When hard times hit, bartering becomes a way of life. The primary law of barter economics is supply and demand. The highest bid wins!
In his book, BLACK MARKET MONEY, author Walter Rundell studied post-WWII black markets in occupied nations in the American zone. Market prices had skyrocketed! People paid 100 times the legal prices for soap, butter, sugar, saccharine, coffee, flour, hosiery and flints. Apparently, prices had been even higher earlier in the occupation. Liquor, eggs and Oleomargarine cost 75 times higher than the regular price. Beef and potatoes sold for 50 times more. Selling at 25 times higher than the legal limit were coal, gasoline, rubber tires, light bulbs, suits, and dresses.
Read more about bartering here http://members.aol.com/keninga/barter.htm where an anonymous author wrote:
“In 1944, the Allied air invasion cut off the Holland's densely populated industrial west. The food rations were two pounds of sugar beets, two pounds of potatoes, and one loaf of bread per week per person. Bicycles were the only transportation. Because all rubber was confiscated months before, people pedaled on the bicycle rims looking for food. They took personal effects and anything they had to trade. Many who lacked strength, never made it back home to their families.
In 1947, during the shattered economy of Japan, soap and cigarettes became as valuable as gold. In one case, a soldier emptied his pockets of soap and cigarettes to make a trade. He received thousands of yen, which bought a shoeshine, massage, ride, souvenirs, bar tab etc. with many yen leftover.
In 1974, in Cairo, Egypt, two people were killed and five injured in a rush to buy a piece of soap. During the same year in New Delhi, the government began a drive against hoarding. They raided shops, safety deposit boxes and homes for grain, paper, kerosene, soap, cigarettes and other fast-moving consumer goods. In Bombay, the favorite trading commodities were food, soap, toothpaste, and even combs.”
The paragraphs above are from the author’s book, BECOMING SELF-RELIANT – HOW TO BE LESS DEPENDENT ON SOCIETY AND THE GOVERNMENT.
In the book, PATRIOTS, Surviving The Coming Collapse by James Wesley, Rawles you can read an entire chapter that illustrates how bartering works during a crisis when the characters attend a local “barter faire.”
As Joel Skousen warned in STRATEGIC RELOCATION: NORTH AMERICAN GUIDE TO SAFE PLACES and in THE SECURE HOME, we should all stockpile necessary household items. Don’t assume that things you need will always be available at the corner store like they are now. In his books Joel also wrote that we should learn skills that could be bartered. For more of his insights on bartering and war, see pages 90-91 of THE SECURE HOME. He advises against using one of the many barter agencies that have sprung up in the last few years. Joel also lists the criteria for good barter items and examples of which products and services are and aren’t barterable and much, much more.
As early as '97-98 Joel warned in his relocation book that we're headed toward an economic depression in the next few years--and that it will be a long one. I've read many other reports lately, like the one below, which agree.
Top Investment Manager Predicts A Depression (3-3-03)
http://www.rense.com/general35/fppe.htm
Anyone ever wonder why the bible never mentions the USA in its end time prophseys I think its because although we will be here its likely that we won't be the strong country that we now are. Any thoughts
Right, Jenna. As Joel has said in the past, "We're on the Titanic, and we're going down." In the future, it will be "Goodbye, national sovereignty" and, unfortunately, "Hello, global government." Read Joel's "Strategic Threats" analysis (see the link on the home page at this site), and you'll see that he'd agree. Soon we won't ever again be the strong country that we are now.
Why would those who wrote the writings found in the Bible mention anything about the American continent at all? How would they have known about it in their flat world as they knew it. Are there any references to or suggestions of another continent in the Bible?
Ralph i don't know but I would think that divine inspiration would be enough to make them write about us, that is if we were going to play much of a part in the end times
You can type words like "country" or "nation" in a keyword search below to immediately view the related verses. Then judge for yourself if you think America is or isn't described in the Scriptures. I'm also including the Bible links for this "Bartering And Tough Economic Times" section because during difficult times of any sort, I think the Bible is one of the best assets you can have to help you get back on your feet again.
The Bible—King James Version
http://www.thecross.org/bible1/KJVBIBLE.htm
The Bible—Audio Version
http://www.audio-bible.com/index.html
Bible Download For Windows
http://www.davepohl.com/winonlinebible.html
Children’s Pictorial Bible
http://www.childrensbible.com
Blue Letter Bible
http://www.blueletterbible.org
Bible Gateway
http://bible.gospelcom.net/
With Commonsense Planning, You Can Survive Hard Times by Jackie Clay
Skip the first few outdated Y2K paragraphs and you’ll find that the rest of the article contains good preparation tips on facing tough times and whatever lies ahead. http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/clay55.html
Me thinks that 100% silver coins like the "American Silver Eagle" would make good barter items.
(just try buying a crate of chickens with a GOLD coin and asking for change :*> )
Food, tools, hygeine items, clothing, ammo, guns.
(you can throw the value of your shiny numismatic coin set in the garbage, all fall to intrinsic value, nobody will care how shiny and "proof" your coins are) :'(
(only pure gold and silver are of real value)
I prefer old Morgan silver dollars. They're easily recognizable anywhere you go.
"....in New Delhi, the government began a drive against hoarding. They raided shops, safety deposit boxes and homes for grain, paper, kerosene, soap, cigarettes and other fast-moving consumer goods." As we gather our storage items, there's the unanswered question still in the back of our minds: "Has anybody said what we can do when our own government starts coming after us for 'hoarding?'" ---and they will! Especially survivalists and others who've been gathering items for storage for years--will be the first ones visited. We've heard explanations, such as "people used to do it all the time years ago by putting a supply of food in their pantry" and that "it's the same amount of food that one would buy over a 2 yr. period, so it's not really hoarding"....both of which falls short of having any bearing on what the government will do as they do their raiding!! We've never heard any instructions on what we are to do, short of shooting and losing the battle because there will be more of them than there are of us at the beginning, and would greatly appreciate any answers--please give citations. Thanks.
hey Steve Stock !
Good idea on the Morgans, 90% silver, can be bought at near bullion prices for the "numismaticly empaired" items. (items of near zero numismatic value >>> beat up, bent, corroded, ugly, and identicly challenged.
Still yas caint beat .9999 pure silver bullion fer American Silver eagles.
Do you have any links for buying ?
hey Vaughn Robison ! I have no citations only opinions.
If someone comes to take something that they think that you have, the best thing to do is leave A FEW THINGS for them to "find".
What they do not find, they cannot take.
In other words >>> hide it in caches.
Make several caches ( small stores of various items for survival) in various locations. If one is found , you still have the others.
If you have guns, buy other guns which cannot be traced. When they come to take yer store bought registered weopons, the others will be in caches.
Diversify all caches with similar items divided into several locations.
What if your house burned down today, all that you have is likely lost, except your bank money.
What if all banks were shut down and all of your money was "frozen" ?
Ya shoulda had some of Steve's Morgans buried in a cache somewheres safe.
Think about it >>> diversity of assets in diverse locations.
Re: "Good idea on the Morgans." I give the credit to Joel here. He suggested Morgan silver dollars in his book.
Re: "Do you have any links for buying?" I typed "Morgan silver dollar" in an eBay search, then compared the coin shops sellers and their feedback ratings from previous buyers, and then spaced out my monthly purchases. Look for the ones who offer you privacy instead of filling out lots of "Big Brother" type of paperwork. For large or other metals purchases I like and trust Don McAlvany's advice:
http://www.mcalvany.com/default.asp
I've listened to Don McAlvany on the radio for years. McAlvany sees eye to eye with Joel Skousen's warnings most of the time and, like Joel, has been warning people for years what our government won't tell us: Russia and China are NOT our friends and a big war is ahead. Americans had better get prepared if they haven't done so already. Better to be five years too early than one second too late.
"Better to be five years too early than one second too late."
Better to be ready to face GOD, ready for eternity,
than to face eternal wrath.
What good is it to gain the whole world (or survive the coming disasters), if you are then cast into •••• at the judgment ?
(whoops >>> me thinks that I just opened up a can of dis )
:^>
Quote >>> "Anyone ever wonder why the bible never mentions the USA in its end time prophseys I think its because although we will be here its likely that we won't be the strong country that we now are. Any thoughts"
Me thoughts are that the USA IS ISRAEL, EXTENDED AND REBORN.
:'>
The Bible DOES mention the U.S.A in the latter-days. Read the New Translation of Isaiah by Avraham Gileadi.
"Egypt" in the prophecy is the United States of today; "Assyria" is the "former" Soviet Union. The Jewish mode of prophecy involved types and shadows, simile,and metaphor.
Isaiah used Egypt, the greatest nation of his day (wealth, power, culture, science), as a type of the foretold nation of the last days. Read it carefully and you can't miss the similarities.
Isaiah used the Assyria of his day (a war-like, cruel power "from the North") as a type of the last-days Soviet empire.
And, NO, Communism is not dead! It is waging war against us by proxy (through radical Islam, among others) and is quietly taking over Central and South America.
Cyrus35
Interesting info. There are so many cross ties of prophecy in the Bible it is difficult for me to
understand them.
One thing I DO understand.
BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS AND YOU SHALL BE SAVED.
The key WORD there is IN >>> HE MUST BE IN YOU.
:-)
The New Economy
Gas, cigarettes and beer are the preferred currency in devastated areas.
BY STEPHEN MAJORS
SUN HERALD
HANCOCK COUNTY — Hurricane Katrina has taken the local economy back in time.
Cigarettes and beer will get you far in the barter system ruling these debris-strewn streets. Gasoline is gold, the coveted item that can bring you anything you want.
Cash for now is useless. It is a relic of the 21st-century economy that ceased to function Monday.
The new ATM is a place like Todd’s Mini Mart, which sits on the side of the road on the outskirts of Waveland.
Todd’s co-owner Susan Saucier was at her store on Thursday evening, combing through the debris to see what remained. She said she tried to keep looters from taking items that weren’t needed to sustain life. But the busted cash register just a few feet from the store’s entrance showed the difficulty in enforcing that policy.
Saucier was offering "something that will help anybody get through it." Packs of cigarettes lay strewn about the broken window. For many, they are a calming force after a horrible storm. They are part of the lifeblood of the streetlevel economy.
In a post-Katrina way of life that Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Gambino said is a little "like 'Lord of the Flies,'" a pack of cigarettes can go a long way — and can even get you a ride down the road.
"This right here can get us the h*ll out of Dodge," said Barbara Winch, holding up about 10 packs of cigarettes. Transportation is also a hot commodity in Waveland’s new economy.
The cigarettes had come from Todd’s.
As Winch sat in front of her printing business Thursday evening just before sundown, the barter economy showed an ability to diversify.
A woman came up with a little bit of food. In return, she would be able to watch television on a set that Winch and her friend had rigged up.
"It’s food and cigarettes for television," Winch said. "Money ain’t no good."
A parking lot outside a Kmart that had been looted bare was filled with hundreds of the dispossessed. There, too, bartering is spreading its wings.
It all started with goods from Kmart. The people now living in the parking lot said officials had told them to grab what they needed to survive.
Vicky Strong and about 10 of her family were living under a large canopy courtesy of some socks and underwear.
All of the items had come from the Kmart, but Strong only had time to grab the clothes. After trading some of the items for a canopy, everyone had what they needed. After Hurricane Katrina, the concept of comparative advantages was alive and well.
"We’re just going to take it one day at a time," said Strong...Ask people about the barter economy, and they immediately recognize the new phenomenon.
"It’s beer for cigarettes, and cigarettes for beer," said Gary Illig, who was standing in the Kmart on Friday morning.
Officials at Wal-Mart, a little way down the road, were happy to play a role in the nascent economy. According to Jessica Lewis, a co-manager, the store was letting people take what they needed.
There was a truck of supplies turned away once, but it was going to try again, she said. It would be a vital boost to the local trading patterns.
Several shopping carts worth of canned goods had been cordoned off. After sitting in the sun too long, officials said they might pose a health threat.
The barter economy will suffice as long as there are items to be looted. But increasingly, empty stores suggest even harder times may be coming.
"If you don’t make a joke about it, you just want to sit down and cry," Illig said.