Contents:
- Basic Bartering Rules of Thumb
- Items That You Can Barter
- Services and Teachable Skills That You Can Barter
- Rethinking Bartering
Basic Bartering Rules of Thumb:
As suggested in the May/June 2015 issue of Survivalist magazine:
- Engage your bartering partner.
- Do not be intimidated and always show you are on equal footing through body language.
- Exude confidence and ease to make yourself and your partner comfortable.
- Ask questions.
- Demonstrate flexibility.
- Be specific, transparent and fair throughout the process.
- Do not cheat your partner or allow yourself to be cheated.
- Produce a win/win scenario.
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Items That You Can Barter:
Comfort Items:
- chocolate
- hard candy
- coffee & tea
- prescription meds
- sugar
- alcohol (vodka, apart from drinking, can also be used as a topical antiseptic)
- condoms
- tobacco and cigarette rolling supplies
Entertainment Items:
In a long-term disaster, boredom becomes a silent killer.
- games
- decks of cards
- paperback books on a variety of subjects
- crossword puzzle books, Sudoku
- music
- sports equipment
Personal / Sanitary Items:
- deodorant
- soap
- toilet paper
- feminine care
- dental care
- diapers & baby care
- disposable razors and razor blades
Cleaning Items:
- Vinegar and baking soda to use in DIY cleaning supplies
- Empty spray bottles and squirt bottles
Tools & Repair Items:
- tape
- glue
- nuts
- bolts
- screws
- washers
- wire
- nails
- knives of various types including fixed blades, kitchen knives, and box cutters.
- hand tools
- hatchets
- saws
- machetes
- heavy plastic sheeting and tarps
- sewing and mending supplies
- knitting or crochet needles and yarn
- hand pumps for both air and liquids
Defensive Items:
- ammo
- pepper spray
- armor
- weapons
- protective gear
Food & Water:
- water filters
- purification tablets
- heirloom seeds
- condiments and Spices
Medicinal Items:
- prescription drugs
- painkillers
- cough syrup
- cortisone cream
- Boil-ese
- calamine lotion
- topical pain relievers
- antibiotics
- essential oils
- first-aid kits
- bandages
- Latex or Nitrile gloves in a variety of sizes
Precious Metals:
- gold
- silver
Other Practical Items:
- fuel, any and all kinds (gas, diesel, propane, kerosene)
- solar battery charger and rechargeable batteries
- disposable batteries
- candles
- flashlights
- fire making supplies, including lighters, matches, flint fire steel
- propane
- bags, including large garbage bags as well as smaller zip-close bags
- paracord
- clothing and shelter materials
- Mylar blankets and tents
- hand warmers
- fishing supplies
- pencils & paper
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Services and Teachable Skills That You Can Barter:
Food Preparation Skills:
- home-canning
- homesteading
- gardening
- farming
- fishing
- hunting
- gathering
- processing and curing wild game
- cooking
- beekeeping
- proper food storage
- water purification
Practical Skills:
- fire building
- sewing
- blacksmithing
- carpentry
- blade sharpening
- wood gathering and cutting
- shelter building
Mechanical Skills:
- auto repair
- small engine repair
- welding
- plumbing
Medical Skills:
- first-aid
- midwifery
- dentistry
- veterinary
- essential oil application
Defensive Skills:
- fight
- shoot
- tactics
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Rethinking Bartering:
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The Savannah Arsenal Project 