represent “par.” e.g. equal value-amounts of ProductA and ProductB should remain fairly equitable to one another throughout time.
You should only pay CASH for “liabilities.” The value of cash drops over time, and so does the value of liabilities. So, it’s okay to toss one dying dog at the other. Both are losing value month-over-month, year-over-year. So, paying cash for liabilities, is just another method of “hedging/controlling” the speed at which your liabilities depreciate.
Post-collapse, “local chets” are born at local trading posts. You see this in almost every post-collapse society. These local chets are initially ONLY of value/use at the ONE local market where they are issued. e.g. barter in these chets, and then cash them in at the cashier’s cage at the end of the day. This is directly akin to poker chips at a casino. Each casino has their own chips, that you use on that premises. These chips can’t be used at other casinos, etc. Nor can you pay your taxes with them.
Post-collapse, countries will either attempt to: a.) rebase their own currency, b.) adopt the currency of some other territory (e.g. a perceived-stable currency of another country,) c.) create a “new” currency, or d.) “promote” one of the local chets, to become the new currency of that region/territory/country.
You see ALL of these in play throughout the world. Some countries are trying to hang-on to their historic/traditional currencies — even as they plummet in value; or, they leverage other methods to re-bolster the perceived values of their currencies (ever hear of The Fed? Or, tying crude oil transactions to a currency, or bundle of currencies?, etc.)
Other countries, just adapt a currency (e.g. Ecuador simply adopted the USD as their national currency.) This is a bit risky for them, however, since (unlike the USA,) they can’t simply “print as much as they desire.”
Germany dropped their old “Mark, and then invented the “new Mark.” Then, switched to the Euro.
Argentina is dealing with the new “Blue” version of their currency (e.g. black market currency, becoming the new norm.)
If you are any sort of “prepper,” then you are more focused on assets that YOU can PERSONALLY use/leverage YOURSELF. These “assets” should have “value” to other people post-collapse. Thus, they would be decent bartering items, that could be bartered for other items, or bartered in chet as well.
There’s a bit of a difference between financial collapse, versus a true “disaster” event. During financial collapse, people will buy almost ANYTHING/EVERYTHING (assets, things, even liabilities) to get OUT of a chet currency, because it’s falling/failing so rapidly. e.g. owning a chair, or an electric can opener, is of more value, that that piece of deteriorating paper currency. Even owning 10, or 100, or 1,000 chairs, is “okay” in this situation. You just become a chair company, and then barter/resell your chairs for other items you need. You become a chairperson. (wink)
Whereas, people who are preppers, aren’t seeking any more chairs than they need/have. Instead, they are usually seeking: a.) Years’ worth of consumable items, to “weather the storm;” and/or b.) “Tools” to indeed become self-sufficient, or create/grow/produce these types of consumable items by themselves. e.g. a prepper would rather purchase salt, or alcohol, or canned grains, or “yes,” even ammunition — than chairs. Or, they would rather buy a tree saw, or garden hoe/tiller, or grainmill, or solar panels/system — than a bunch of chairs.
I could go deeper into any of this, but this is already probably more than MOST readers will follow/read within a blog “comment” section. So, I’ll stop here.
Peace.
Chit.
Not chet.
Key factors that make a commodity = currency.
Portable (Granite coins would be a problem)
Scarce (leaves don’t work)
Non-perishable
Universally recognized value
Easy to validate by anyone (seeds no, salt yes)
A decent BICYCLE with 1 or 2 extra tubes, a patch kit, and at least one good hand pump. And yes you can pump up a car tire with a hand pump (yeah it does take a while…)
Why is nobody mentioning oxy? It’s very small and portable, it’s worth $28,000 an oz pre shtf and much more post. It handles physical pain for the injured, gives people a respite from emotional despair, etc. Add adderrall to that list for hiking.
Also, cipro antibiotics. Diamond engagement rings. With all these things you could pack provably 100,000 mre barter units in one fanny pack.
No wise person even talks about drugs that get people trying to shoot you if they find out. Diamonds are a fools item for SHTF. Takes a good jeweler to tell from fakes even now, far to valuable to use and not useful.
I highly recommend to anyone that hasn’t seen it yet- watch the show Revolution. Its only 2 seasons, and was canceled too early for my liking, but it gives a pretty damned good look at what will most likely happen in a SHTF scenario- mostly for an EMP attack. Great show and I guarantee you’ll love the characters and probably relate to most. Stay safe y’all!
There is not enough time for bickering with one another, please let’s stick to good ideas and ways to improve. Just don’t feed the trolls.
The above article is good for barter items. Currency (money) must have a common denominator. Precious Metals, ammo., nails are good for currency.
Knives
“””””One of the strangest stories in the history of currency, involves a prince from ancient China. He was running low on funds for his army, and gave his soldiers permission to trade their knives with the local villagers for supplies. The knives became so popular among the people, that it soon became a standard form of payment for the next 400 years.
It’s easy to see why. Knives fit the profile of a good currency. They are portable, durable, and they have intrinsic value(especially for a population that is struggling to survive). It wouldn’t be surprising to see knives become a part of everyday transactions after the collapse.””””””””
Before the 1950s knives weren’t scarce but they were not around like they are today. today they are batted out by the millions(Stainless Steel)and will never be worth much. I received two sets of kitchen knives again this yr and tried giving them away, no takers as everyone else got some knives, I gave twoa couple sets out for xmas myself. I also have a collection of cleavers, old saws,axes, pre1930 knives(Damascus) I can’t see knives ever being worth anything, they’re selling them 24/7 on about 10 channels
In the long run, the Fed’s money printing is actually contributing to deflation because Main Street didn’t see any of the newly created money and they are the consumer base that drives the economy. The $4 trillion went to blowing up the asset and commodity bubble through speculation which caused the economy to slow even more due to higher prices for goods and services, even as wages were declining. Now that QE has ended, the Fed-created bubble is starting to deflate. First oil, stocks and housing are likely next. This was predicted in the book: Deflation: Seismic Shift In Finance, available on Amazon.