Emergency Preparedness….Top Post-Collapse Barter Items And Trade Skills

randysright.wordpress.com ^ | 6/11/11 | randyedye

[Kartographer]

In today’s “modern” globalist economy, we have relied upon centralized and highly manipulated trade, forced interdependency, senseless and undisciplined consumption, endless debt creation, welfare addiction, and the erosion of quality, as a means to sustain a system that ultimately is DESIGNED to erode our freedoms not to mention our ability to effectively take care of ourselves. We have been infantized by our financial environment. In the near future, those who wish to live beyond a meager staple of government handouts (if any are even given) will be required to make a 180 degree reversal from their current lifestyle of dependency and immediate gratification towards one of self sufficiency, personal entrepreneurship, quality trade, and a mindset of necessity, rather than unfounded excess.

This means that each and every one of us will not only be driven to form barter networks outside the designated confines of the mainstream, we will have to become active producers within those networks. Each and every one of us will need to discover practical goods and skills that will be in high demand regardless of economic conditions. Being that our society has all but forgotten how this kind of trade works, let’s examine a short list of items as well as proficiencies that are sure to be highly sought after as the collapse progresses…

[freedumb2003]

>>Bias of normalcy means just that - people who cannot imagine any real material change in circumstances.

“Everything’s always been this way so it always will.”<<

There is nothing in any of my posts that suggest such a thought. Things change, they always will. I have more computing power in my phone than in the Mainframes I programmed in the 70s.

But to suggest a radical shift that all of our civilization will simply collapse is not the inverse to “nothing ever changes.” It is just unjustified paranoia and scaremongering.

[freedumb2003]

>>You really are free to be dumb. For now.<<

And you are free to waste resources on things that will never come to be.

And I appreciate your falling into the name trap. When people can’t think for themselves it is the easy exit.

[kanawa]

bkmk

[freedumb2003]

>>You’re the one making the 18th century claims. I’m merely describing things as they are and have been here all my life.<<

You have never visited the Big City? Most people live in one or near one.

>>(etc. etc. etc.)... Does the DC crowd dislike preppers as much as it dislikes creationists? Sounds like it.<<

Why do you think I am in DC? It is a neat place and all, but I only get by there a few times a year. I hit all the tourist places like the Smithsonian and try to find oddities like the Spy Museum.

You might want to look at my profile to guess my home...

And I have no idea where the creation thing or “preppers” thing is coming from. Prepare all you want. But don’t shut down those of us who think it is a waste of time and treasure to do so in the manner suggested by the OP. As disaster preparedness, sure. As a long term solution for complete collapse, not so much.

[JRandomFreeper]

Did I mention that Mrs. L was a four star chef in another life?

Another, younger life. Me, too. That life is for young, smart kids that will eat your brains if it makes them better chefs in the real-world kitchens. Been there, done that. I live poor, but I live well.

Nothing like picking yet another zucchni and figuring out what the hell to do with it you haven't done before, to feed the crowd.

I stick with classics, tomato, basil, cheese. Baked, boiled, broiled or fried.

/johnny

[dsc]

“The best way to live is to have a thirst for the truth, even if it means I have to give up fondly held beliefs.”

I put this in my boilerplate:

Some people, either by an effort of will or through habit, place a bias toward the truth above all other biases. If they say something that is untrue, it is only because they honestly believe it to be true. They do not utter falsehoods out of malice, self-interest, or willful ignorance.

None of these people are leftists. They are, perfectly or imperfectly, conservatives. This is because a person who has such a bias toward truth from childhood never becomes a leftist, and a leftist who adopts such a bias later in life soon realizes his errors and moves rightward—that is, toward the truth.

Conservatives can support their positions with nothing more than the truth. Leftists *must* use falsehood to argue their positions, because the truth doesn’t support them. Accordingly, a leftist lies like a fish swims, but it is an aberration when a conservative lies. To put it another way, when a leftist lies, it is completely in character; when a conservative lies, it is completely out of character.
**************************

I think, shameless plagiarist that I am, that I will tack your remark onto the end of that.

[dsc]

“Oh, and what will we do with the 10 million people in L.A., the 18 million in NY, the 10 million in Chicago, etc. etc. etc. They will all be magically gone? Or will they go to where the food is and maybe take it?”

In a real catastrophe, most of them will die fairly close to where they live.

[freedumb2003]

>>In a real catastrophe, most of them will die fairly close to where they live.<<

As I said, in a War of the Worlds scenario.

I am still unclear on the scenario being suggested by the OP. And how it would kill 50+ million people in a few days (well, really it would have to kill the nearly 200 million living in cities and suburbs to have the scenario make any sense).

Just in case, the OP should have people stock up on recordings of Slim Whitman’s “Indian Love Song...”

[RegulatorCountry]

You have never visited the Big City? Most people live in one or near one.

Which one? Been to most of them, US, Canada, British Isles and Europe. I have no interest in living in any of them. I like the space, being close to the land, living where my people have lived since, yes, the 18th century. A sense of place, of rootedness gives me a measure of peace and comfort. Pity you'll never understand that.

[Lurker]

I stick with classics, tomato, basil, cheese. Baked, boiled, broiled or fried.

There are very good reasons they're classics.

I'm going to toss back a Templeton Rye before bed. When I do, I'll drink to you and I meeting one day.

Best,

L

[Kartographer]

You’ve been added.

[freedumb2003]

>>A sense of place, of rootedness gives me a measure of peace and comfort. Pity you’ll never understand that.<<

Your anger exposes you. I made no judgement as to whether a city was good or bad. I merely said many people live in or near them. I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. My job has put me in sattle, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Fort Worth Richmond, Vancouver (BC), Kansas City, Santa Barbara, San Diego, New York and a few others (never in DC).

Your desire to live away from the city is a personal preference. But it doesn’t make the bulk of Americans who live that way go away. It does not make my upbringing (1/4 acre suburban Craftsman BTW) nor my current decision on my domicile any less valid than yours.

Are you asserting some sort of “country living” superiority argument?

[jy8z]

And you are free to waste resources on things that will never come to be.

I use resources that come to be to feed my family and others. And I will continue as will the generations behind me. Our bellies will be full.

[freedumb2003]

>>Our bellies will be full.<<

As shall my family’s be.

[dsc]

“So a small problem of a few days MIGHT break out in your area (none of the riots were in places where people have 1/2 acres for a garden)”

I wouldn’t be surprised to see major riots in every, or almost every, major American city. The country is more polarized than it has been in living memory. The great majority of blacks hate, hate, hate, hate, hate whites (and a bunch of other races). That could add up to civil unrest on a scale and of an intensity heretofore unseen in our country. If this rioting comes to pass, who knows how bad things could get?

Why would foreign countries continue to send their produce to our shores if we can’t pay for it?

How would food and fuel be distributed if truck drivers were almost certain to be highjacked?

What happens if inflation eats up pensions, so that they are completely inadequate to purchase food and shelter?

What happens when there is no more food assistance? No more food stamps, no more food banks, and nothing left in the dumpsters because others got there first?

I don’t know what will happen, but I can feel something barreling down the tracks in my direction.

“and thus you think it wise to construct your entire life around preparing for one?”

What in the world would make you think that any of us is constructing his entire life around this? My kids are still in school; I still maintain a residence.

“You might notice NONE of these happened throughout the country at the same time.”

There you go again: It hasn’t happened, so it won’t happen.

“And that isn’t what the OP says to plan for...”

Nobody knows what to plan for, but laying in some food and supplies certainly can’t hurt, and seeds are cheap.

[The Duke]

If you really think that is in our near future then I suggest you go ahead and start hoarding gold and seeds.

I and many of the people I know (some of whom are very successful business people) are doing exactly that, and accumulating many other things as well. Other skills and measures are being adopted to hopefully mitigate your "biker gang", if things should progress to that point.

Do you think that people such as myself are looking forward to the loss of benefits of modern civilization? Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, as hard as I prepare - including vigorous exercise that will take me to the track, the gym and the pool tomorrow - I think I will be very fortunate to survive very long (no spring chicken here, and still plenty out of shape to deal with the Florida heat!)

It's just that every time we put two and two together we get a very unpleasant picture of the future.

In fact, the scenarios we anticipate are very similar to what is being openly discussed in the major media these days.

I strongly suggest you view the 9-part video "After Armageddon" that is available on YouTube. If it changes your outlook then I suggest you research:

• Vaccuum packing pinto beans and white rice in 4.5mm or thicker mylar.
• Shelf lives of various canned foods (generally around 2 years)
• Berkey and/or Doulton gravity fed water filters.
• Katadyne portable water filters (miraculous little things)
• The "Country Living" grain mill (best in class)
• Food canning (both hot water and pressure cooker)
• Use of calcium hypochlorite to sterilize water.
• Use of guns for home defense.
• The whole issue of "bugging out" vs "bugging in".
• Sanitation, hygene and dealing with related diseases (cholera, thphoid, E. coli, dysentery, etc) if water stops flowing.
• Basic first aid

And thanks for reminding me that I need more (heirloom AND hybrid) seed!

[RegulatorCountry]

Your “anger” schtick is getting old, freedumb2003. You’ve demonstrated throughout this thread that you don’t understand people like me. I live in a county with over 300,000 people. That’s pretty urban to most of the country. I’m just out in the far reaches, more horsey than agricultural these days. But, that’s neither here nor there.

Who’s angry and who’s not is evident. Whose mind is open and whose is not is evident as well. I live where I live and enjoy it. You’ve apparently lived a bedouin life from city to city. Here’s to hoping that you find whatever it is that you’re chasing after. Maybe you’ll finally be happy and at peace, and the constant little digs directed at anyone with the temerity to live differently from you or to see things differently from you will disappear from your communications.

I suspect not, but again, there’s always hope.

[freedumb2003]

>>“You might notice NONE of these happened throughout the country at the same time.”

There you go again: It hasn’t happened, so it won’t happen.<<

Aliens from the planet Twylo haven’t ever landed. Just because it hasn’t happened it doesn’t mean it won’t I just ain’t gonna waste a lot of time planning for it.

Your projections (”hate hate hate of whitey,” etc.) are perhaps fun to entertain but highly improbable.

>>Nobody knows what to plan for, but laying in some food and supplies certainly can’t hurt, and seeds are cheap.<<

Agreed and I have never said anything else.

I remind you again I have said nothing derisive about you (nor others). We are just handicapping the race differently. After a certain point (beyond preparing for natural disasters), preparing for the “impending crisis” strikes me as a waste of resources.

[JRandomFreeper]

They will all be magically gone? Or will they go to where the food is and maybe take it?

In Stalingrad, during the winter, they ate them, sometimes. Or they just rotted.

The history of warfare and natural calamity leaves corpses unburried and stinking.

I can referenence you to MANY books that talk about the stench of cities after a siege or plague.

10M people in LA die. 18M in NY die. 10M in Chicago die.

As I count it, that's just 38M people. You know, the same percentage that Nazis and Communists killed in the first half of the 20th century.

Since we're 21 century folks, that shouldn't happen here. (snort). Really! We 're organized and civilized. Really!.

Ok, but history rhymes, even if it never repeats. You can give me a quarter dollar to try again.

/johnny

[The Duke]

..and my .30-06 is scoped...so you won't feel a thing. :-)

Hmmm... .30-06 - so you're going "old school"!

I'm hoping to very soon be ordering my Remington R-25 in .308. With the right optics it should be a good first line of defense against those "biker gangs". Next on my list is the best night vision tech available.

The .30-06 is also quite up to the task - just ribbin' ya about that!