Nobody can answer

If everyone and everybody in the U.S. had to start from zero money, beacuse U.S. money became null and void, what would be the number 1 item to use to make an exchange for goods or services in the U.S.?

Keep in mind, that you cant say gold or silver since you would still need to say what item to use to make an exchange for even those. And plus, if money went null and void you wouldnt be able to buy gold or silver with it anyway. So let not raw pressious metals be the item.

A foreign currency perhaps?
I have the impression that people in america often foget that the world is more than just the USA.


[edit on 27-9-2008 by g210b]

My guess if it comes down to that it would be a long tube containing a pyrotechnic subtance used to exchange lead for goods and services.

Let us hope we keep our wits.

[edit on 9/27/2008 by EnlightenUp]

It all boils down to manual labor at the bottom of the ladder.
Line 2 to divert the mod's wrath.

reply to post by Mabus



Food.

If you grew food, you could trade that for almost anything

reply to post by blupblup


You have that right.

Cans of food. And hand tools.

reply to post by g210b


PPl here in the U.S. wouldnt know if outsider money it's counterfeit.

There would be a problem that is a trust issue.

Plus, they'd be having no U.S. money to exchange even for that.


So blupblup I gave a star to. Needful things like grew food would work.

[edit on 27-9-2008 by Mabus]

Hmm mabye thats an american selfmade problem then. People in other countries do not have so much problem to change to trading with other currency, especially when one and if its the own one renders more and more worthless.

Well if we were to totally start from scratch, then barter would be currency of the day. Things would be somewhat like the fronteers of the colonial expansion. Trade in eggs and milk for medical help and such.

Barter still works in pockets today. While on the road I had a driver pull me out of a patch of ice in a parking lot for a clean pair of pants and clean shirt. Driver often trade shower credits with a truck stop for all kins of things. I even paid a dealers $5 and full pack of cigarettes to keep others from knocking on my truck while parked in the old dirt lot across from the Pilot in Dallas...other OTR drivers can vouch for that being a great deal.

[edit on 27-9-2008 by Ahabstar]

The tackle n line store might be the first taken out...

Canadian Dollar.


Two lines.

Good items to barter with are what you use on a daily basis. Food, vitamins, seeds, personal care products, gasoline, medical supplies, gardening/ construction tools, nails, glue, guns, ammunition, water filters, matches, lighters, educational, instructional literature such as learning plumbing, welding, etc. What do you expect to need for a long time? 1,2, 6, 24 months?

Be careful if you have too much of something, you might become a target when everyone else is short of goods.

If possible, stocking lumber or firewood?

Learn a trades skill. You can barter skills for goods. Include gardening know-how. Worst thing not to have is food! Have a survivalists handbook?

A dog who can hunt or guide you to prey is always good. Perhaps an radiation suit or two?

During times of severe goods shortages I probably wouldn't bother with money, gold, silver. This would only be possible during an complete collapse.

What is the cause of the complete collapse? Nuclear? Natural? Structural? Societal? Everything??? Some factors have to be considered as to what you would need the most.

Good luck. Hope nobody needs it, though.

cell phones and i-pods?

tvs and dvd players?

sports season passes?

beer or other intoxicants/innebriants?

shares in stock?

sexy underwear?

news clips?

so many things people like in general..

coupons to k-mart?

shall i continue?..







[edit on 27-9-2008 by mastermind77]

I think hot items would be small boats. The ones that dont have engines. And fishing poles. Supply the ppl that hold too many of those with, say, food, then you'd be set in the food department and could use whatever your catch is to exchange for etc. Like services of someone to slice the fish and prepare them for you while they get a share of the meal prepared to eat by them.

And so you'd want to make friends with raw food preparers and cooks. If you learn how to prepare raw food and cook, then you could exchange the very service for etc.

It's a gore-filled job skinning animals and cutting them up and draining the blood, but you'd be America's most wanted, in a good way, to where you could get things offered in return that you do want in exchange for your services.

Basically, it comes down to exchanging 'food to be' you grown, caught, or stole.

As for clean water... I'm sure ppl would work for free in the water plants to ensure clean water is pumped across. That would be a shared act to where nothing has to be exchanged. There would be shifts manning the water function maybe, but they know they'd do it for free since they themselves live on clean water.

The people who can grow food would have other people working for them, working the fields, for food. Its back to the wild west again.

[edit on 27-9-2008 by Copernicus]

Yes, food, that would be the answer

And water on one's own property