Sometimes, a financial crash can cause short-term suffering. However, there have also been times throughout history when financial collapse had worse outcomes. (h/t to AskAPrepper.com)

While humanity has yet to witness a crash that was serious enough to destabilize the government and society in North America, with the fragile nature of financial systems, it is something that may happen soon.

If you ever experience a financial crash that is severe enough to cause country-wide hyperinflation, unemployment and the collapse of the banking sector, you may have to resort to the barter system to acquire the goods and services that your family needs to survive.

If you’re worried about a scenario like this, start preparing and stock up on items that you can use for bartering after a financial crash.

Alcohol

There are almost 15 million people who suffer from alcohol use disorder in the United States. And even those who do not have a compulsion to drink alcohol will be likely to trade goods for a bottle of spirits to calm their nerves in times of hardship.

If you don’t drink alcohol, having a few bottles of liquor and wine for bartering may still offer some benefits after SHTF.

Ammo

After a severe financial crisis, law enforcement could be overwhelmed and even ineffective. This would cause a true survival situation where crime becomes rampant.

In a wide-scale disaster scenario where the rule of law becomes non-existent, ammo will be as good as, or even more valuable, than money.

Stock up on a surplus of common calibers specifically for bartering. If you’re not sure what to get, stock up on ammo for handguns and small game calibers. You might also want to stockpile air gun ammo.

Antibiotics

When you’re trying to resume normal life after a severe economic downturn, access to medical care will become limited. Unfortunately, common infections could also pose serious threats.

Having a supply of antibiotics can be a lifesaver for those facing bacterial illnesses and are without access to healthcare services.

Try to stockpile commonly used antibiotics, such as amoxicillin or ciprofloxacin, to meet the needs of your neighbors after SHTF.

Batteries

Once the supply of batteries on store shelves is depleted, non-preppers will be desperate to acquire all the standard sizes of alkaline batteries and power banks to charge their smartphones and other small devices that charge via USB.

If you have a reliable source of off-grid power on your homestead, you can offer to charge devices and battery banks in exchange for other items that you need.

Bottled water

All humans need clean drinking water to survive, but you don’t want to risk your safety and stockpile by giving other people access to your stored water supply after a disaster.

Get two or three cases of bottled water so you have items specifically for bartering purposes.

Chocolate and candy

Many people have a sweet tooth. And while sweets aren’t an immediate need during an emergency, once the financial system has collapsed, there will still be many people who crave chocolate and candy.

Feminine hygiene products

Women will still need feminine hygiene products after a financial crash.

And even if there is no serious grid-down situation, the cost of feminine hygiene products may still increase, so people will be willing to barter with you.

Flashlights

If a financial crisis is severe enough that people need to resort to the barter system, there’s a chance that people will not be able to pay the electric bill or that power will be shut off.

When this happens, people will want to trade with you if you have flashlights.

Try buying packages of several flashlights for less than the price of the included batteries. Products like these are great for bartering because they are cheap and disposable.

Over-the-counter medication

If manufacturing issues can cause supply issues for several months, things might be worse after a financial crisis.

Like antibiotics, many people will need over-the-counter (OTC) medication after a financial crisis or collapse after supply chain disruptions and price increases affect the local supply.

Stock up on these OTC meds so you have a variety of items to trade with:

• Cold and flu medicines
• Diarrhea and constipation medicines and laxatives
• Headache and nausea medicines
• Pain and fever medicines
• Saline solutions
• Skin and allergy medicines
• Sleeping pills
• Wound care medications, like burn cream or antibacterial ointments

Protein bars

Rising food costs may leave non-preppers scrambling for calorie-dense food sources.

Stock up on several cases of protein bars, cereal bars and fruit bars for bartering during a financial crisis. (Related: Emergency food prep: Stock up on manuka honey, a must-have survival food and barter item.)

Radios

After a large-scale financial crash threatens to destabilize the communications grid or forces people to scale back their spending on phone and internet services, you still need to stay in touch with friends and family.

Stock up on radios that operate on the two-meter and 70-centimeter amateur bands. You can also get cheaper shortwave receivers for use as barter items. These items will be popular among those who are desperate for reliable comms.

Tobacco/vape

Like alcohol, there are a lot of people who smoke or vape. After the SHTF and the country dealing with a financial crash, these people will eagerly be trading to get cigarettes or e-cigs.

Stock up on cigarettes and some vape juice so you can trade with them.

Toilet paper and paper towels

During the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the country witnessed demand for one surprising product: Toilet paper.

At the height of the pandemic, toilet paper and other paper products flew off of store shelves. Even if you don’t experience a financial crash, you should always have a good supply of these products, with an additional supply for bartering.

The current monetary system started as the barter systems that humans used for the years that pre-dated the invention of the modern currency that humans use today.

And while humans have been trading goods and services for money, if the currency collapses, society will go back to bartering. As a prepper, it’s best to stock up on bartering supplies like food, medication and ammo so you can trade for supplies after SHTF.

Go to Health Ranger Store to find more prepping products that can be used for bartering. Watch this video to learn more about organic black beans, and why you should have them in your prepper stockpile.

Read more tips and sound off with your own at the Late Prepper Substack.

More related stories:

• HRS SOLUTIONS: Stock up on organic non-fat milk powder, a long-lasting source of essential nutrients.
• SHTF bartering must-haves: 13 Things that will be in demand after an EMP attack.
• Sensible prepper rules to follow when building your emergency stockpile.
• Survival beverages that are a must for your pantry.

Sources include:

• AskAPrepper.com
• PrimalSurvivor.net
• Brighteon.com

As a result, the “unbanked” – people who do not have accounts in financial institutions –  are having a hard time processing electronic transactions and, to date, there are roughly six million of them in the U.S., which is about the population of Wisconsin. Outside of America, more than a billion people do not have a bank account.

There are several reasons why people opt out of banking. Back in 2021, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) held a survey of households about their connections to the banking system and asked why they didn’t have a bank account. The top reason, with over 40 percent of respondents, was that they didn’t have enough money to meet the minimum balance set by the banks. According to recent FDIC data, about 25 percent of people earning less than $15,000 a year are unbanked. Among those earning more than $75,000 a year, almost every person surveyed had some type of bank account. Another reason why customers do not choose to have accounts in financial establishments is that they have become skeptical of banks. Roughly one-third of survey respondents agreed that “Avoiding a bank gives more privacy,” while another one-third said they simply “do not trust banks.” Moreover, another one-quarter of respondents felt bank account fees were too high and about the same proportion felt fees were too unpredictable.

A recent Bankrate survey also showed that basic monthly service fees range between $5 and $15. Beyond these steady fees, banks earn $4 to $5 each time people withdraw cash from an ATM or need services like getting cashier’s checks. Unexpected bills can result in overdraft fees of about $25 each time an account is overdrawn.

Another set of data showed that there are almost six million “unbanked” and 19 million “underbanked” U.S. households. People with a bank account but who primarily rely on alternative services such as check cashing outlets are called “the underbanked.” As 2.5 people live in the average household, more than 15 million people are living in a home with no connection to banks and 48 million more are in homes with only a tenuous connection to banks – meaning, one out of every five people in the U.S. has little or no connection to banks or other financial institutions. That can leave them shut out from stores, restaurants, transportation and medical providers that don’t take cash.

The pandemic accelerated the shift to digital payments

A lot of business owners across America and even worldwide, blame it on the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as to why the shift to cashless transactions was catalyzed.

Forty-one percent of Americans said they did not use cash for their purchases in a typical week in 2022, up from 29 percent in 2018, according to a Pew Research Center survey released last October and business owners found it favorable for their enterprises. According to “experts,” the shift paved the way to “rising consumer demand, faster checkout, lower labor costs and increased security.” Those who wait risk losing revenue, they said.

However, there are drawbacks to going cash-free. These include the learning curve for entrepreneurs who may not understand how to set up digital payments; a lack of accessibility to credit cards for low-income consumers; and the most risky – privacy and surveillance. The threat that a digital financial system can be in the hands of one controlling body spells tyranny and totalitarianism. The stakes are too high. (Related: BIG BROTHER ALERT: CBDC projects around the world not installing privacy safeguards, British privacy organization finds.)

Meanwhile, a lot of people still prefer the anonymity that cash transactions provide. Cash is also seen as a way for spenders to remain aware of their expenditures. To top it all, the recent bank turmoil has made many depositors question the stability of the banking system. Also, a lot of business owners are still hesitant about moving too quickly with a technology that could go obsolete at any time.

Head over to DollarDemise.com to read more about the death of the United States dollar as a currency.

Sources for this article include:

• StudyFinds.org
• FDIC.gov
• NYTimes.com

Back in 2015, by contrast, fewer than one-quarter of consumers went cashless, according to Pew surveys. In a separate poll, three-fifths of consumers told Gallup they used cash only on occasion last year, twice the share of five years ago.  The ruling class and mainstream media continue to tell the public that paper currency and coins are unsanitary, inconvenient, costly to handle, and easy to steal. Criminal enterprises thrive on the portable anonymity of the hundred-dollar bill. Cashless transactions solve those problems, advocates say. They also allow Big Brother to track the American consumer’s every move.

COVID-19 hastened the cashless trend. The pandemic inspired fears, largely misguided, that the virus might spread on currency. Many consumers stopped carrying cash, spurring a national coin shortage. -The Hill

Oddly enough, even The Hill can’t admit that COVID-19 didn’t do anything. It has no power to regulate, control, or use propaganda. The ruling class is responsible for trying to panic the masses into doing exactly what they want. Disobedient slaves will not be tolerated and those who are masters are escaping by blaming it on something that isn’t a conscientious being.

• Government, Not Coronavirus, Is Killing Small Businesses

We are all about to be barcoded and marked so the master knows exactly what his slaves are doing, when, and where.

“When you pay cash, I give you money, you give me a good, end of story,” said Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the ACLU. “If you’re using your credit card for all of your transactions, then data is being collected about an enormous range of your activities, including medical conditions, political donations, sexual activities, how much liquor you buy, how many cigarettes you buy.”

“People have literally been changing the way they pay for goods and services,” said Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research at Pew.  That means they are making themselves easily trackable and traceable and data collection on them is becoming much too simple. Those who use cash can still have a moderate level of privacy. For now…

This doesn’t end with simply having people use debit or credit cards. The endgame and goal is a completely controllable and programmable digital currency.

• The Endgame: Central Bank Digital Currency

At some point, the rulers will attempt to roll out the CBDC and they’ll make it look appealing. Sadly, many will fall for it and will become permanent slaves with no chance of escape. It’s up to all of us to know this and resist it at all costs

Article cross-posted from SHTF Plan.