Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I have often thought that cigarettes or bulk tabacco would be an outstanding investment for barter in TEOTWAWKI or even an extended natural disaster as we all know nicotine addiction is compelling to those struggling with it....BUT..... not being a smoker it violates my first rule of prepping to ONLY stock things that I would use myself eventually anyway. Once cigs get old, even though they have been stored vacuum packed in mylar and or cans, they wont be readily sellable in a "normal" grid up environment. People will only accept stale cigs when there are no other options.
I like to keep my preps focussed on items that can be resold eventually if need be due to a merely personal income downturn. Many people suggest drinkable alcohol as a prep item. I agree with it but I am stocking exclusively alcohol that will be harder to come by in a grid down scenario.... like Whiskey for example. Many people will be making homebrewed wines etc and even grain alcohol but drinkers will be yearning for that bottle of JD or Crown Royal or such that is not as easily duplicated at home. I am considering branching out to store up some nice Scotch and Tequila too.
Look poor.
It's pretty easy to make booze - even for non-chemists! So stockpiling the cheap stuff may not be worth it. If you have the cash but not the space, then premium brands might be the better choice. There are always going to be rich people,
and they're the ones who will have the trade goods that you'd like to have. So what could you store that they're going to want?
But there's a risk in stockpiling any kind of addictive material. People go nuts for ciggies or booze or weed, and will act so stupid and irrational to get them, way out of proportion to the value of what they're stealing - or robbing. Look at all the "medical marijuana" houses that get ripped off these days.
Even if you go far from home to trade, somebody at the flea market or wherever is going to recognize you and know where you live. I'd rather forgo some comforts and keep a lower profile.
Any attractive ladies out there - don't forget prostitution. Prostitution > Starvation. Even if you have to do it behind your husband's back. It is good for the family. Food, that is ...
Turning tricks will run rampant. Women have survival instincts that rival men by far. They know how to get down to business in order to survive.