Medical (including herbal remedies)Unless you’re both a multimillionaire and a psychic, odds are good that if/when a collapse arrives, there will be things that you overlooked in your prepping. Maybe you just didn’t store enough food, or perhaps your medical supplies didn’t last quite as long as you’d planned.
As you continue your prepping and stockpiling, think about adding some items for bartering. After a collapse, paper money is going to be worthless or nearly so. Hard goods available for trade will be the new currency.
When it comes to items to stockpile for bartering with later, I have a few rules I try to follow.
1. The items have to be relatively inexpensive now, but likely to have great value later. The vast majority of your prepping dollars should be spent on things that will keep you and your family alive and safe.
2. The items should have intrinsic value to you. So don’t stock up on things that you may conceivably never use yourself. That’s just plain wasteful. Choose things that you’ll be able to put to use if they never need to be bartered away.
3. The items should be relatively small and easy to store. Don’t devote the bulk of your storage space to barter items. Also, the smaller items are more easily combined to match the value of what you’re bartering for, so you can avoid having a deal fall apart because you can’t “make change” with larger items.
Keeping those rules in mind, here are some suggestions.
Booze: No need to buy a couple of cases of Jameson Irish Whiskey—the cheap stuff is fine. Folks will want this both for consumption and for medicinal purposes. If you plan on buying the large bottles, think about how you’ll repackage it into smaller containers should the need arise.
Cigarettes: Tobacco will be worth its weight in gold. Rather than buy cartons of smokes, consider buying tins of loose tobacco and rolling papers. This may prove cheaper, and the tins will last longer if they’re unopened, unlike commercially packaged cigarettes.
Disposable lighters: You can pick these up three for a buck at many gas stations. They don’t last forever, of course, as they will slowly leak over time. But for people who need to get a campfire going and have no clue how to do so with flint and steel, these lighters will be worth a pretty penny.
Ammunition: I’m on the fence about this one. I don’t like the idea of trading away something that could be returned to me at high velocity. But there’s no doubt that .22 and other common calibers will be extremely valuable postcollapse.
Coffee: For the caffeine addicts out there, they will value coffee and tea highly. Rather than store coffee beans, you’re probably going to be fine with having instant coffee on hand. Easier to use, and folks who have a real jones for caffeine aren’t going to care too much.
Medical/hygiene supplies: Things like feminine hygiene products, lip balm, vitamins, and yeast infection creams will be prized. Condoms might be worth a fair amount as well. Pain relievers like aspirin are incredibly cheap now, too.
Seeds: While not suitable for a short-term crisis, heirloom seeds will be extremely valuable in a long-term collapse.
Water purification: I suggest stocking up on a quantity of pool shock for this purpose. A small amount goes a long way and it’s easy to store, as well as divide up for trade.
There are also many skills that will be valuable. If any of these are already in your realm of expertise, make sure you have all the supplies that you need to set up a cottage industry later.
Medical (including herbal remedies)
Dental
Carpentry
Electrical
Plumbing
Sewing/knitting
Automotive, small engine repair
Home brewer, distillation
Cooking
Leather working, tanning
Welding
Smithing, metal working
Reloading
TASKS
1. Make a list of potential barter items that you feel comfortable acquiring. Remember, the priority is to prep for you and your family, but if you come across a barter item that’s on sale very cheap, pick some up.
2. Brainstorm the skills you may have, or can learn fairly quickly, that you feel would be valuable postcollapse. Begin stocking up on any needed supplies you’ll need.
SAVINGS
Add $15 to your Prepper Savings Account.
TOTAL PREPPER SAVINGS ACCOUNT: 
WATER STORAGE
One gallon (or two 2-liter bottles) per person or a case of bottled water for the household.
TOTAL WATER STORAGE:
GROCERY LIST
3 cans vegetables, your choice
2 cans fruit, your choice, but stick with those packed in water or juice, rather than syrup
1 can chili or stew, your choice
1 package or jar gravy, your choice
1 box baking mix, preferably the type that doesn’t require eggs, milk, or other ingredients
1 box granola bars, protein bars, or equivalent
1 gallon cooking oil (vegetable oil preferred for longer shelf life)
1 lb pasta, your choice
