Valuable bartering items you should stock up on

I recently wrote about how after T-SHTF there will be a need to barter in order to survive. Even those who have stocked up for years will find themselves in a position of want at some point (circumstances do not always play out according to plan), and the need to barter will then become apparent. Here are some items you should consider adding to your stash.

Lighters. Cheap to buy and easy to store but absolutely invaluable for barter. Additionally think about stocking up on butane and zippo lighter fluid.

Infant Formula. Obviously important when it comes to supplemental nutrition for babies.

Vodka. Easily the most popular liquor out there. In addition to consumption, check out all of these other uses for Vodka.

MREs. Well recognized as a source of food, easy to store and transport. Keep a few cases on hand so that you can trade individually for other items which you might need.

OTC Medication (Cold and flu, Aspirin, Tylenol). Medication will be in short supply after T-SHTF, pharmacies will be cleaned out in quickly leaving the general populace wanting. Basic OTC medication which will help to relieve aches and pains or flu symptoms will definitely be in high demand.

Toothpaste. One of the few things that can help to make you feel human after long periods of time living in austere conditions. Toothpaste is cheap to buy and easy to store in high quantities.

Small hand sanitizer bottles. A great hygiene item which is easy to store and will be very valuable as a barter item. With a lack of clean running water in some areas small bottles of hand sanitizer will assist in maintaining basic hygiene.

Bottled Water. While cases of Dasani might not be high on your priority list when it comes to long term water storage, think about how easy it will be to trade a few bottles for something you might need. When people get desperate for water they will be willing to do just about anything to get it.

Drink mix (Starbucks Via and Crystal Light). Drinking water (and nothing else) can get old very quickly. Being able to spice up water with a drink mix will not only be a good part of your prep strategy, but others will recognize this as well and be willing to trade for it.

Candles. How many candles do you have in your home? 10? 20? Now think about the average person, they probably have 4 half burned Glade scented candles which will last about a week after the lights go out.

Popular ammunition. (223, 9mm, 22LR). As the old saying goes, bullets will be gold after T-SHTF. Break up your barter ammo into packs of smaller amounts (20, 50, 100) which will assist in the transaction process. Also I would buy the cheaper stuff for barter, no need to trade away your match grade ammo.

Coffee. Most definitely high on the “must have” list, I wrote about it in this post.

Candy. Believe it or not when you go for long periods of time without much in the way of decent food you end up craving little things like bags of Skittles, or Starburst candy. Candy can go a long way in a barter situation.

Condoms. People will still be having sex after T-SHTF and they will want to avoid pregnancy at all cost.

Flashlights / Batteries. While you might have a few Surefire’s for yourself, what do you have to trade? Stock up on some cheap Wally World plastic flashlights with Rayovac batteries which you can use for bartering purposes. Most people have 1 flashlight in their home, and once the D batteries run out they will have nothing to replace them with.

First Aid kits. First aid supplies in general will be great to have, but stocking up on a few cheap “all-in-one” kits would be even better.

That’s all I could come up with for now, what did I miss and what do you have that should be added to this list?

2012-12-17 06:13:46

Source: http://www.prepper-resources.com/valuable-bartering-items-you-should-stock-up-on/