Get Thee to TSC

July 18, 2011

Barter, Knives, Prepper Mindset, Recommended Purchases

Apparently, Tractor Supply Company is having an unadvertised sale for preparedness items. I am a bargain hunter by nature, so I always give at least a glance to the clearance sections of just about anywhere I shop. Look at some of the fantastic things in the clearance bin now.

Pruner, Loppers, Hand Shovel, and Cultivator for $7!

When the world is a different place, we will ALL be gardeners, right? Fruit trees need attention to grow right and stay healthy. If you’ve ever tried to prune a tree or shrub, you know that you need the right tools. You don’t really want to saw every little branch.

Speaking of saws- power tools are mighty nice, but you have to have power (a lot of it) to run them…

LED flashlights are great. Light is a source of comfort too. And according to the guys around here who must own a dozen pocketknives each, you can never have too many. I carry one in my purse/pocket and a larger version in my vehicle.

I also found good deals on hoes and lighters.

Why should you be interested?

LED Light and Pocketknife for $3!

You may have already covered your bases and gotten one of each of these, so why would you want anymore? The answer is 2-prong.

1. Because things wear out. Always better to have a back-up of often used valuable items. (There is a common saying among the survival crowd- “Two is one and one is none”).

2. To give you something of value to trade with others.

No matter how well we try to get the word out and warn people, the majority will probably not listen. They will find themselves woefully unprepared when the easy life we have now is a memory. There is just no way our government can keep the Ponzi scheme going indefinitely, even if they do come to a workable agreement on the debt ceiling. That is just the latest crisis.

Joe and I have been putting aside items that will be in high demand for charity or barter. We have various firestarting things (matches, magnesium bars, etc.), pocketknives, ponchos, flashlights, and so on set aside in labeled buckets, but only recently did I see the term for it that fits perfectly- the Barter Larder. A hat tip to IfItHitsTheFan for the name I first saw there.

Hacksaw and Mini-Saw for $3

I suggest that you keep an eye out for great bargains like these to start your own. Thrift stores, yard sales, and promotional freebies are good places to keep an eye out for these kinds of things without diverting much of your budget. I recently found a next-to-new pressure canner at a thrift store for $8!! It needed new gaskets of course, but even with replacement parts, that was a steal!

I think a barter economy may very well grow up if the dollar becomes useless. It would help you tremendously to have something others would like to have. If nothing else, it puts you in the position of being able to garner good will and know you really helped someone in need if you give it to them.