When people first start building a stockpile, they usually focus on the obvious things. Canned food, buckets of rice and beans, bottled water, and maybe a few tools for self-defense. After that come the items that help you when the grid goes down, such as solar panels, generators, batteries, and gardening supplies. Those things are […]
The post Overlooked Prepping Items You Need to Stock Up on Now appeared first on Ask a Prepper.
Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
Most of haven't endured life in a barter economy. It’s when the currency of a country has been so devalued (usually because of hyperinflation) that traditional, everyday purchases are impossible. Other causes for the emergence of a barter economy include war and a general societal collapse.
Historically, all commerce was based on a barter economy, at least in ancient times. It wasn’t until the invention of money and the belief that it was a tangible currency that money became an acceptable item for trade and commerce. The ancient Chinese introduced the concept around 600 B.C. and the ancient Greeks and Romans expanded the idea from there.
But there’s a fundamental problem with money. It’s the belief and the faith that the money is actually worth anything. Worse, the value of any currency often fluctuates and when inflation and particularly hyperinflation occurs, the money becomes worthless.
An often touted example is Germany in the 1920’s when it cost 200,000,000,000 Marks for a loaf of bread. In case you’re wondering, that's 200 billion Marks. It’s at times like that when economies crumble and collapse, and barter becomes the only viable means for a transaction.
As an economy and country devolves to a barter economy, the population is confronted with a new set of challenges. It becomes a question of “What do I need and what do I have that I can trade to acquire it?”
It seems easy at first as various items that are seldom used or in duplicate make their way to barter markets for a new kind of shopping trip. The problem is that those extra items soon run out. At that point the only solution in a barter economy is to begin surrendering items that have value to a family, but must be traded for a needed or critical item.
We’re going to explore solutions to that problem through stockpiling certain items, making or creating other items, and the idea of trading skills or services. Think of all of them as your barter stockpile, but you need to plan ahead to build those reserves.
A fact of any barter marketplace is a certain amount of haggling. It’s all about determining a fair trade based on the perceived value of items. The obvious driver is that old concept of supply and demand. High demand will enhance the value of an item, and low supply will also increase its value.
But there’s more to it than standard commerce principles. Sustainability will become the new normal in a barter economy and items that will allow people to live a sustainable lifestyle will have added value. Examples include tools that allow you to build or repair things, vegetable seeds that will allow someone to grow food and harvest more seeds for the future, and even functional items like cast-iron cookware that is perceived as both useful and sturdy.
As we list various items and ideas for a barter stockpile we’ll always look towards things and ideas that will potentially be in high demand, low supply or enable sustainability. Without some kind of filter for stockpiling, our homes will be reduced to a hoarder’s warehouse.
A famous economic concept is built around the question of guns or butter. It was a symbolic analogy driving decisions but certain items will always emerge as high value in a collapsed society. We’re going to start with items that are inexpensive, relatively small so they’re easy to store, and potentially have high value in a barter marketplace.
One note that we'll cover in detail later is where and how to acquire these items. Some you may already own and have considered throwing away – don’t do that. Others you can buy and we’ll get into many you can make. What’s important is to start looking at things differently. If you’re concerned about the emergence of a barter economy, think about the barter potential for all items you see, possibly buy or currently own.
Canned food may be the best option because it is portable, durable and has a decent shelf-life. They also have best-by dates printed but some people know that a best-by date is a suggestion rather than a hard and fast rule for food-storage.
Canned foods with the highest value will be foods with high calories, vitamins and minerals and some with protein like canned fish (tuna, mackerel, and sardines); canned meats, and canned fruits and vegetables. Other possibilities are ready-made meals like cans of chili, stew, and hearty soups.
Baby food will always be in demand and the short supply of baby formula during the pandemic demonstrated its importance. The baby food sold in jars is a good option in addition to powdered formulas.
Coffee is often thought of as a comfort food. Instant coffee is probably best although whole beans have a good shelf-life and may be in very short supply.
Canning jars will have great value to many people who know and appreciate the ability to preserve foods, but simply don’t have food-safe packaging like canning jars.
Fortified and flavored drink mixes, preferably in Mylar pouches will also have great value. Many things like milk, canned beverages and bottled juices will either be in short supply or simply unavailable.
Things like powdered milk, chocolate milk, flavored drink mixes and fortified drink mixes with added vitamins, minerals and electrolytes will be highly valued. The ability to simply add water to a powdered mix to get something more will appeal to a broad part of the population, especially in desperate times.
Specialized cooking equipment may emerge as a very valuable commodity in an environment where electricity, water and even natural gas will be both expensive and possibly unavailable.
Cast-iron cookware is both highly functional and durable. You can even find or buy old, rusty cast-iron and restore it easily for future trade. Any open-fire cooking equipment like cooking grates, tripods, Dutch-ovens and stockpots will also be valuable as some people are forced to shift to more traditional cooking styles. Try to find used equipment and refurbish it.
Cigarettes and alcohol aren’t food in the traditional sense but they are definitely consumed and to some people will have high value. Cigarettes are best stored in a freezer and popular alcohol varieties like whisky and vodka will also find a market.
Everyone eventually gets sick or injured and that may be an increasing likelihood in a time of collapse.
OTC or over-the-counter medicines in their original, unopened packaging will be high value. Kid’s dosages will also be in high demand. Basics like pain-relievers, decongestants, anti-allergy medicines, cough medicines, and a range of creams and ointments from burn cream to antiseptics to cortisone will be in demand. Other possibilities include eye and ear drops, and anti-fungal sprays and treatments.
General first-aid items including bandages, splints, elastic wraps and surgical tape will always have a market in a barter economy. Specialized equipment like wrist and knee braces, crutches, canes and other prosthetic devices will always have a market.
Some things in life never end like laundry, dishes and going to the bathroom. As the toilet paper panic demonstrated at the height of the pandemic, people take some of the little things seriously.
Toiletries like toilet paper, tampons, baby diapers (fabric diapers are best), in addition to soap are seen as both necessary, and in troubled times, luxuries that will be highly valued.
Detergents for laundry, dish soap for the dishes, kitchen cleansers, and any other items you use to keep things clean will be in constant demand.
There’s always more to keep clean than the kitchen and personal care items will be sorely missed for many people in a barter economy. We already mentioned soap but there are other personal care items that are just as important.
Skin and hair care items including shampoo, conditioners, moisturizers, exfoliates, hand sanitizer and makeup will always have a market.
Personal care tools as simple as combs, brushes, nail clippers, manicure scissors, nail files and others will be sorely missed by some people in a troubled economy.
This is a big one and really supports the need for sustainability in a time of serious shortages. Some of us older folks have accumulated quite a few tools over the years. If someone asks you if they can borrow a Philips Head screwdriver and instead of saying, “Yes,” you say, “What size?” it’s a good bet you’ve got a lot of tools. Never throw an old tool away.
A rusty pair of pliers may look sad next to your shiny new ones, but someone without some of these basic tools will quickly see past the rust. You could also take a little time to restore any old tools to enhance their value.
Timber tools that will have great value in a barter economy include tools like axes, drawshaves, hand borers, wedges, timber hand saws, ropes and pulleys. This is another opportunity to buy them used and refurbish them.
Carpentry tools include assorted hammers, tape measures, levels, drawstrings, tool belts, handsaws, hand drills and bits, and wood chisels.
Hardware isn’t cheap today and will not only be in short supply but even unavailable. This includes nails, screws, nuts, bolts, washers, springs, cotter pins, bailing wire, ropes and cordage, locks and locksets and any other hardware. If you have a coffee can of old, rusty hardware in the garage –don’t toss it.
Craft supplies will have significant value as people turn to crafting many items. Think of any and all of the materials and tools that you may have or could easily and inexpensively acquire for later trade for crafts like sewing, leather crafting, woodworking, knitting, pottery, bee keeping, quilting, brewing, distilling, basket weaving, macramé, candle-making, metal working and the list goes on.
Many people will want to actively pursue these sustainable skills but some will struggle without the basic tools and materials to create these items.
If we’re living in a barter economy it may seem like everything is an emergency but there are some basics that we or others may particularly need to deal with common challenges.
Emergency lighting supplies including candles, matches, candle lanterns, solar or hand-powered flashlights, rechargeable batteries and chargers, solar lights, and even light bulbs. If you can’t buy it or can’t afford and you can’t see at night you’ll need it and so will everyone else.
Emergency water supplies and we don’t mean bottled water. This is about basic water filtration and purification including water-purification tablets, water filters, even common items like iodine and chlorine bleach are going to have high value at a time when no water is safe to drink.
Emergency heat can quickly become a threat in winter in certain parts of the country. A wood-fried Cookstove would be too expensive to stockpile but blankets, hats and gloves, firewood, anything that’s inexpensive that you have room to store or stockpile will be valuable commodities when too many people are spending too much time shivering.
Ultimately, your ability to create things that have value may be your greatest strength in a barter economy. If you have extra tools for any of these tasks you will also find many who will see them as invaluable. Here are some of the DIY items you could stockpile or make on demand in preparation for a day of bartering:
If there’s a demand for something you can make – make it.
Barter markets are a lot like flea markets and farmer’s markets. If you have the room or determination to have a large garden or raise chickens you have some homegrown barter. Consider the following:
Even if you can’t grow it, if you have wild foraging skills you may be able to find it and package it to trade for something you need.
Trading skills in exchange for goods or services was another classic practice in ancient and pioneer times. If you have a unique skill that would be a challenge to most people, you can definitely trade that ability for an item you need or someone else’s unique skill. Here’s a brief list of the many skills that would be a challenge to many of us:
There are certainly more but if you have a unique skill that would be a challenge to most you have something else to trade for something you need.
It’s one thing to have a lot of stuff to trade, it’s another thing finding what you want to get as a result. Dedicated barter markets are one possibility. They even happen today and are usually called “swap meets.” If you’ve never been to a swap meet it’s a good place to learn about the art of barter.
Some people will set up a table with what they have to trade, but most importantly they’ll also display a sign indicating what they are interested in trading for. Other people will walk the market pulling a wagon behind them with items they can offer for trade. This is easier to do with small items obviously.
Other people show up as specialists. They have significant quantities of one item to trade, or a bundle of items specifically related to a subject like tools, preserves or other related groups.
A sign anywhere can also give you a barter connection. If you have a lot trees and firewood stacked in the backyard you could put a sign at the entrance to your driveway indicating what you have to trade and what you are hoping to acquire.
If the Internet is still active, there are swap sites where you can arrange a trade although most require you to both deliver and pickup what you are trying to exchange. Although some agree to delivery by mail or other services, in desperate times it's a risk so barterer beware.
The good thing about bartering items in person is both parties can inspect the items being swapped. That’s no guarantee of quality in some instances (canned food without a label) but at least you get a chance to look at what you are trading for. It’s wise to only offer quality items because there’s another important side to a barter economy.
If you develop a good reputation for consistently delivering good quality and fair play your reputation will hopefully spread. This could cause past swappers to seek you out in the future and new people to find you because of your good track record.
This could also help if someone doesn’t have what you want but knows someone else who does. If you’re having trouble tracking down something you really need, fellow barterers can be a great resource for information about what’s out there and where.
If you’re thinking about assembling a stockpile of items for barter you’ll want to do it wisely. This means finding the best items for the best price with a reasonable level of quality reassurance. Here are some possibilities from the obvious to the surprising with links to more information:
Shop the sales and clearance aisles. If it’s a great price and you think it might be valuable as barter –buy it.
Costco and Sam’ Club offer discounts on bulk items. By some for your everyday use, store some in your personal stockpile, and then set some aside for potential barter. Even if you never swap it for something else you can still use it.
This is a great place to pick up a lot of domestic and everyday items for a low cost. The quality isn’t always great but a lot of things from bandages, OTC medicines and cleaning supplies are a great value.
It may seem a little too “street” but dumpsters can be a goldmine for items that are still new and simply discarded. Check out the retailers like Target, Walmart, and others and you may be surprised by what you may find.
Goodwill stores are one example and they often have a wide range of items that will no doubt have increased value when they’re not longer available or affordable –anywhere.
The type of gear ranges widely but for people living in dangerous times many of these items will be relevant.
You’ll probably get some good ideas for what will be valuable at a barter market and here again; you can find some great deals on just about everything.
If you don’t have it but can make it you’re in business. This is another good reason to check out swap meets, flea markets and farmer’s markets. If you notice a lot of interest in something you can make it will probably be very appealing to people in a barter economy.
If you have a large vegetable garden, chickens or better yet –an orchard, you’re in luck. You’ll no doubt have excess and if you don’t have time to preserve it, barter it.
This gets back to your skills as a form of barter. Think about what you can do. You may also want to acquire some new skills as well. If we find ourselves in a situation where we’re living in a barter market, all of those skills will make you more sustainable.
It’s easy to get carried away and it’s hard to know how much anything will be worth in a barter economy. Some of the ideas we’ve shared here are a good place to start. A lot also depends on where you live and the unique challenges people may face in your location.
You just don’t want to overwhelm your life and your home with thousands of things that you might be able to barter – someday. Organize some barter boxes and keep them stored out of the way. Fill them as you go. Then, take the time to think about and assess what will have real value when resources are few and far between.
Hopefully, our biggest problem will be figuring out what to do with all that stuff we never got around to bartering. Then again, if the worst happens you’ll at least have a head-start and a fighting chance in the uncertain world of a barter economy.
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The post 30+ Items You Can Trade After The System Breaks Down appeared first on Urban Survival Site.
Natural gas is a convenience that most people never think twice about. Turn the knob, the burner lights, dinner gets made. It works so reliably and invisibly that it never shows up on anyone’s list of vulnerabilities. Until the grid goes down. Natural gas delivery depends on pressurized municipal pipeline infrastructure. That infrastructure is fragile […]
The post How to Convert a Natural Gas Stove to Propane (Step-by-Step Guide) appeared first on Ask a Prepper.
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The post Seniors Won’t Survive Without This in a Crisis appeared first on Ask a Prepper.
Today, it’s all about how to turn off the gas and water to your house. A couple of years ago, I happened to go out to our attached garage to get a loaf of bread out of the freezer. Well, we had water running off the shelf that held our 8-year-old water heater. I mean, like a small river. I wrote this post many years ago and am updating it for my new readers.
I was surprised, and I’m sure most of you would be too. In some disasters, the issue may not be water rushing from the gas water heater; it may be gas due to a bent or broken gas line. So, I want to challenge everyone to find their water and gas turn-off valves today, just in case.
Here’s the deal: I have neighbors call ME to ask how to shut off the water line to their house. It’s been because their water heater has gone out, or they read where I suggested they consider turning off the water when they leave their home for a few days.
Let’s start with turning off your water. I hope this picture helps you. You turn the handle either horizontally or vertically, depending on the pipe’s direction. In the picture, the valve is running parallel to the pipe, so the water is still on.
We all need to know how to turn the water off in our homes, as well as outside them. I had a cute neighbor who was a plumber by trade, and he once told me, “I wish people would turn the water lines off when they go out of town, even for 3 or 4 days.”
He said, “If people only knew how much damage water can do to their house if it springs a significant leak while they are gone. They would for sure turn off the water inside the house whenever leaving to go on a weekend or long vacation.”
He also mentioned that if nothing else, “they need to turn off their hot and cold water valves attached to their washing machine.” This isn’t as safe as turning off the whole-house valve, but it is an option to protect at least a section of the house if you are going to leave for an extended period.
I’m confident my neighbors would have called me if they had seen water running down the driveway from under the garage door when our water heater started leaking. I’m just glad I was home and not out of town. I used so many towels to mop up the water, as you can only imagine.
Since we knew where the water leak was, he also showed us how to turn off the water heater valve at the top of the water heater to STOP more water from entering the leaky water heater.
It made me think about what would happen if we had a disruption in our city’s water lines, and thus, no hot water. We at least had cold water for 48 hours. We can live with cold water for a few days. Boy, do we take these water heaters for granted!
The water valve shown above turns off the water to the whole house. My plumber told us we could shut off just the hot water by turning a valve on the top right water inlet pipe above the heater (not shown, but discussed above). Once the new heater was installed, he turned the valve back on.
We had already turned off the gas line to the water heater once we knew the heater was not functioning properly. You can see the red gas valve on the bottom left side of the heater in the picture above.
Yours may be somewhat different. I know many of you have electric water heaters, so the gas line issue doesn’t apply.
But if the heating element fails in that electric water heater, or if the unit starts leaking water from the bottom, as mine did, you’ll still need to turn off the water supply.
Be aware that most homes also have the main water valve outside their home so the water supplying the property, including the sprinkler system, can be shut off. Of course, the sprinklers have their own main valve, along with the valves controlling each section, so you can just turn those off separately.
But the main water valve shuts off the water supply to your property. It’s not too often this main valve needs to be shut off, but it’s good to know where it is and how to shut it down.
My water leak was related to the water heater. You may have to deal with leaks at other locations in your home, such as a toilet, a kitchen or bathroom sink, the laundry room, a shower or bathtub, or even a “wet bar” with a small sink area in a den or family room for serving drinks. Some people will also have a washtub facility in the garage to help clean up after a project.
With all these possible sources of water leaks, it sure pays to know how to shut off the water, either at the outside main, the inside main, or the plumbing fixture itself. A leak anywhere in the house can cause untold damage, with having to replace sheetrock, carpet, wood floors, furniture, or boxed items left on the floor.
Most of us get caught up in the notion that a major disaster is necessary to prompt us to take cautionary action, but as my water heater incident shows, leaks can happen anywhere in the home, at any time.
One other thing to consider. Usually, the property owner is responsible if the main water line from the street to the home breaks. This can happen when the ground settles, putting undue pressure on the line.
It can also happen during an earthquake. Check with your insurance group to see what it would cost to cover damage if the line breaks and affects your yard, home, or neighboring property.
Please take a minute today to find where to turn off the water to your house. Not tomorrow, today. Please be prepared for the unexpected.
Here’s a picture showing how to turn off the gas at your house. Be aware that your gas meter and its associated valve may look slightly different. You might be wondering why you’d ever have to shut off the gas in the first place.
Most homes in the US have natural gas, a large propane tank, or heating oil to operate a furnace, water heater, kitchen stove, or clothes dryer. Some homes have a mix of electric and gas-powered appliances, so it’s good to know how to shut off the gas if needed.
Just like the examples of water fixtures, most appliances are required by building codes to have a valve between the main gas line in the walls of the home and the appliance itself.
These valves are used if you need to repair or replace the appliance, if you smell gas in a room, or if you’ve been notified by authorities or the gas utility that it’s prudent to shut off all gas appliances due to a suspected gas leak in the neighborhood.
Of course, one solution would be to shut off the main valve, but that has some major ramifications that we’ll discuss below.
I consider myself to be somewhat “handy” when it comes to many home projects. We have a large tool chest with a variety of hand tools we can use to fix things. Some people tend to be intimidated when deciding which tool works best for a particular project. A crescent wrench could be used to turn off the gas valve, but there is another option I’d like to discuss.
Here is a tool every family should consider having to shut off their gas line. Please know, I am not telling you to turn off your gas line unless you feel you are in imminent danger and you can’t contact the gas company.
You can sometimes cause more problems if you turn off your gas and then have to have the gas company come turn it back on. I’m just asking you to be prepared with a tool you can use in an emergency.
Carbon Monoxide/Propane/Natural Gas Detector
We are living in an area where more and more antiquated gas lines and electrical grids need to be replaced. In Utah, we had three families whose homes exploded and killed family members due to 48-year-old gas lines underground that leaked. They hadn’t been checked or replaced during that period. This is not acceptable. I want my tax dollars to be used to make everyone safe. Please teach your family to recognize the “rotten smell of eggs” as a possible gas leak.
One of my readers, Ted, issued the following warning to me in response to my suggestion that we may have to turn off our gas:
TED: Warning, Warning, Warning
Turning off the gas to your house on the street is important, but turning it back on again is a different thing. It is best to have an official technician from the gas company turn it back on.
The problem is that part of the gas meter system is a 4-inch disc-shaped object in the gas pipe near the meter. This disc contains a thin membrane that reduces the 30 pounds of gas pressure from the street to about 6 pounds in the house. If you turn the gas meter on in one fast turn, it is possible to rupture this membrane, and you get 30 pounds of gas pressure inside the house, which can have dire consequences.
There is a careful way to turn the gas back on just as the gas company technician would do it, but it is a slow process involving turning all of the gas valves off inside the house appliances and observing the second hand on the gas meter as you turn the valve on very slowly to make sure no gas is flowing inside the house. Then the membrane is not ruptured. Then turn on the gas for each appliance, including lighting the pilot light according to each appliance’s procedure.
When it comes time to get gas appliances up and running again, it can be a little tricky, depending on the appliance type, make, and model. If you still have the owner’s operation manual, it would be wise to refer to it when starting the appliance again.
Some gas appliances have a “pilot light” that needs to be lit. The newer models often have an electric “ignitor” that ignites the gas when the appliance is turned on.
Our gas water heater has a button you press while holding a match or other light source next to the gas line at the bottom of the heater. The key here is to follow the instructions in the manual or on the side of the appliance, or get professional help if you are having difficulty figuring things out. Gas is nothing to take lightly or fool with if you are not familiar with how a particular unit works. If in doubt, get some expert help.
Change Your Air Conditioning/Heater Filters
P.S. Please check your carbon monoxide and smoke alarms at least annually. We always put brand new batteries in ours on New Year’s Day; it’s just a tradition we’ve had for years. Change them out if they are too old, or replace their batteries if that’s all that’s needed.
Here’s the deal: please show your family members how to turn off the water to your house. If they are older, show them where the gas line valves are. Let’s be prepared before we need to be. May God bless this world, Linda
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