How To Begin Your Water Preparations: Items and Skills for Barter

The Berkey Guy, Sponsor
Activist Post

One of the most powerful points to make is this one: Develop items/skills for barter.

Items and skills for trade suggests the idea that in the event that you have no access to your own water supply, at least having items and skills of value will allow you to barter items/skills that you will need such as water. It also allows you to grow in previously undiscovered areas of talent and interest. As you discover and develop a skill, you will eventually be able to build a network of contacts who share the same interest and varying skill levels. This will also position you to leverage such skills to instruct others and help them on their way to stronger self-reliance.

If you have doubts about areas that you immediately are uncomfortable considering, relax. You don’t have to become the world’s foremost expert on tracking, or be able to kill a deer using dental floss and a magnifying glass…unless that’s something you really do want.

But seriously, here are some ideas that will help you develop areas that are beneficial:

Learn about pathogenic microbes & how to avoid the most commonly acquired illnesses
Take a course to become an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician)
Read some books on negotiation strategies & techniques
Learn how to sprout
Learn the basics of gas-powered engines & the most common causes of engine failure
Learn about the edible plants in your neighborhood…and the poisonous ones you should avoid
Take a CPR course
Learn to cook on a camp stove & dutch-oven
Learn the basics of welding

Never been one to get your hands dirty? Here are some more suggestions for the techies & others out there:

Get your HAM Radio License
Learn Morse Code…yes, Morse Code
Learn about emergency signals for hikers/trail-walkers
Take a CERT class (Community Emergency Response Teams)…they’re FREE!!!
Learn about Incident Command
Start gathering data from your local city/town, county, and state on their anticipation for natural disasters and other potential threats/risks
Volunteer your time to help others in some way

There is a whole world of opportunity for us to get involved in new areas and become more rounded-out individuals. The endeavor in becoming more self-reliant not only prepares us for emergent events, but most importantly it allows us to develop relationships with others with whom we can learn and grow.

Have a skill or post that you’d like to contribute and share here? Let us know…we’d be glad to hear about it & post-it.