What tradeable goods do you have stashed, or plan to?

[grenfell]

Thanks for that , good to hear. I mentioned earlier that I had asked elsewhere and not gotten a positive response. Part of me thinks a lot of that is a lack of confidence and a fear of being not necessarily ripped off but of making a bad deal , under valuing or losing out. Bartering could easily be classed as a skill in it's own right.

[GillyBee]

There were some quite complex trading exchanges in Depression America. And the exchanges sometimes set up complex multi person trades to get to an end result with barter.
A three person example is: A wants a part for their car and has food. C has the part but doesnt need food. He does wants medicine. B wants food and has medicine to trade.
But in the more established exchanges some trades involved a chain of 20 people.
You can soon see why money seems easier......

[Frnc]

There were some quite complex trading exchanges in Depression America. And the exchanges sometimes set up complex multi person trades to get to an end result with barter.
A three person example is: A wants a part for their car and has food. C has the part but doesnt need food. He does wants medicine. B wants food and has medicine to trade.
But in the more established exchanges some trades involved a chain of 20 people.
You can soon see why money seems easier......

That's why that bloke said cigarettes became currency in Bosnia. They got used instead of money. You sell your spare potatoes for cash, cigarettes, or whatever is regarded as currency, and then buy some flour with that. It's a question of value - if inflation has eroded cash too much, your savings won't purchase much, even if you can convert them to physical cash. In the long run, a local alternative currency might get created.

[grenfell]

One commodity that almost seems conspicuous by it's absence or lack of mention is one that primarily concerns women and that is sex. What is generally referred to as the oldest profession and there are numerous examples of sex being traded for food , money or protection. I've recently been reading about the Russian invasion of Japanese controlled Manchuria in 1945. There were quite a few rapes but there were also a number of incidents where young women in Japanese communities volunteered to become comfort women to the Russians in return for them leaving the rest of that community alone.
It's probably not as tasteful as trading cigarettes or tins of beans but there are certainly historical precedents. Perhaps condoms , lube and the pill might be a prep to consider if one expects things to go really bad...

[GillyBee]

I think condoms might be very tradeable in real SHTF.

[grenfell]

With the added advantage that they can still be obtained free of charge from at least some sexual health clinics...

[Adjee]

Also make good emergency water carriers!

[Medusa]

Also make good emergency water carriers!

Not the lubricated ones though, they would make the water taste awful. Although awful tasting water is better than no water at all!

[grenfell]

Without trying to sound flippant perhaps the flavoured ones would be even better for that...

[GillyBee]