I always pick up all the brass that I find. if it is for a caliber I don`t have, it goes into the trade pile.
I always pick up all the brass that I find. if it is for a caliber I don`t have, it goes into the trade pile.
trying to keep my mind out of the gutter and figure out wth you are talking about here. . . .Originally Posted by ladyhk13
?
A vacu-sealer, you sicko!
lol
FoodSaver®
Trade goods? If you follow the Rule of 3s, it will lead you to goods that folks will need when the grid is down, and they can't get warm by turning up the thermostat. Bic lighters, as has already been suggested, is a big one. Roll insulation is another one, and the slabs of foam with mylar covers will be another very valuable resource. Any kind of stove that runs on wood, charcoal or other biomass (the old straw stoves that I saw in Mexico come to mind) will be a good trade item, and so will cookware that will stand up to campfire cooking. Blankets will make good trade items, as will warm clothing.
Water containers, from the 2 liter pop bottle on up through canteens and hydration bladders will be in demand, as will buckets. A couple dozen two-gallon tin buckets will be very nice to have if times get hard and running water isn't available any more.
I've built some solar heaters for water and cooking, but those items can probably be improvised by folks on their own. If not, it is another viable trade item.
Last edited by Optimist; 01-15-2012 at 06:20 PM.
I knew that, not being gutter minded. Sucker machine just sounds funny.
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My range membership lapsed, but every time I went I'd look for brass to scrounge. There was usually some laying around. I'm not even sure what I have any more. Very good point, izzy.
Consilio et animis
Essayons!
how about small 20 ounce coke bottles of rice or beans a trade good?
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^
assuming that you have enough to give out while keeping your expanding MAG fed... then I think that that would be more valuable than gold.
food now, and a water container for later
I agree with the comment about having a skilled trade or the ability to produce food, ie meat, under your belt. My line of thinking is that any animal I am going to have needs to feed us or be put to work. We purchased a home with land in order to raise our own meat whether times are good or bad - but even people in suburban areas can make room for a rabbit hutch or a small chicken coop. If it gets to the point where we are using alternative currency you won't have a HOA telling you you can't have a goat or lamb in your backyard. I'd bet they can't jump over a full-sized privacy fence either. (Although goats would probably form a pyramid and climb on each other's backs to get out of there!)
Trained beasts of burden or sport will be invaluable. I remember the Little House on the Prairie when Laura Ingalls Wilder traded her horse for a new wood burning cookstove for her Maw because Paw couldn't afford it. Who's to say it couldn't get back to that?
Thats actually not a bad idea Izzy. It also just got me thinking. . .what kind of rate will an exchange be set at? Has anyone else thought of this? I mean, what exactly would a 20 oz coke bottle of Rice be worth? 30 rounds of 9mm/.45? 15 rounds of 223/762? how about all this silver we save up? What exactly will a silver dime be worth in trade goods? Has anyone sat down and possibly went thru what trade goods would be worth when it actually came down to it? Now I understand its a supply/demand mindset, but whats to stop unscrupulous people from super-inflating the market? Hmm. . . this may be a project worth looking into! Setting a trade standard acceptable thru-out the prepping community.
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