Editor’s Note: The list below is in alphabetical order. I know most of you would have figured that out but judging by comments on one of the source articles, some took offense to the notion that the “#1” item is “alcohol and tobacco.” I personally disagree with the notion of stockpiling these items for barter as my philosophy is only stockpile items you actually need. What if bartering never becomes necessary? Surely items that one can use for themselves, their family, OR bartering are better than items that are only for barter. That’s just my two cents. Here’s Zoey Sky’s article…
Many countries across the globe are dealing with inflation right now and preppers are getting ready to deal with the looming threat of hyperinflation in the United States.
Hyperinflation has happened before, and it can happen again. Countries like Argentina, Germany and Zimbabwe have experienced some historical instances of hyperinflation that devastated local economies.
Unfortunately, it looks like the U.S. is headed in that direction now. But you still have time to stock up on survival essentials like canned goods and fuel before prices skyrocket. (h/t to AskAPrepper.com)
Alcohol and tobacco
If you’re preparing for a potential economic collapse, it would be wise to break any addictions or unhealthy habits that you may have to substances like tobacco or alcohol.
And if you don’t use alcohol or tobacco, these items still deserve a place in your stockpile because you can use them for bartering after SHTF, especially if you intend on trading supplies with other people you know have vices.
Ammo
When SHTF, you will need firearms and ammo to protect your property, yourself and your loved ones. Stock up on ammo now because when hyperinflation hits, the cost of ammo is going to go through the roof.
However, resources like ammo also get used up if you want to practice so you can use your firearms safely and effectively when disaster strikes and you have to defend yourself. If you have the means to do so, reload your ammo and stock up on reloading supplies if you want to save on ammo for your firearms.
Dry goods and canned food
When dealing with a long-term survival scenario, you will need a lot of food and supplies to feed your family.
If you already have a survival stockpile at home, make sure you regularly rotate your supplies to prevent spoilage. Replenish all items you consume so you also have what you need when SHTF.
Hyperinflation will make many of the items in your stockpile rather expensive, so stock up now while prices are still somewhat affordable.
If you have a tight budget, buy one or two cans of extra food every time you buy groceries. This might not seem like much, but all items will add up eventually in your stockpile.
With food prices skyrocketing, there is no sign of prices going down anytime soon. If you still don’t have a stockpile set up in your home now, start today before it’s too late.
Fuel
Even without inflation, fuel prices continue to increase and take a chunk out of your hard-earned money. Amid world crises like pandemics and wars, oil companies will take any excuse to increase the cost of all fuels, with hyperinflation as one of those convenient excuses.
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It’s not practical for everyone to store large quantities of fuel but if you have space in your garage, you can benefit from storing several jerry cans of fuel for your car or generator. When storing fuel for your stockpile, make sure you stabilize the fuel before storing it to extend its life span.
Like the food in your stockpile, you also need to rotate your fuel storage by emptying the next jerry can into your car’s gas tank and refilling the jerry can with fresh gas. Try to stock up on fuel on days when you know the price is the lowest. (Related: Things people need to have before hyperinflation hits.)
Gold and silver
If you want to have a significant advantage during hyperinflation, try to stock up on valuable metals like gold and silver.
Because gold, silver and other precious metals are not linked to fiat currencies, they are immune to the failure of currencies like dollars.
Stock up on some gold coins as a hedge against inflation. Silver is better for smaller day-to-day transactions you would be making after an economic collapse caused by runaway inflation.
To date, silver is hovering around $20 while gold is around $1,750. It would be difficult to buy food with gold when SHTF, but you can use silver since it would be closer in value.
Meat
The cost of meat, like other items at the grocery store, continues to skyrocket due to regular inflation. Imagine how much meat can cost after hyperinflation.
Deal with this by stocking up on meat when prices are low, like during sales or store promotions. You can also take advantage of store coupons to save some money while buying meat in bulk.
Once you get meat at a good price, make your supply last by vacuum-sealing the meat for long-term storage in the freezer. Alternatively, you can use meat to make pemmican or beef jerky to help preserve it for a long time, or get it freeze-dried.
If you can hunt, use your skills to hunt for meat and fill your freezer before SHTF.
Medical supplies
If you or other family members take regular medication to treat chronic conditions and if you don’t have good insurance, these costs will add up more as inflation gets out of control.
Before disaster strikes, try to get a three or six-month stockpile of all prescription medications that you need.
If your budget allows, you can also stock up on some over-the-counter (OTC) medication for your family. This can also help if the supply of OTC pain medication becomes scarce after SHTF or if hyperinflation affects prices.
Paper products
During the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, people who didn’t have a survival stockpile struggled to buy supplies since many others often stripped store shelves of the most unexpected items, like toilet paper and paper towels.
Before prices go up, get paper products like toilet paper and paper towels for your survival stockpile.
Seeds
Before SHTF, starting a home garden and growing fruits, vegetables, herbs and medicinal plants is one of the best ways to deal with rising food costs. However, this can be rather challenging if you don’t have high-quality heirloom seeds for your garden.
If you don’t have a garden yet, start preparing now and buy seeds ahead of possible hyperinflation that may affect your area after a full-scale economic collapse. Seeds are also a great barter item.
Here are some seeds to stock up on before SHTF:
- Beans
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Corn
- Eggplant
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Onions
- Peanuts
- Peas
- Peppers
- Pumpkin
- Radish
- Soy
- Spinach
- Sunflower
- Swiss chard
- Tomatoes
While you can’t avoid hyperinflation, you can prep ahead so you have supplies in your stockpile. Set some money aside and start buying supplies like ammo, fuel and food now so you can get supplies for your family before prices skyrocket.
Visit Preparedness.news for more tips on how to prepare for economic disasters.
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Watch the video below for food preservation and storage tips that can help you prepare for a food crisis.
This video is from the P2P Networking channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
- Mike Adams: Learn resilient prepping to survive Great Reset.
- Survival 101: Where to get food when grocery stores are empty.
- Prepare for inflation-induced shortages by stocking up on these essentials.
Sources include:
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
This is such basic information, it is hardly educational. No real or insightful tips. You should be able to realize that people reading your articles will already be very aware about stocking up. An article with real, original ideas, would have been helpful, like….put in a hand well pump. When the grid goes down, even a shallow well with a well pump, which is easy to do, even by yourself, will ensure you have water. There are MANY other such ideas if an author is willing to actually do some work and not harvest basic data off the internet and thinking its informative. “get some fuel” …Duh!
Pretty good list. So many more things needed, of course, but barter-able goods are probably the #1 priority for novice DIY-ers. Simply trade for what you need. Not a great long term strategy, but how long really can any of us survive when the next Dark Age comes? Short-term collapse, followed by the relative stability of tin-pot warlord feudalism– it is the BEST outcome we can hope for.
And in the end, hope in God, not all your preps. For Christians, we have a solid hope that will take us through all–“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
And if you live in a democrat voting county (inner cities) , Kevlar clothing.
Barter unless it’s among friends is a fools game. No one should know if you have excess food or especially ammo. When SHTF, if there are food trucks or other locations set up to pass out food or other supplies you should have someone in line representing your group so no one thinks you are stocked up. Keep your prepper status to yourself as even your own family members will turn on you when severe hunger set in.