What is bartering?
What will you do if the economy fails?
What do you have on hand that you can trade?
What skills do you possess?
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Bartering – Definition
Bartering is as old as humanity. Think of how we used a dowry in the not so distant past. In exchange for securing a groom of financial standing (or other attribute, such as prestige), the bride’s parents would promise the groom’s family something of value, such as land or other property like livestock. That custom continues to this day in some family cultures, including here in the United States.
In a dollar-collapse scenario, it would mean using a skill or service as well as physical items, such as gold coins, to get the desired item or service. As long as both parties agree on the outcome, it’s considered a fair trade.
What will you do if the economy fails?
There are all kinds of books and articles written about the dollar collapse. Believe them or not, as you will, but know this: no empire lasts forever. In the U.S. we’ve enjoyed an exceptional lifestyle as a great empire in this modern age. To tell the truth, I hope it lasts for not only me, my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but as a beacon of freedom for the world.
Most of us live as if this way of living will, indeed, last forever. But I wouldn’t be talking about prepared living if I didn’t include the possibility that the dollar may collapse and the grid may fail. Bartering is one thing we can add to our tool belt right now.
For example, I gave away a class on foraging to a group of young mothers. Did I expect recompense? No. Actually, I gave it away because I thought it was a necessary skill. But one person in my foraging class was a website designer. This site is due to me trading plants for her information. It worked for both of us.
What do you have on hand that you can trade?
Do you create excellent afghans, knitted or crocheted items? I have five crocheted blankets that I’m keeping just for those times. I also have a crocheted bathroom rug. I have several collections that may be of some use in the future for someone else.
You may have invested in gold and silver. During the Depression, a person bought a home with no more than a gold coin. In today’s economy, it might take more than a single coin, but who knows?When everything is gone, what remains is valuable.
Do you have ammunition? Extra Life-straws. Purification tablets? Knives. Compasses. Whetstones. Pots and pans. Dishes. A stash of cigarettes. Liquor. Coffee. Clothing. Chocolate. Salt. Sugar. Serviceable goods such as blankets, sheets and quilts.
If you’re late getting started on your bartering list, consider easy-to-obtain items like adhesive bandages, pain relievers, safety pins, duct tape, paracord, and the like. Many people won’t be thinking about what they need until it’s no longer available.
You might consider collecting small valuable items like batteries, flashlights (think headlamps), portable battery-operated lamps, pocket knives, hand-crank radios, toilet paper (which will disappear faster than you think), fire starters, water containers,
To give yourself ideas on what you might need, do this exercise: go through your whole house, item by item, and ask, “What would I do without this? Is there some way to stockpile it, or would learning a way to make it be more valuable? What can I use instead of this?”
When exploring your house, go through your kitchen. Do you realize how valuable spices will be when those who have a cache of groceries forgot to buy spices? How do you use pinto beans, for example, if you forgot something as simple as chili powder? Beans can become very bland and unpalatable, and quickly, when consumed daily.
Don’t forget hygiene items like soap, deodorant, feminine pads, diapers, and disposable wipes. Eventually, of course, you’ll need to learn to reuse cloth and other things, such as baking soda for toothpaste, for these things. But right now, we’re so spoiled we tend to forget that our commonly used hygiene items are very new to our culture and unavailable to many cultures across the planet.
What skills do you possess?
Now it the time to think about solutions. Do you know how to garden? Those who do will be miles ahead of the rest. Your garden may only be a sunny apartment window, or a seed-sprouting jar. But it’s a start in becoming both useful and independent. When gardening, always use heirloom seeds. A supply of them is also barterable.
Extremely important is potable water. That’s where small items like a Life Straw or water purifiers come into play. But even more valuable is how to purify the water you collect. That’s a barterable skill.
Do you hunt? You can trade fresh game for other necessities. But if you’ve also collected a large supply of ammunition in exchange for what you need. But you can also trade your skills as a tracker or trapper as well.
f you can sew, you can trade mending and remaking existing clothing into something else that fits better, or even refashioning the items into quilts or other serviceable goods. You can practice now with an investment in old clothing and learn to remake and mend them. Extra fabric is expensive right now, but sheets are far less so. Hit the second hand stores for bargains.
What is on your Next Skill to Learn list? Soap is one item on my next-to-know to-do list. One can never have too much soap, remember? Another is candle-making. A neighborhood without street lamps makes for a very dark night, both inside and out. And tripping over something can cause more damage than you might want to face.
Begin Bartering Now
Begin to try bartering now. This is a good skill to learn. That was why I traded my expertise on foraging for my website. Even though now (it it autumn) is not the time to transplant anything because the roots wouldn’t have time to recover, I still managed to give her some pots already filled with various “weeds” that she ccould use for her own herbal garden next year, as long as she protects the roots from the coming freezing temperatures. I also plan to provide her with some other plants this spring, since it’s too late in the year for planting a good backyard apothecary. She is developing my site, my future business. I intend to provide an herbal future for her as a fair exchange.
There is no end to what constitutes an effective barter. You may choose a service, such as farming, carpentry, pottery, housecleaning, or child care, for examples. What are your primary skills? Many of them will prove to be extremely valuable.
In a grid-down scenario, medical skills will be extremely valuable. Do you know how to set broken bones? Can you deliver a baby? Do you know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and how to treat it? Can you identify a heart attack and recommend the next steps to take?
Even if your only knowledge is basic first aid, that skill will prove valuable, especially if you know how to use the land and plants around you as your medicine.
If you’ve been preparing for various scenarios your whole life, you will have a barterable cache of food and other necessary supplies on hand. You will also have developed various skills necessary to get you through hard times. Everything you’ve learned and collected over the years over the years is marketable in a barter society.
The more independent you become, the less likely you’ll fall into the trap of relying on the powers-that-be to rescue you. If the system fails, you will have no guarantee of the safety of those in power. It’s better to develop your own local system of close friends and neighbors.
What will you do if the economy fails?
What do you have on hand that you can trade?
What skills do you possess?
Subscribe. The Mama Prepper Channel offers more than your regular sites.
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