A friend sent me this list, and I think its worth sharing, especially for people who are new to prepping.
Food & Supplies
Chickens, Cows (diary and beefers) and all other forms of livestock will be hoarded, stolen, traded and sold for insane prices. After a month or so you will not be able to purchase any.
Deer and wild game will be shot and wiped from existence quickly.
Water (Bottled, Gallon and 5 Gallon)
Water Filters/Purifiers including bleach will be impossible to find after a week or so. People will be selling spring water and public springs will have lines hours long.
Salt – this is a vital nutrient and will be used to preserve meat. Don’t be surprised to see this used as currency, it has been used as such in the past and in a SHTF situation it will be used that way again.
Cast iron cookware - long lasting and can be used over an open fire.
Rice, Beans, Wheat, Flour and Yeast. All these basic ingredients will be purchased in mass and quickly hoarded. Expect these to be purchased faster than canned goods.
Cooking Oils
Charcoal – city folk will hoard this immediately as they will see it as the only way to cook their food.
Everything Gardening (Seeds, books & videos, supplies and tools)
Canned Foods of all types. People will just shove them into their carts without even looking at the labels. These will also be used as currency as in a few months everyone will be tired of consuming canned goods but they have value so they will barter with these.
Canning supplies (Jars/lids/wax) – Most stores carry very little if any canning supplies so one person can easily clean out the entire store’s inventory.
Jerky and other long lasting meats
Teas, Coffee, Gatoraide and Koolaides
Milk – Powdered & Condensed
Medicine & Health
Hygiene supplies: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Tampons, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers, etc
Vitamins and Supplements – Some foods like bananas will be hard to come by so pills will be the only source of many needed nutrients.
Tylenol, Advil, cough syrup etc …
Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc…)
First aid kits
Gas masks
Medical guides, books and magazines – Knowledge is power
Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels
Infant/Toddler Supplies (formula, cloth diapers, wash cloths)
Outdoors Gear
Survival Magazines, Books and Guides – Knowledge is power and Americans lack the basic skills needed to grow food and survive
Fishing supplies/tools – Need meat? Everyone will be wiping out the fish in all public rivers, lakes etc …
Bug and Rodent killers, repellents and treatments.
Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
Lumber (all types)
Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
Body Armor
Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime.)
Potting mix
Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, “No. 76 Dietz” Lanterns
Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc…
Work boots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
Cold weather clothing and weather clothing
Household Goods
Candles (Long burning)
Backpacks, Duffel Bags
Large garbage cans – Can be used for trash, storage, water collection, hauling goods etc … and garbage bags (so many uses for them)
Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
Sleeping Bags, Blankets, Pillows, Mats and Inflatable Mattresses
Animal Control Products (Mousetraps, Bug repellents etc …)
Cleaning materials both personal and for the home
Plastic Wrap and Home Insulation Kits
Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc …
Portable Toilets
Weapons – Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats, Tasers & Slingshots.
Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)
Writing paper, pads, pencils and solar calculators
Brooms
Air Filtration Units (Room based and portable;Blue Air is the best)
Misc Goods
Bibles – When I was in boot camp no one wanted a Bible when they offered them to us numerous times while in processing. After a week of being in the barracks suddenly everyone was coming up to me asking to borrow mine or read over my shoulder. People like to bash Christians but when the goings get tough, my experiences show that they always turn to God for answer, help and support.
Duct Tape and Electrical Tape
Bicycles…Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc most efficient method of transportation. If you think about it, standard bikes will become extremely valuable.
Hand pumps & siphons - Gas, water, etc …
Cigarettes – People will always need stress release and if you haven’t noticed even the poorest people on all types of government assistance always can find money to buy cigarettes. This will continue to ring true in a SHTF situation.
Generators (Solar, Gas, Diesel, Propane, Kerosene) – Buy solar now cause nothing will be available when they are needed. People will kill over generators so be warned.
Seasoned Firewood - Wood takes about 6 – 12 months to become dried, for home uses. There are ways to speed up the process but it will still take time. People will begin cutting down all trees they can access in order to provide warmth and fire for cooking.
Lamps, Candles, Flash Lights, Matches etc …
Batteries (all sizes…buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates) rechargeable batteries are ideal. Don’t forget car batteries.
Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food) - Valuable as looters and robbers will be plentiful. Dogs can see and hear what we can’t. The more vicious the better.
Country Land - Good farming land will be nearly impossible to find as the cities and suburbs empty. You will also need to defend your property from large groups of people demanding that you share and make your land a community garden and all that communist bullshit …
Gold and Silver – This will be the new currency when things begin to settle
Motorcycles – There is a reason they are so popular in 3rd world nations, they are cheap, easy to maintain and gas goes a long way.
And finally something to think about:
When the shit hits the fan, where will you live? Where will your parents live? Where will your adult children live? When the USSR collapsed, 3 generations all moved into the same home, why? Your immediate family is the most trusted people in your life, they would give their lives for you and you for them (hopefully). People living in the USSR during the collapse where a custom to hardship, they were secretly self sufficient as if they didn’t produce their own food they would starve to death. While in comparison the last election shows that most Americans feel they are entitled to everything. Americans are no longer producers, we are a service based economy. If the economy were to collapse, most Americans wouldn’t even know how to grow an ear of corn much less achieving self sufficiency. We pay someone for almost everything, thus depriving us of important essential skills that will be needed in a SHTF situation so it is important to hoard knowledge and begin becoming as self sufficient as you possibly can!
Great, comprehensive list, what's the source? Just curious,
They did not tell me; but I felt it was worth sharing with Bear Nation.
I have friends who help run a food Bank. I am seeing intelligent, well-educated people who, through NO fault of their own now need those Services. I judge NO person who comes through that door! I would RATHER see a man swallow some pride and ask for help than steal, get caught and end up in jail, doing no good for nobody! Sometimes they have food left over. Because of State regulations, food that is NOT taken has to be thrown away, which I think is SICK! When there IS food left over, they will allow me to take some for MY family to supplement OUR needs, and the rest I take to give to other folks I know who are in need who CAN'T get to the Food Bank. By doing this, I am able to PERSONALLY reduce the waste-I feel good that I can help widen the aid that goes out from that little Church! This week they gave me THIRTY Pounds of Potatoes! I kept 5 Pounds for my family and gave the rest to three other people who had need. This is a FANTASTIC way to supplement my preps AND help others at the same time-a WIN WIN for sure!
Once again, great share. Thank you , Bruce. While reading the 7th point i had to think about North Korea. Just go on google earth. You wont find a real tree anywhere near most settlements especially talking about walking distance...
Oh for sure. Do the same thing on the Island of Hispanola (sp). Haiti & the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is the wealthy Nation and Haiti is a mess. Haiti has been completely de-forested and the Border stands out for anyone to see. Your post about the lack of trees in N. Korea made me think of that.
Now there's a scary thought, i really take my woods for granted, i should come up with a managment plan for it
No doubt... our woods are fantastic resources we need to keep up and healthy... it doesnt take too much to do so... take the dead trees, instead of standing greens. Encourage hardwood growth's by cutting shade throwing softwoods... while young take whichever resources are the furthest away from your home, so later on you get to reap the benefits close to the home. Its stunning, to see the obvious need and mismanaging for wood so clearly on simple google maps, yet those people truly could benefit from good management due to them having no electricity and obviously no transportation to reach further out resources ... but its also what this kind of political system breeds, as long as something is there you gotta take, take, take before its gone. Conservatism flies out of the window when one just simply tries to survive from day to day... we see china doing this as we are speaking. Ever seen older chinese people at buffets, this perverted system and its practices are so ingrained in these people even in good times they cant stop behaving like starving animals ....