Barter Stockpiles

Tzar Chasm

I've been reading this forum for a bit now and it has sparked an interest in all things TEOTWAWKI

I got thinking about Barterable items, some people sugested Gold coins or Tobacco, but Gold isnt realy divisible enough and I'd just end up smoking all the tobacco.

So I was thinking what sort of nonperishable items can I stockpile now that are relativley cheap (E20 outlay per item) but will increase in Value dramatically in the event of an apocalypse

So Far this is what I've come up with
Disposable Lighters
Matches
Soap
Cupasoup
Asprin
Disenfectant
Plasters/Bandages
Tea Leaves & Coffee Beans

I also have a couple of acres of Vegetable growing out the back of the house, this season its Cabbage and Turnips next year will be Spuds again and I have some Rhubarb and herbs which are perennial

I would steer away from stockpiling Foodstuffs like tinned food or dried noodles as they have a definitive Shelf life, same with batteries and fuel altho I was considering making up some Biodiesel kits with Titration packages and Premixed Catalyst which I could supply with a simple A4 instruction sheet outlining how to build the gear.

mawk

interesting idea, best thing is to have extra of the items you actually use so you can rotate them. things like asprin coffee and lighters.

best way to keeps stocks fresh is to use them.

the biodiesel kits are a great idea, even if not for shtf but they'd probably sell great on donedeal. I'd love a look at one

Doc Ruby

Vitamin pills and dried milk would be good. Honey is a bit heavier than I'd prefer, but will last literally forever, they've dug stuff out of the pyramids that's still quite edible. You'd do well to focus on learning skills that would be useful too, a barterable good that never runs out.

Tzar Chasm

I see where you're going with that train of thought Mawk, but my idea would be that these items are Stockpiled extras ie you have your own supplies of all the items you intend to use and these are stored as 'currency' specifically for trade purposes.

Powdered milk is awful and I wouldnt inflict it on anyone, but Baby Formula could be worthwhile stockpiling.

on the topic of honey,it might not be a bad idea to invest in a few hives, I also have 6 Hens so eggs may occasionaly be traded.

Tabnabs

Thinking outside the box for a minute, you could include;

toilet roll, baby forumla (imagine how desperate parents of babies would be), sanitary towels, pain killers, toothpaste, but alcohol would be top of my list.

Tzar Chasm

Ah, Ladies 'Sanitary Products' hadnt thought of them but Jaysus theres an investment that would reap benificial payment 'terms' Toilet rollis another good one, Something else I was thinkin of would be Razors not the modern disposabe ones but the older style Gilette Safety razors.

I would put alcohol in the same bracket as Tobacco, I'd end up drinking most of it so I wouldnt count it as a reliable stockpileable currency, I should invest in a homebrew kit tho

baords dyslexic

Tabnabs wrote: »

Thinking outside the box for a minute, you could include;

toilet roll, baby forumla (imagine how desperate parents of babies would be), sanitary towel, pain killers, toothpaste, but alcohol would be top of my list.

You might also like to think hard long and hard on who you are going to be selling to?

Those with a thirst for alcohol might not be as easy to deal with as someone desperate for toilet rolls

bonniebede

Tzar Chasm wrote: »

Barterable items, nonperishable items

Disposable Lighters
Matches
Soap
Cupasoup
Asprin
Disenfectant
Plasters/Bandages
Tea Leaves & Coffee Beans
QUOTE]

Interesting idea, but one thing i note, of all these items only the first three -lighters, matches and soap do not have a best by date. Agreed in a real situation i would not be worrying to much if the aspirin was out of date but sealed, nonetheless not all the above are completely non perishable.

What about quality knives? or better yet, knife sharpeners, the set in lidl or aldi was cheap, and could be very important, also no sell by date at all.

Soap of all sorts - including clothes detergent, and heavy duty disinfecting soaps like carbolic soap, for producing a sterile field, or for midwifery purposes.

Information might be the most saleable item, stores very neatly and small... like A4 sheets on how to do basic tasks, like identify forageable foods, shellfish, seaweeds.

How to make twine, make fishhooks, fish'lobsters traps, and how to use them all.

How to plant a basic survival garden, especially how to plant and care for potatoes.

however on reflection, I think knowledge like that should be given away for free, what you will get in return is the beginnings of a survival community and a lot fo good will, worth more than gold.:)

Great books, classics, and sheet music. Decks of cards. for the long nights when we have to relearn how to entertain ourselves.

eth0

Tzar Chasm wrote: »

on the topic of honey,it might not be a bad idea to invest in a few hives, I also have 6 Hens so eggs may occasionaly be traded.

A lot of work involved with that. Trying to prevent the feicers from swarming and spending the 3 days after removing the honey inside the house only to belt it to the car before one of them gets a chance to sting you.

Tzar Chasm wrote: »

Disposable Lighters

Them 250mL butane refills do be handy also. a lot of lighters can be refilled from them.

Tzar Chasm

Yeah, I was thinking about that this evening, Knife sharpeners and Playing cards would definitley be contenders wheras asprin is probably a bad idea.

The knowledge point is an important one, I initialy said about printing out a 'howto' for Biodiesel but having sat down and thought about it I realise how dificult it would be to create a document like that on a single A4

ShadowFox

Anything could be used for trading in the house id have
1) Mulitool (the cheap ones from lidli / Aldi)
2) Tobacco / papers
3) Blankets
4) Bleach/Water purification tablets
5) Water/Fuel containers
6) Cheap water/fuel pumps
7) Matches/Lighters/Fire steel
8) Medical items (first aid & pain killers)
9) Alcohol in different sizes
10) Baby food ( Id give this to someone rather than trade if needed)
11) Get a skill (work for what you need)
12) Sea Rations
The list can go on and on ive 4 growing kids so their clothes and foot wear would be there to trade for others if it went on and on. Anything you have to hand can be traded for food /fuel/anything you will need as there is someone somewhere that will need what you have

Doc Ruby

I think its important to focus on trade goods that would a) be in high demand for business or pleasure, b) quickly run out for everyone else or c) are unlikely to be held by anyone else in the first place. If you can hit the sweet spot of those three you're onto a winner, then just pick the lightest and most divisible from your list.

baords dyslexic

A few I'd add

6inch nails

builders plastic sheet - or better grades if you can get them

cordage - large rolls of polypropylene rope

hacksaw blades

stanley knife blades

Rhinocharge

The following should allow barter to most people/groups.

1) Alcohol (including brewing yeast)
2) Cigarettes, tobacco, rolling papers, pipes
3) Porn mags (now you have an excuse to buy them )
4) Matches, lighters, flints, kerosene, meths & white spirits
5) Tea, coffee, salt, pepper & evporated milk
6) Antiseptic wipes, bandages, surgical spirits, safety pins, thermometers
7) Knitting needles, wool, needles, thread & fabric
8) Toilet paper, tissue paper, toothpaste, shampoo, coal tar soap, razors
9) Vegatable seeds, fruit seeds & plant nitrates
10) Ammunition, water purification tablets, candles, books, knives, tin openers

Plus most of this can be bought wholesale

baords dyslexic

Rhinocharge wrote: »

... tin openers

I would have agreed with you up untill I opened a few cans today, that made me check the tins in our cupboards and all the tins in my supply boxes and guess what? They all have ring pulls

Tabnabs

baords dyslexic wrote: »

I would have agreed with you up untill I opened a few cans today, that made me check the tins in our cupboards and all the tins in my supply boxes and guess what? They all have ring pulls

Ah, but what happens if the ring pull snaps...

baords dyslexic

Tabnabs wrote: »

Ah, but what happens if the ring pull snaps...

I take that as a rehtorical question but....

as the tin has a built in weakness around the lid to allow the (ex)ring pull to work I just push the area around the ring pull into the can and then push something in to lever the lid off, haven't had to do that in years, screwdriver will do the job and save the edge on a knife blade.

On the other hand depending on the type of tin I might occasionally open a corned beef tin at both ends and push the contents out rather than using the "key" - saves putting the FAK on standby.

Rhinocharge

baords dyslexic wrote: »

I take that as a rehtorical question but....

as the tin has a built in weakness around the lid to allow the (ex)ring pull to work I just push the area around the ring pull into the can and then push something in to lever the lid off, haven't had to do that in years, screwdriver will do the job and save the edge on a knife blade..

You forget that not everyone has the knowlege to open a tin using another instrument ie; spoon, knife or screwdriver. I've witnessed persons attempting to open a tin of beans using a hammer & hacksaw.
I'm not taking about the modern wheel tin openers, they'd be the old fashioned stab & thrust variant, with the built in bottle opener & corkscrew. When the **** hits the fan I'll sell you a tin opener for a fair price.

baords dyslexic

Rhinocharge wrote: »

You forget that not everyone has the knowlege to open a tin using another instrument ie; spoon, knife or screwdriver. I've witnessed persons attempting to open a tin of beans using a hammer & hacksaw.
I'm not taking about the modern wheel tin openers, they'd be the old fashioned stab & thrust variant, with the built in bottle opener & corkscrew. When the **** hits the fan I'll sell you a tin opener for a fair price.

You better write a step by step guide to go with those old style tin openers as anyone "without the knowlege to open a tin using another instrument" is going to have no chance with one of those things otherwise. You can charge extra for the guide

Tzar Chasm

baords dyslexic wrote: »

You better write a step by step guide to go with those old style tin openers as anyone "without the knowlege to open a tin using another instrument" is going to have no chance with one of those things otherwise. You can charge extra for the guide

I'd like to read that document

I hahe one of those tin opener attachments on my Swiss Army Knife, I have tried a few times to figure out how it works to no avail, usually I just stab the knife part into the edge of the lid and drag it round, but that said I'm left handed so those 'easy' wheel type openers confound me as well

baords dyslexic

Tzar Chasm wrote: »

I'd like to read that document

I hahe one of those tin opener attachments on my Swiss Army Knife, I have tried a few times to figure out how it works to no avail, usually I just stab the knife part into the edge of the lid and drag it round, but that said I'm left handed so those 'easy' wheel type openers confound me as well

Those clever people that post on youtube can help you out

but the cannopener is on the side of the knife so it works for RIGHT handers

Khannie

I'm not picking on you, I swear....

Tabnabs wrote: »

baby forumla (imagine how desperate parents of babies would be)

Probably not desperate at all. Breasts are an excellent source of baby forumula.

Tabnabs wrote: »

alcohol would be top of my list.

Super easy to make (easy for me to say because I have recently invested the time in learning ). Would love to learn distillation, though it's illegal without a license. I have the basic idea down though. Properly motivated I think I could construct a decent still.

For me: Soap, instant coffee, painkillers, chocolate would be big ones. Of these I only have soap in any kind of reasonable quantity currently. You can get heaps of it for next to nothing in tesco (tesco value soap is like 30c a bar and you could make a bar go a loooong way if you needed to ).

baords dyslexic wrote: »

but the cannopener is on the side of the knife so it works for RIGHT handers

There's only right handed and wrong handed.

(my wife is a lefty and I use this all the time on her....though it has cost me many a beating ).

The swiss tin opener is surprisingly good. I've used it a good few times. God I love my swiss.

Tabnabs

Khannie wrote: »

Probably not desperate at all. Breasts are an excellent source of baby forumula.

Assuming they are available, SHTF may be of an epidemic nature remember. Otherwise a meagre milk supply or a baby who won't nurse could be the problem. As said, parents could be desperate for food.

Khannie wrote: »

Super easy to make (easy for me to say because I have recently invested the time in learning ). Would love to learn distillation, though it's illegal without a license. I have the basic idea down though. Properly motivated I think I could construct a decent still.

But oh so easer to hand over a bottle of whiskey, a six pack or similar. Especialy post SHTF, who will have the time and resources to set up a still? And would you trade your valuable commodity for a mysterious bottle with a transparent liquid :eek:

Khannie wrote: »

For me: Soap, instant coffee, painkillers, chocolate would be big ones. Of these I only have soap in any kind of reasonable quantity currently. You can get heaps of it for next to nothing in tesco (tesco value soap is like 30c a bar and you could make a bar go a loooong way if you needed to ).

Good choices, learning how to make soap would also be a useful skill as it's not terribly complicated.

baords dyslexic

Tabnabs wrote: »

Especialy post SHTF, who will have the time and resources to set up a still? And would you trade your valuable commodity for a mysterious bottle with a transparent liquid :eek:.

As a nation we've been doing it for years

Tabnabs

I've tasted it, I'd rather hang on to my megre possesions than trade thanks

Doc Ruby

baords dyslexic wrote: »

As a nation we've been doing it for years

Yeah, never underestimate the human propensity for whipping up a batch of licker no matter how desperate the situation. For myself alcohol would be somewhat low down the list, its heavy, often stored in fragile containers, unless its canned in which case you can't break it up into smaller portions for trade. The weight would be the main consideration though.

Khannie

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Yeah, never underestimate the human propensity for whipping up a batch of licker no matter how desperate the situation. For myself alcohol would be somewhat low down the list, its heavy, often stored in fragile containers, unless its canned in which case you can't break it up into smaller portions for trade. The weight would be the main consideration though.

There are several ways of getting a more concentrated (and therefore lighter) alcohol. Distillation is the best. It produces a purer drinking alcohol (i.e. one that wont melt your brain the next day) because the ethanol (good) evaporates at a different temperature to the methanol (bad).

An old technique though is to brew apple cider (this only requires apples as wild yeasts can be used to create the alcohol) then leave it out at night during the winter. When the top part freezes, you just take the ice out. The water freezes at a higher temperature than the alcohol leaving behind more concentrated alcohol. This is easier to transport etc.

This would only really work well with apple cider though. You couldn't do it with poitin as what's left behind would taste absolutely mouldy.

Don't forget...alcohol is useful for stuff other than getting drunk. Great for cleaning wounds etc.

Tabnabs wrote: »

But oh so easer to hand over a bottle of whiskey, a six pack or similar. Especialy post SHTF, who will have the time and resources to set up a still? And would you trade your valuable commodity for a mysterious bottle with a transparent liquid :eek:

In case you ever need it, the old technique for testing purity on the spot was to take a spoonful of the mysterious liquid and burn it. I've never done this, but I'm pretty sure you could tell quick enough if it was muck or not.

baords dyslexic

baords dyslexic wrote: »

A few I'd add


cordage - large rolls of polypropylene rope

s

Damn, bet me to it!

Druss.

http://paddy-halligan.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/#!/druss_rua

ShadowFox

Rhinocharge wrote: »

You forget that not everyone has the knowlege to open a tin using another instrument ie; spoon, knife or screwdriver. I've witnessed persons attempting to open a tin of beans using a hammer & hacksaw.
I'm not taking about the modern wheel tin openers, they'd be the old fashioned stab & thrust variant, with the built in bottle opener & corkscrew. When the **** hits the fan I'll sell you a tin opener for a fair price.

Trust you to see an opening for a sale :rolleyes::D