Forget Gold, Buy cigaretts and alchohol.

I don't think the roadside stand is too good of an idea, you could end up with rowdy drunks pounding on your door at three in the morning looking for another drink. And if the SHTF and the cops were busy elsewhere they could be armed and your food and gold will go along with your booze stockpile. I don't think gold coins will become that common of a currency that people will just be trading them off for alchohol. And anybody that has that kind of agenda mentality probably doesn't have any to begin with. You don't want to become a focal point for that type of crowd.

reply to post by tiso_us


Cattle rustling...yes, I already thought of that. If it gets bad around here, there won't be calf left, then they'll start on the grown cattle. There are cattle running on big tracts of oil company land within a few miles of my house.

Not a bad idea for currency, a better idea would be to learn how to make something as a craft or trade like rope making, basket weaving, smithing, carpentry...things of that nature.

Being able to take a fender from a car and turn it into a good knife, cut nails or even bolts and nuts would be a highly valuable asset. Being able to do for a community means you would be protected and provided for in order to be able to make stuff for the group.

Taking clay and making bowls, cups, plates, tiles heck even ceramic plating for makeshift bullet resistant body armor would be valuable.

Rope making from just long strands of field grass is an easy skill to learn. With enough skill and practice you can make the rope for a suspension bridge that a car could cross out of nothing but grass if you wanted to do so. Also if you can make rope you can learn to make thread or yarn from cotton or wool...same principal.

Basket weaving is really not much different than cane weaving. Cane backed chair when combined with carpentry?

A skilled trade makes for the best form of currency in my opinion. Because a desperate smoker can use just about any crushed up leaf and shove it in a makeshift pipe to fool themselves for a fix. Any farmer if they grew it would trade a small pouchful of tobacco for a rabbit or something.

Gold and other precious metals just be will be hoarded in the hopes of a return to normalcy. That is will it will be traded in for a currency.

[edit on 22-2-2009 by Ahabstar]

Not to mention, really... how many of your neighbors (or percentage of the population) have gold and silver coins.... one in a thousand? Seriously, not many people have invested in such things.

Tin and plastic is a good investment (when food is enclosed).

Lead and Brass is also a good investment / barter item. On the cheap, Walmart has 550 rd packs of .22 shells for about 15 bucks. Not to mention everyone should have a .22 rifle.

I can guarantee that there are more people with .22 rifles than with gold and silver bullion running around.

And everyone has to eat.


That being said, many posters have mention brewing your own swill... good idea, get a still and print out the "how to's" now.

This sounds good on paper, but the problem is you would be attracting addicts in desperate times. Based on what I've seen from addicts and read/heard about addiction, they will do anything to get what their addiction demands. What's stopping an armed group of them from getting together and robbing and, if necessary, killing you for what you have. Then, they'll get all your food and supplies too. Such times would throw millions of addicts into detox against their will and, IMO, it would be unwise to intentionally attract these people. Don't underestimate addicts needing a fix with nothing to lose. Very bad idea especially if you have a family you are trying to protect.

First off, I would not be foolish to sell to anyone out of my own home. It would be more like "hey buddy, DO you smoke? I have a pack of cigs here" and of course I have a firearm as well.I do buisness with my finger on the trigger, as well as we all will need to untill trust is established.
My whole point is to get people to think outside of the box when it comes to "currency". Currency is anything someone wants. After all, all money is, is a means to an end. Instead of using money or gold as our currency we will ned to improvise and stock up on those things now.

Learning to be a blacksmith is a great idea but not very practical right now. Growing your own crops of tobacco is great if you intend to sleep outside and gaurd your crops everynight.

We are all getting ready to go thru some terrible times and I want us all to prosper with dignity. By "us" I mean human beings and not hopelessly addicted addicts who, like animals, cannot control their impulses.

I will profit of of them with no shame or remorse.

This is a GREAT and Ingenious Idea! Well you made me think of one article about the Government watching us in the Liquor stores monitoring how much alcohol we buy... Google it! Yea our Economy is Fukd and royally up the AZZ*

Good Idea I think I will follow the same path but be careful as times will be Crazy very soon I say in the next 9months this Economy will have collapse and the dollar will be no more... Since all this Bailout Billions are going down the toilet with no purpose and Bullions of Gold will be worthless as well as the Bible says.
James 5:3
Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

Zephaniah 1:18
Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth."

Very Good Ingenious Idea might I add... And I think I will do this also but be very cautious and careful about it.

Yea the ole mighty Dollar Bill is going to be thrown in streets pretty soon as the Bible declared it and be worthless, I predict in 9months that the economy will have collapsed and there will be civil unrest and crime like we never have seen it before.

There will be war on our own streets in USA this to me is what is to come in the next 9months as birthing pangs.

Also silver and Gold will be worthless as well. The Bullions of Gold is a scam to invest in as it is not perishable! Also may I add I read an article about the Government monitoring our Liquor stores who buys what and how much and may I add Oregon is having an 1900% increase on there beer... So stalk up!

The smart money is in trading cigarettes for gold after things crash. An addict will trade Fort Knox for a fix. Then when things return to normal, you will be rich and they will have cancer.

Wanted to add this in for those of you who believe in the Bible.

Ezekiel 7:19
They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing. Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the LORD's wrath. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it has made them stumble into sin.

Not a bad idea stacking up on cigarettes.

But how about stacking up some sugar.
A nice addiction for the whole family.

Don't forget one more thing that people take for granted now, but will be a luxury item in the very near future.

Toilet paper.

Stock up on matches, matches and more matches.....

How bout stocking up on a few dozen flasks as well. Your new found drunkards that just swapped a rabbit for a bottle might want to hide his stash from public view.

Toilet paper? Waste. A good round leaf will do the trick, huh?

Batteries of all kinds might be a great investment too. Kinda on the high side, but will be in need.

Plastic suran wrap and foils might be a hot commodity, due to all the "hunting" it seems everyone wants to do, unless of course, you are going to make a hell of a lot of beef jerky.

Good luck to ya all...Just throwing my two cents up here....

reply to post by outatime


Well, I haven't read anything other than the initial post and I know that's damn lazy of me, but it's late. I'd like to recommend "skills" as the most valuable commodity in most type X situations.

You have your staple commodities: Salt, pepper, petrol/gasoline, ammunition, addictive-type items (nicotine/booze/morphine/various others)-- and by the way these items can prove invaluable in the field for properties beyond their normal consumption.

The problem is that all of these items are terminal. They are consumptive, and finite given most scenarios. The "skill" to acquire or offer alternatives these necessities will be far more valuable than the actual items.

If all this has been mentioned, please forgive my re-iteration, though I think it helpful within threads at times.

screw cigs and booze...
...you'd be better off stocking piling vats of Pepto Bismol.

when sanitation infrastructure goes "down the drain" .. it's gonna be messeyyyy-pants for Junior.


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[edit on 23-2-2009 by prevenge]

stock up on toothpaste, soap, ibruphane, sticky plaster, imodiam, antiseptic cream, dettol, these would be much better currancy, trade them to trade for ciggies and booze...

Why would you want to trade your cigs for gold, as you said its worthless!

Say what you want, make fun of the original post all you'd like,

but those of us who live in major hurricane regions will tell you that when a big one comes through, that is, a big hurricane knocks out all kinds of services, even rendering the drinking water unsafe, people revert to a bartering system.

sure, they use cash, but since all the stores are closed, to actually get stuff you need to have something that the person wants who is in possession of what YOU want. cigarettes are a HOT commodity, there were people selling them a dollar a piece, $1 for ONE ..

alcohol, well .. ok, but thats more for long term social chaos. but ive been through small periods of it, and having tobacco, stockpiled common prescription and over the counter medications, and things of this nature, is the best bet for short term disruptions. permanent disruption? at that point we'd be talking about growing crops of tobacco leaf .. lol ..

Originally posted by runetang


sure, they use cash, but since all the stores are closed, to actually get stuff you need to have something that the person wants who is in possession of what YOU want. cigarettes are a HOT commodity, there were people selling them a dollar a piece, $1 for ONE ..

did prostitution take a huge leap in sales during that time as well?
as far as you know?

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reply to post by outatime


Gold may be ok and beer and cigarettes too. But the best investment which will never loose money is the new forever stamps from the US post office. Think about it. Postage has never gone down in price and when you buy the stamps now at 42 cents they will do nothing but appreciate. In a few years when fuel prices are through the roof and the USPS has to jack up postage you'll win big!