Barter--Money

[Big Dave]

What do you have to barter if our money is not worth anything?
I though of this as I read a post on being frugal or making more money.
I recall reading that at one time tulip bulbs were worth more than gold.
I think all I could trade would be wood and labor.

[ozarkcat]

Skills - spinning, knitting, DH does weaving; soaps & candles; information on wild edibles; veggies; I can think of a lot of things that could be used. In colonial Virginia, tobacco was used as cash a lot of times.

[just_sawing]

Lumber, Sawing, Skid steer work, Photography, Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical work. Cabintry work.
When I grew up I relized that living close to the nuben and having a father that if you didn't know how that meant you had something you needed to learn.

[gunsmithgirl]

Gunsmithing, welding, machining, auto repair.

[michiganfarmer]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

What do you have to barter if our money is not worth anything?
I though of this as I read a post on being frugal or making more money.
I recall reading that at one time tulip bulbs were worth more than gold.
I think all I could trade would be wood and labor.

I would trade pork, beef, chicken, milk, eggs, maple syrup, or the use of my tractors to you for firewood. If we lived close.

I would gladly trade my labor too. I am as handy as about any homesteader, I think.

Someone needs to do some blacksmithing though.

[michiganfarmer]

Originally Posted by ozarkcat

Skills - spinning, knitting, DH does weaving; soaps & candles; information on wild edibles; veggies; I can think of a lot of things that could be used. In colonial Virginia, tobacco was used as cash a lot of times.

can you make clothes? this is an important skill. Id trade with you. If you wanted what I have.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

If our money is not worth ANYTHING, we are probably in a shtf senario, higher skills may not be worth too much either as people will probably be just trying to survive. Canned food, fuel, maybe booze, perhaps the classic guns and ammo if people find it necesary to defend their property. Woodstoves, stove pipe, chainsaws, and candles may be good if our infrastructure breaks down. Maybe even horses... As things settle out, seed and basic tools may be popular... If you can get them, stockpiled essential medicines, ie insulin, antibiotics, ect would probably make good barter items.

[Pelenaka]

Barter deals this past year included;
Childcare/yardwork to a homeschooling gf with numerious blessings which got me in on buying a cases of butter @ cost from our local dairy plant. Used 6 lbs of butter to repay the very kind favor of an aquaintance who dropped off squash & beets.
Bartered yardwork for directions to carrot & potato fields (gleaning opp).
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.c...-provides.html
Elderly neighbor trades us freezer space for whatever we have to spare thruout the year - garden produce, baked goods, clabbered milk, butter, small honeydo chores done.
Wild apples in exchange for cider.
Help with moving netted two gallons plus of frozen blueberries.
Half gallon of frozen blueberries + 6 hours of childcare for 3 = 3 gallons of organic honey. Charges were hellions took a beating on that deal !
Pints & pints of red currents bartered for 3 pints of current jelly.

Deals I'm working on for this comming year;
Gaining permission from my local library to glean crabapples from a small tree on the grounds in exchange for planting purple Iris in the childern's garden. Good possiblity.
Snagging a nice big plot for a garden behind the YWCA which is around the corner from my house inexchange for a portion of the produce. Not holding my breath!
Bartering cordials for picking rights (fox grapes & berries) & firewood gleaning on my insurance agent's small homestead out in the country. Matter of having her sign a note before she sips the booze, lol.

~~ Pelenaka ~~

[michiganfarmer]

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

higher skills may not be worth too much either as people will probably be just trying to survive. .

Mabey I misunderstood part of your post, but I think doctors, woodworkers, and metal workers would be considered higher skills, and would be in demand

[wy_white_wolf]

In the past:

I made a sign for a gas station in exchange to 500 gallons of gas.

I repaired a race car (about 5 hours of welding) for season tickets to the races and pit passes.

I currently do 4 hrs general labor a month for storage rental on 2 cars.

My nieghbor and I took turns mowing each others lawns. That way each of us only has to take the time to do it about once every 3 weeks.

Traded a paint job on a car for a camp trailer.

Traded another paint job for a custom cabinet to be built in our laundry room.

I find it's more letting people know your willing to barter than anything.

[SILEIGH]

this year i traded my services -- massage therapist
for:
eye exams for myself and daughter
eyeglasses for myself
new lens in old frames for myself and DH
about $700 worth of services

a rabbit -- last week

$ off allergy dr. bill

delivery loads of stone and wood--we paid for the stone and wood

jewlery for me!
hair cuts and color for me!

and i would gladly trade for meat/produce

i am all about trades
when i do my end of year stuff i can look at what i made total -not as good as you might think--
then what i traded and it adds up

[sunflower-n-ks]

Knowing how to remake clothes could help. Make kids clothers out of adult clothes, change sizes, etc. For yourself or to barter.

Helps on the clothing bill now and could bring in some extra money now also.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Originally Posted by michiganfarmer

Mabey I misunderstood part of your post, but I think doctors, woodworkers, and metal workers would be considered higher skills, and would be in demand

I was just looking at it from money not worth ANYTHING perspective, as in cash is worthless, in which case I think things would be pretty bad. Even in the most severe economic/political/environmental crisis, money is likely to be worth SOMETHING, albeit, perhaps not much. But if it were not worth ANYTHING, I don't think people would be worring about bartering with a highly skilled woodworker to build a fancy house, cabinets, ect or metal worker to fabricate jet engine parts. Most likely anyone who had a hammer and could swing it, would do. Now the doctor may do alright treating life threatening conditions.
Now say things settled down a bit, a cash economy reemerges, formal commerce begins to take place, I think your woodworker and metal worker would probably be in pretty high demand, compared to a life insurance salesman.

[CIW]

I have been doing blacksmith work for 27 yrs. I trade work annually for things that we need and want.
Right now I am doing some house sundries in exchange for a week long get away for my wife and I.
I trade work with my vet for things he needs at his clinic and home.
I've found that there is a loose knit network of folks in the area that will trade. Most will trade labor but not materials. Labor can be hidden, but materials costs are tougher to absorb into other areas of your bookkeeping.
I usually try to do trade work after the normal shop hours instead of having it done by our crew.

[texican]

Them's that's just trying to survive (if they're like 99.9% of the population, those that have never conceptualized the concept of prepping) will probably be unsalvageable, and will meet their makers in the first few months. Odds are, they'd have nothing that I'd want to barter for.

Those that planned on surviving, will be the ones I'd be dealing with... I've got skills to fix or build just about anything (except a/c and icebox type compressors..... luckily for me that skill won't have much use, once the electric grid goes down forever). About the only skill I need to get better on, is cobbler'in... making my own shoes. I could make moccasins, but it's hard to use a shovel with moccasins. We actually have an old time cobbler, in Carthage. Son of one of my local neighbors.

[ricky]

if there is no money i have nothing but my god given ability i guess i can do most any thing just not too long back is shot. fix, build,mechanic, fabricator,roofer,what ever can be done with your hands and tools.

[Siryet]

Originally Posted by Big Dave

What do you have to barter if our money is not worth anything?
I though of this as I read a post on being frugal or making more money.
I recall reading that at one time tulip bulbs were worth more than gold.
I think all I could trade would be wood and labor.

Don't sell yerself short Dave, you have a lot to offer.

A black computer is what I think about now and the uses of a backhoe later,
not to mention tracking services. LOL

have a great day and be good to yourself.
Hug yer bride and chillins also.
Dennis

[Windy in Kansas]

Personally I think money will be worth more than it is now, but few will have it including companies to pay workers so they will be laid off. Which meaning no goods are available for purchase.

Many people today live paycheck to paycheck without any savings at all. If laid off people will still need to eat but will have no money to purchase food with.

If things get really severe, for barter I keep extra sugar, salt, flour, yeast, bouillon, rice, condiments, and of course seeds to grow produce with which may well need the previously listed items. I could barter field labor for food to have even more to barter IF I wanted people knowing where I was growing food. Taking it to a remote location to barter would be better.

It is always good to have some extra window glass, plywood, poly tarps and rolls, nails, screws, hammers, rope, and other emergency items around to barter with as well. Anything that can be used for expedient shelters.

[dahliaqueen]

I can sew anything using my heavy duty walking foot leather machine to lighter weight work on my antique treadle machine, if it really hits the fan.

Organic veggies and fruit.

Knitting, rehabbed clothing, patternmaking, spinning(badly, but in a pinch, better than nothin')

I am sure the range of skills practiced by folks on this board is truly amazing - good enough to start that new civilization....

[BAmaBubba]

I can barter labor and I'm good with seeds/plants. I'm a programmer by trade so I doubt that skill would be highly sought after in a shtf scenario.