BARTER ITEMS

     Barter items are things you stock and store that you know you probably won’t use, or you fell into a sale that allowed you to actually say, “I have more than enough.”  You keep the extra stored away against the day you find that money is just paper but a trade of something you have extra for something you have none of is worth its weight in gold.

     Trade goods are another name for barter goods.  Extra toilet paper is hardly ever extra!  I am talking more about coffee if, since you started prepping and storing, you have quit drinking coffee.  I gave up most caffeine years ago.  One day, I just had enough caffeine and the headache if I didn't get it.  Since I started prepping, I have seen coffee on sale with a coffee coupon in my stash of coupons and thought, $1 for coffee?  Why not?   I can trade it for bullets!

     One of my sons traded in a hand gun for a better model.  There was ammo left over so he has that ammo stored separately from his stash and it is marked for trade.  I have a stash of coffee and homemade first aid kits.  I fell into a deal of individual packets of alcohol wipes and aspirin.  I made dozens of zippered baggies that I call trade aid kits!  Each kit contains; wet wipes, alcohol wipes, aspirin, band aids, a small tube of triple antibacterial cream, a small hand sanitizer kit, some gauze squares and gauze wrapping.  These kits are also great to grab on the run for a last minute hike pack.  I keep one in my purse.  One of my sons is storing pickled fruits, veggies and meats as a by-product of learning how to can and pickle.  He eats some to test his skill.  Some is for later, but extra are for trade. 

     Skills are barter items, which is why I keep saying list your skills.  If you are faced with a situation when you need something and the person who has it wants none of your tangible items, you could offer your ability to do some task the person you want to trade with can’t do on their own.

      Know what you have.  Maybe you don’t imagine it, but there could be a time when the canister you store your rice in could have more value to someone else than the rice.  

     The need for things is the reasons preppers say two is one.  There may come a time when you can no longer go to the mall to replace a worn pair of shoes, so buy two now while you can.  Two last longer than one.  Three means someone who didn't plan so well would pay more in goods or skills just to have one.

     Most disaster scenarios have the element of not being able to get what you want or need just by throwing some paper money at it.  If this comes to pass, where will you get your next pair of work boots?  Where will you get your next meal?  This is the core reason for preparing.  What do you have in abundance that will be needed when TSHTF?  I have a huge stash of thread and needles.  I got yard sale lucky.  In a TEOTWAWKI situation, eventually repairs to clothes will be essential.  Do you have thread and needles?  Will everyone?  I have enough to barter for items I need and enough to share.

     Barter items are usually the deal you run in to when looking to find two or three of an item.  If you can buy one get one free, you have what you need.  If you were going to buy two anyway and fall into a BOGO situation, buy those two and get two free!  Barter items tend to be exactly what you would need in an emergency situation.