Tobacco & alcohol as barter items...

[jgeist]

Lets not leave out chocolate bars.... Can't tell you what I used to get for a good ole candy bar...

 

[razormanxx]

Tobacco and weed you can have usable product fairly soon from seed. Alcohol fairly easy to set up a home distiller. Now coffee beans from seed takes awhile. I use 2 of those daily, 1 never, and another very seldom. I think in a SHTF situation say a year into it, living on beans and rice to eat, water to drink. Any of those 4 items would be a welcome comfort.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

When people who smoke OR used to smoke come under stress they will pay anything for tobacco! Drinkers too. I keep a stash of Bugler rolling tobacco, it's nasty when fresh too, and at least a few pints of cheap booze around.
Dry tobacco? Try putting a slice of apple with it in a sealed container overnight. An old weed trick. Don't know how well it would work with terbacee!

PS: One thing to stock is medications for children's ailments. Children's Tylenol, things to relieve flu and cold symptoms and bring down fever. When peoples kids are sick they will barter anything they have for them!

 

[U201491]

When people who smoke OR used to smoke come under stress they will pay anything for tobacco! Drinkers too. I keep a stash of Bugler rolling tobacco, it's nasty when fresh too, and at least a few pints of cheap booze around.
Dry tobacco? Try putting a slice of apple with it in a sealed container overnight. An old weed trick. Don't know how well it would work with terbacee!

PS: One thing to stock is medications for children's ailments. Children's Tylenol, things to relieve flu and cold symptoms and bring down fever. When peoples kids are sick they will barter anything they have for them!

We could start a whole new society on just those things :cigar:

 

[rick benjamin]

There were times when people would kill for a smoke...

And walk a mile...

 

[watchman]

If your main strategy when TSHTF is to bug in, alcohol can also serve another function.

Even the best prepared survivalist may need to recognize that the time has come to bug out - you may be in danger of being overrun by a far superior force of looters or marauders. You may need to leave in a hurry!

A few carelessly "hidden" bottles of poisoned liquor could level the playing field overnight.
The good stuff should be hidden a little more carefully!

 

[watchman]

It's worth the risk if it might mean I get my home, and the rest of my stuff back. It could be the difference between life or death for my family and I.

If someone is taking my goods "after I'm gone", they probably helped me get there.

 

[erudne]

I thought about this ALOT and though tobacco might be OK Boozers will rat you out as fast as a Doper just for the promise that they will share in your stash.
store it, but don't trade it, period.

 

[RVTECH]

Alcohol fairly easy to set up a home distiller.

True but don't forget about the fairly large amounts of raw product you will need. Also like anything unless you already have a working knowledge of the process and equipment needed it's not going to be a simple father and son project. I used to home brew beer and under good conditions it is a fairly involved combination of cooking and science to get high quality beer.

 

[U201491]

True but don't forget about the fairly large amounts of raw product you will need. Also like anything unless you already have a working knowledge of the process and equipment needed it's not going to be a simple father and son project. I used to home brew beer and under good conditions it is a fairly involved combination of cooking and science to get high quality beer.

Distilled is a lot easier than beer

 

[Inspector]

No Doze. Easy to store. Doesn't go stale.

 

[BigStick]

The multiple uses of alcohol have tipped the scales towards that in my planning. It is usefull for much more than just barter. In preparing for a survival sittuation you should always look for items that have multiple uses. It makes for less storage space/weight to carry.

 

[U201491]

Hi there guy, just to respond. That would be allot of assumption to put a life at risk.
Yes if SHTF things will change, however we should not ignore or moral obligations if at all possible.
I would see this as the same idea is, shooting everyone who came down the road as they might be bad guys.
I guess losing some items for me is not worth possibly killing and innocent person even as you say its worth the risk, I would have to disagree. If SHTF, we as a society can not just revery to animals and kill everything that moves. There will be little hope for us to recover if we shoot first and ask questions later.

I am not saying to not protect your sh*t, or even go after who you knew took it.
But To leave items and traps to hurt the innocent just seems wrong.

See I was thinking take this example, you and your kids are starving and have not eaten for two days,
you stumble upon a house that looks vacant. In it looks gone through you notices near and over turned couch a box that got missed in the chaos. You open it to see two bottles of soda and crackers. They have been laced with Strychnine it only takes a few MG to affect humans. You drink and eat the crackers who taste stale but your starving and then your kids later vomits and begins to die. This is why I say, traps are a "LAST" resort and should not be used to retaliate just too much room for error. Just scares me some people might read your ideas and do them, then imagine forging for food when everyone is trying to poison you.

Just some food for thought.

True.
Anything you could not take doesnt matter anyway.
You may be in that same predicament somewhere and need to rely on something someone left behind.
Fight those that come after you or endanger you, but dont indescriminantly kill everything in sight. That will come back to haunt you in some form.
People at some point will need to regroup. Trust will be a hard earned commodity. That will be a major obstacle.

 

[watchman]

Good post Salted Weapon.

I'm not saying to pre-poison your trading stock, perhaps you misunderstood me. What I am saying, is that IF you are forced to leave in a hurry, and IF your strategy has always been to bug in, then you may have to leave light. In such an instance, it is my intent to re-take my home from invaders.

What I am advocating, just to be clear, is leaving booby traps that have only just been set. ANY leveling of the playing field is desirable.
I would rather face five men than fifty. Alcohol will be consumed rather quickly, I suspect, by looters or bandits. Any leftover liquor can be disposed of after you retake your home.

As to your scenario, if you and your kids are wandering around scrounging for food, it is your fault. Not the guy who's stuff you are taking. How not?

Re read my original post. The scenario was fairly specific.

Cheers,

 

[stratbastard]

Absolutely. Stuff for kids is often overlooked, but will be high value items later. In addition to the meds you mention, I have stores of children's vitamins. As I have mentioned before, I routinely go to St. Vinnie's and Goodwill and purchase used boots really cheap... and I must have several dozen pairs just in small children's sizes. Ditto clothes, socks, and coats.

When people who smoke OR used to smoke come under stress they will pay anything for tobacco! Drinkers too. I keep a stash of Bugler rolling tobacco, it's nasty when fresh too, and at least a few pints of cheap booze around.
Dry tobacco? Try putting a slice of apple with it in a sealed container overnight. An old weed trick. Don't know how well it would work with terbacee!

PS: One thing to stock is medications for children's ailments. Children's Tylenol, things to relieve flu and cold symptoms and bring down fever. When peoples kids are sick they will barter anything they have for them!