Website design By BotEap.comHave you ever thought about the items you will use in a survival bartering situation? I always thought it required stacks of dollar bills packed into my overnight bag. But something made me change my mind.

Website design By BotEap.comToday I took my car to the local auto repair shop. Paying $300 wasn’t my favorite thing to do, but the car runs now. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate Wayne. If he wasn’t around, then the job would surely be more expensive. But the whole experience made me think.

Website design By BotEap.comA disaster scenario came to mind. So what do you think would happen if a disaster struck and Wayne had to evacuate? For a minute, I thought Wayne would be in big trouble having to leave his store. Tools, lifts, oil, tires, everything. He would leave behind all the things he had invested in just to save himself and his family. We would be so happy if we weren’t the ones leaving the store behind. But there is some irony in this situation. It’s not as bad as you think. You see, his abilities are everlasting.

Website design By BotEap.comPerennial Skills #1

Website design By BotEap.comEvergreen abilities are abilities that can be used anywhere, anytime. They don’t go out of style. They are commonly needed. And they will always be needed. In essence, they are ‘always’ + ‘green’. So how does this relate to Wayne? He is a car mechanic. Everyone has a car. So if he leaves his shop and everything else, he can still set up shop somewhere else. How does this relate to you? You want perennial skills. This puts you in a good position to barter for survival. But that’s just one way to improve his bargaining power.

Website design By BotEap.com#2 Skills are negotiable

Website design By BotEap.comIn commercial disasters. But with what? You could change old furniture. Could you buy bread with those old toys that your children no longer need? But there is a problem with that idea. How are you going to carry toy boxes as currency? That makes no sense. What does make sense is trading skills. So instead of carrying boxes of stuff, you carry your skill set. Which leaves plenty of room in your bag to pack other things. So let’s cover the third thing that will give you bargaining power in survival bartering.

Website design By BotEap.com#3 Skills do not decrease with use

Website design By BotEap.comThis is the big one. Let me give you an example. If you have 1 radio, and you exchange it for 1 pound of food. You already have your food. But you no longer have a radio. You are out. The food you will eat, and for what you have eaten the value you bought. You have essentially eaten your coin. On the other hand, when you trade with a survival barter ability, you still have that ability. After you have traded, you still have the same abilities you had before the trade.

Website design By BotEap.comSo with my friend Wayne, if you need food, you can fix a tire and get 3 loaves of bread for your time. And he still has as much skill in his back pocket as when he started. Unfortunately, most people don’t think so. They are more concerned with things than skills.

Website design By BotEap.comResume

Website design By BotEap.comSo, to summarize, to be in the best position to barter, you’ll want the best system. And to have the best barter system in the world, you’ll want to have the best skills. And to have the best abilities, you need abilities that are evergreen, tradable, and don’t diminish with use.

Website design By BotEap.comSo let’s do this. Let’s think of a way to get you on the right track for bartering in a mess. Why don’t you do this? Make a list of your skills that could serve as survival trade items. Try to get to 10 skills you have. Next to each one, put a rating on its value. Try to rate it from 1 to 10. So let’s say 1 is low and 10 will be the highest and most valuable.

Website design By BotEap.comAsk yourself what others might need and if you could see that event happening in a disaster. If so, then it could be a 10. Are you familiar with radio communications? What about auto repair? Are you a computer guru? Are you a good cook? How is your ability to make fire? Can you build a shelter very quickly? Create your own Survival Barter List and see how much bartering power you really have.