11 Weird Items That’ll Be Worth a Fortune in the Next Depression

There’s a conversation that doesn’t happen enough in preparedness circles.

Everyone talks about stockpiling food, water, ammunition, and precious metals for economic collapse or depression. And yes, those matter.

But here’s what history actually teaches us about economic depressions: The items that become most valuable aren’t always the ones you’d expect.

I’ve spent countless hours studying the Great Depression, the economic collapse in Argentina (2001), Venezuela’s ongoing crisis, Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation, and the Yugoslav Wars.

I’ve read firsthand accounts, interviewed survivors, and analyzed what actually held value when currency failed and supply chains collapsed.

And there’s a pattern that emerges, a pattern most preppers completely miss.

The items that become extremely valuable in economic collapse are often mundane, weird, or seemingly insignificant things that people overlook entirely.

Why? Because during depressions and economic collapse:

• People still need to live their daily lives
• Small comforts become psychologically critical
• Certain skills and tools become irreplaceable
• Barter economies emerge rapidly
• The things that break can’t be replaced

Today, I want to share eleven items that seem odd or trivial right now, but that history shows become incredibly valuable, even worth a small fortune, when economies collapse.

These aren’t your typical “beans, bullets, and Band-Aids” recommendations. These are the items that give you serious trading power, make life livable, and solve problems that most people don’t think about until it’s too late.

Let’s dive in.

1. Sewing Supplies and Basic Fabric

This one surprises people, but it’s one of the most consistent patterns across every economic collapse in modern history.

During the Great Depression, seamstresses and tailors were some of the few people who always had work. In Venezuela today, people who can repair clothing are worth their weight in gold. In post-collapse Yugoslavia, sewing supplies commanded premium prices in barter markets.

Here’s why this matters:

Clothing Doesn’t Last Forever

In normal times, when your shirt gets a hole, you throw it away and buy a new one for $15. But in economic collapse:

• New clothing becomes unaffordable or unavailable
• Import supply chains fail
• Manufacturing stops or becomes inaccessible
• Your existing wardrobe is all you have

Suddenly, that hole in your shirt is a crisis. And the person who can fix it? They can name their price.

The Skills Are Rare

How many people under 40 actually know how to sew? Basic mending is becoming a lost skill. When it becomes necessary again, those who have the skill and supplies become invaluable.

What Becomes Valuable

Thread: Every color, especially basic colors like black, white, navy, and brown. Heavy-duty thread for repairs holds special value.

Needles: Hand-sewing needles in various sizes. These are cheap now but become precious when unavailable.

Buttons, Zippers, Elastic: These small items break constantly and are impossible to improvise. A bag of assorted buttons could buy you groceries.

Fabric Scraps: Even small pieces become valuable for patches and repairs.

Scissors and Pins: Quality sewing scissors that stay sharp. Safety pins and straight pins.

Patterns and Knowledge: If you have basic sewing skills, you’re holding a skill that will always be in demand.

Real-world example: In Argentina’s 2001 collapse, a woman traded a simple button replacement service for fresh eggs, milk, and vegetables regularly. Another person built an entire barter network around clothing repair, never using currency at all for over a year.

The investment: You can acquire a comprehensive sewing kit for under $100 that could be worth thousands in barter value during collapse. More importantly, the ability to repair your own family’s clothing saves you from depending on others.

2. Alcohol (For Trade, Not Drinking)

I need to be clear upfront: I’m not talking about stockpiling alcohol for personal consumption or encouraging alcohol use.

I’m talking about one of the most reliable barter commodities in human history.

Throughout every economic collapse, war, and depression, alcohol has maintained or increased in value. Always. Without exception.

Why alcohol becomes barter gold:

It’s a Universal Currency

Alcohol is:

• Easily divisible (you can trade a single bottle)
• Doesn’t expire (properly stored)
• Universally desired across cultures
• Compact and transportable
• Recognizable value

Multiple Use Cases Drive Demand

Social/Psychological Relief: In times of extreme stress, people seek escape. Right or wrong, alcohol provides that. Demand doesn’t decrease during hard times, it increases.

Medical Uses: Alcohol is:

• A disinfectant for wounds
• Antiseptic for medical tools
• Pain management in absence of medication
• Used in tinctures and herbal medicines

Preservation: High-proof alcohol preserves:

• Herbal medicines
• Food preparations
• Medical supplies

Barter Medium: Even people who don’t drink will trade for alcohol because they know they can trade it to someone else. It becomes a pseudo-currency.

What to Stock

High-proof vodka (100+ proof): The most versatile. Can be used for drinking, medicine, or diluted. Brands don’t matter, proof does.

Whiskey and Bourbon: Age well, maintain value, highly desired for drinking.

Small bottles (airplane bottles/miniatures): Perfect for barter. You can trade small amounts without opening larger bottles.

Grain alcohol (Everclear, 190 proof): Maximum versatility for medical and preservation uses. Can be diluted for drinking.

Historical Evidence

Great Depression: Prohibition actually ended during the Depression partly because alcohol became such a valuable commodity. People who produced or traded alcohol survived better than those who didn’t.

Argentina 2001: Liquor stores were among the few businesses that stayed consistently profitable. Small bottles of whiskey were standard barter currency.

Venezuela (ongoing): A bottle of whiskey can cost a month’s wages in bolivars, but in barter, it commands value equivalent to weeks of food.

Soviet Collapse (1991): Vodka literally became a parallel currency. Businesses paid workers in vodka when rubles became worthless. People used it for trade more than drinking.

The strategy: Buy quality alcohol in various sizes now while it’s cheap. Store it properly (cool, dark, sealed). In economic collapse, it becomes liquid wealth that doesn’t depend on banks, governments, or currency value.

Legal and ethical note: Obviously, only trade alcohol to adults, and be aware of your local laws regarding alcohol storage, sales, and barter.

3. Coffee, Tea, and Tobacco

Luxury items that become necessities. This is another pattern that repeats across every single economic collapse.

People will go without food before they’ll go without their coffee, cigarettes, or tea.

Why these items become extremely valuable:

They’re Addictive or Habitual

Coffee and tobacco are physically addictive. Tea often contains caffeine and is psychologically comforting. When people can’t get their fix, they become desperate, and desperate people will trade almost anything.

Historical examples:

World War II: In POW camps and besieged cities, cigarettes became the primary currency. Everything from food to medicine was priced in cigarettes. A single cigarette could buy a meal.

Soviet Union (1990s): As the economy collapsed, coffee became one of the most valuable commodities. People traded family heirlooms for coffee beans.

Venezuela (current): Coffee producers sit on wealth while everyone else starves. A pound of coffee costs more than most people earn in a month.

Cuban Special Period (1990s): After Soviet support ended, coffee became so valuable that the government had to ration it strictly. Black market coffee commanded enormous premiums.

They Don’t Expire (When Stored Properly)

Coffee beans: In airtight containers with oxygen absorbers, can last 2-5 years with minimal quality loss. Vacuum-sealed, even longer. Even stale coffee holds value when it’s scarce.

Instant coffee: Less desirable normally, but lasts indefinitely and is incredibly convenient. Trades well because it’s ready to use.

Tea: Properly stored tea lasts years. Black tea lasts longest, but herbal teas also maintain value.

Tobacco/Cigarettes: Properly stored cigarettes last years. Rolling tobacco lasts even longer.

Small Comforts Have Outsized Value

In times of extreme stress, small luxuries that provide comfort become psychologically essential. That morning cup of coffee isn’t just caffeine, it’s normalcy, ritual, a moment of peace.

People will trade essential goods for these small comforts because the psychological relief is worth it.

What to Stock

Coffee:

• Whole beans (last longest) in vacuum-sealed bags
• Ground coffee for convenience
• Instant coffee for emergency barter
• Various types (people have preferences)

Tea:

• Black tea (highest caffeine, longest shelf life)
• Green tea (health benefits, high demand)
• Herbal teas (medicinal uses, caffeine-free option)
• Individual bags and loose leaf

Tobacco Products:

• Cigarettes in cartons (if legal in your area)
• Rolling tobacco (lasts longer than pre-rolled)
• Rolling papers
• Even if you don’t smoke, these are pure barter gold

The Non-User Advantage

Here’s a secret: The best position is having these items but not needing them yourself.

If you don’t drink coffee, you’re not depleting your trade stock. If you don’t smoke, every cigarette is available for barter. You become the supplier without the dependence.

Storage tips:

• Airtight containers
• Cool, dark location
• Oxygen absorbers for long-term storage
• Rotate stock periodically
• Keep some in small quantities for easier trading

The investment: A few hundred dollars in coffee, tea, and tobacco now could easily trade for thousands of dollars worth of goods and services in economic collapse. These items often appreciate in value faster than precious metals.

4. Manual Kitchen Tools That Actually Work

Here’s something most people don’t think about: When the power goes out, not for a day, but for months or indefinitely, how do you cook?

And I don’t mean “heat something up.” I mean actually prepare food from basic ingredients.

In every extended crisis, the ability to process and prepare food becomes absolutely critical.

The weird part? The specific tools that become valuable aren’t the obvious ones. It’s the manual versions of appliances we take for granted.

The Tools That Become Invaluable

Manual Grain Mill: This is the big one. If you have wheat berries, rice, dried corn, or other grains (which store for 20-30 years), you need a way to process them into usable flour or meal.

Electric mills are useless without power. Cheap hand mills break under regular use. A quality manual grain mill becomes worth an absolute fortune because:

• It processes long-term storage foods into usable forms
• It can be used as a service (charge people to mill their grain)
• Quality mills are rare and expensive even now
• It’s impossible to improvise or substitute

During the Great Depression, people who owned grain mills could essentially name their price for milling services. In Argentina’s collapse, a working grain mill was worth more than most vehicles.

Manual Meat Grinder: When you can’t buy ground beef at the store and you’re processing your own meat (hunting, livestock, or bulk purchases), a meat grinder becomes essential.

It also processes vegetables for canning, makes nut butters, and handles dozens of food preparation tasks. The hand-crank versions are nearly indestructible and will last generations.

Hand-Crank Can Opener (High-Quality): We covered this in the previous article, but it bears repeating: a commercial-grade manual can opener is worth its weight in gold when you’re eating from cans daily and every other opener has broken.

Manual Food Mill/Strainer: For making sauces, processing tomatoes, making baby food, or straining stocks. When you’re processing garden produce or wild foods, this becomes essential.

Quality Manual Whisk and Mixing Tools: Electric mixers are useless without power. Manual whisks, dough whisks, and pastry cutters become the only way to prepare baked goods and many foods.

Cast Iron Cookware: Not exactly weird, but often overlooked. When you’re cooking over fire or wood stoves:

• Non-stick pans are useless (can’t handle high heat)
• Thin aluminum pans warp and fail
• Cast iron lasts literally centuries

A quality cast iron Dutch oven can bake bread, roast meat, make stews, and function as a complete kitchen. In economic collapse, a good cast iron piece trades for serious value.

Manual Pasta Maker: Flour and eggs can become pasta, which stretches food supply and provides variety. Fresh pasta made by hand is incomparably better than dried pasta. A manual pasta maker becomes a luxury goods producer.

Manual Coffee Grinder: We mentioned coffee earlier. But whole beans last 10x longer than ground coffee. A quality manual burr grinder becomes essential for preserving coffee supplies and trading fresh-ground coffee at premium prices.

Mortar and Pestle (Large): For grinding spices, making medicines, processing herbs, and hundreds of kitchen tasks. A large, quality mortar and pestle becomes an essential tool when you can’t just buy ground spices.

Why These Specific Tools Matter

They’re Force Multipliers: These tools don’t just help you, they allow you to provide services to others. Milling grain, grinding meat, processing foods, these become trades you can charge for.

They’re Impossible to Improvise: You can’t make a functioning grain mill from scrap. You can’t improvise a meat grinder. When these tools aren’t available, the tasks they perform become nearly impossible.

They Last Generations: Quality manual tools are nearly indestructible. A grain mill purchased today could still be working in 2150. They’re heirloom tools that maintain value indefinitely.

They Process Cheap Foods into Valuable Foods: Whole wheat berries cost pennies per pound and store for decades. But they’re inedible without processing. A grain mill transforms worthless wheat into valuable flour.

The Reality Check

In economic collapse, people who have food but can’t process it are almost as bad off as people without food.

Imagine having 500 pounds of wheat but no way to make it into flour. Useless.

Having a manual meat grinder when your neighbor shot a deer but has no way to process it? You just earned half that deer.

Real-world example: During the Siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996), a man with a working manual grain mill became wealthy in the local barter economy. People brought him grain, he milled it for a percentage. He never went hungry and always had trade goods, simply because he had one irreplaceable tool.

The Investment

Quality manual kitchen tools range from $50-400 depending on the item:

• Manual grain mill: $150-400 for quality
• Meat grinder: $50-150
• Other manual tools: $20-100 each

Total investment: $500-1000 for a comprehensive set.

In economic collapse? These tools could easily trade for thousands in goods and services, plus they ensure your own family can process food.

Bonus: These tools add value right now. Fresh-ground flour makes better bread. Hand-ground coffee tastes better. You can use and enjoy these tools while also being prepared.

5. Reading Glasses and Simple Optical Aids

This one seems bizarre until you think it through.

What happens when your glasses break during economic collapse?

For the roughly 75% of adults who need vision correction, this is actually a crisis. And it’s one almost nobody prepares for.

Why This Becomes a Major Issue

You Can’t Just Get New Glasses: Getting glasses requires:

• An eye exam (needs an optometrist)
• Prescription (regulated by government)
• Lens manufacturing (requires specialized equipment)
• Frames (needs supply chain)

In economic collapse, this entire system can break down or become unaffordable. What cost $100 now might cost a month’s wages, if it’s available at all.

Bad Vision Equals Disability: Can’t read? Can’t work on detailed tasks? Can’t see threats coming? Can’t read medication labels? Can’t identify food spoilage?

Poor vision without correction makes you vulnerable and limits your economic

productivity.

What Becomes Valuable

Reading Glasses (Non-Prescription): The inexpensive reading glasses available at drug stores become worth far more than their $10 price tag. Why?

• They work for most people who need close-up magnification
• No prescription needed
• Can be stockpiled easily
• Make excellent barter items

Stock various strengths (+1.00, +1.50, +2.00, +2.50, +3.00). Different people need different powers.

Safety Glasses: When you’re doing manual labor daily (which becomes common in collapse), eye protection becomes critical. One eye injury can disable you permanently.

Magnifying Glasses: For fine detail work, reading small print, inspecting items, starting fires (solar), and dozens of other uses.

Protective Eyewear: Sunglasses that block UV (cataracts increase in harsh conditions), safety goggles for work, protective eyewear for various tasks.

The Barter Value

Imagine this scenario: A skilled carpenter can’t work because his distance glasses broke. You have a generic pair of -2.00 readers that happen to work well enough for him to function.

What’s that worth to him? Probably months of carpentry work. Possibly a huge portion of whatever goods he has.

Historical precedent: During the Soviet collapse, eyeglasses became major barter items. People traded valuable goods for simple reading glasses. In modern Venezuela, eyeglasses are luxury items most people can’t afford.

The Smart Investment

For yourself:

• Get backup glasses (multiple pairs)
• Consider prescription sunglasses
• Stock replacement parts (tiny screws, nose pads)
• Have a glasses repair kit
• Consider contacts if you can (with solutions)

For barter:

• 20-30 pairs of reading glasses in various strengths
• Safety glasses (multiple pairs)
• Magnifying glasses
• Eyeglass repair kits

Total investment: $200-300 could buy you a substantial inventory of optical aids that could be worth thousands in barter value.

This seems weird now, but it’s one of those items where having it when someone desperately needs it makes you a hero, and they’ll remember who helped them.

6. Seeds (Heirloom, Non-Hybrid)

Every prepper knows about seed storage, right? So why is this on a list of “weird” items?

Because most people are stocking the wrong seeds.

And the specific type of seeds I’m talking about, heirloom, open-pollinated varieties, become worth exponentially more than hybrid seeds in extended collapse.

The Critical Difference

Hybrid Seeds (Most Commercial Seeds):

• Produce great first-generation crops
• Seeds from those crops don’t grow true (genetic variation)
• You must buy new seeds every year
• Work fine in normal times with functional supply chains

Heirloom Seeds (Open-Pollinated):

• Produce good crops
• Seeds from those crops grow true to type
• You can save seeds and replant indefinitely
• Become renewable food sources

In economic collapse, this difference is everything.

Why Heirloom Seeds Become Precious

They’re Self-Sustaining: One packet of heirloom tomato seeds can become:

• First year: 10 plants, hundreds of tomatoes
• Save seeds from best plants
• Next year: 50 plants from saved seeds
• Year after: Unlimited plants

A single $3 seed packet becomes an infinite food source.

They Become Currency: When food production becomes critical and seeds aren’t available commercially, heirloom seeds become incredibly valuable:

• People can’t grow food without seeds
• Hybrid seeds run out and can’t be replanted
• Heirloom seeds can be saved and traded forever

They Represent Future Security: Heirloom seeds aren’t just food for this year, they’re food for every year after. They’re wealth that reproduces.

What Makes Them Weird as a Prep

Most preppers focus on:

• Freeze-dried food (finite)
• Canned goods (finite)
• MREs (finite)

Seeds are:

• Infinite (if you save seeds)
• Require knowledge and work
• Take months to produce food
• Need land, water, and effort

But they’re the only prep item that actually multiplies your resources instead of depleting them.

The Smart Seed Strategy

Variety is Critical: Don’t just stock tomatoes. You need:

• Various vegetables (diversity of nutrition)
• Different maturity times (harvest throughout season)
• Climate-appropriate varieties
• Multiple varieties of each type (hedge against failure)

Heirloom Seed Categories:

High-Calorie Crops:

• Beans (protein, calories, nitrogen-fixing)
• Corn (calories, can be stored)
• Squash (calories, stores well)
• Potatoes (though these are usually tubers, not seeds)

Nutrient-Dense Vegetables:

• Tomatoes (vitamin C, acids for preservation)
• Peppers (vitamin C, preservation)
• Leafy greens (nutrients, quick-growing)
• Root vegetables (storage crops)

Medicinal Herbs:

• Chamomile
• Calendula
• Echinacea
• Feverfew
• Various medicinal herbs

Barter Crops:

• Tobacco (if legal)
• Herbs and spices
• Flowers (psychological value)

Storage Matters Enormously

Seeds don’t last forever. Proper storage is critical:

Temperature: Cool and stable (32-41°F is ideal) Humidity: Low (under 40% relative humidity) Light: Dark (light degrades seeds) Container: Airtight (prevents moisture and pests)

Properly stored heirloom seeds can last:

• Beans, peas: 3-5 years
• Tomatoes, peppers: 4-6 years
• Squash, cucumber: 5-10 years
• Some seeds: 10+ years

But improperly stored seeds can fail in months.

The Knowledge Factor

Seeds are worthless without knowledge. You must know:

• When to plant
• How to plant
• How to save seeds properly
• How to recognize good plants for seed saving
• Growing conditions and requirements

Start learning now. Grow a garden. Save seeds. Practice. The knowledge is more valuable than the seeds themselves.

The Barter Reality

In extended economic collapse:

• A packet of heirloom tomato seeds could trade for weeks of meals
• A variety pack could trade for a month’s rent
• Someone with diverse seed stock becomes a community pillar

Historical example: In Cuba during the Special Period, people with seed knowledge and stock became wealthy in the barter economy. Seeds that could be replanted were worth more than gold because they represented ongoing food production.

The Investment

Comprehensive heirloom seed vault: $200-500

• Multiple varieties of everything
• Properly stored
• Sealed in mylar with oxygen absorbers
• Inventoried and tracked

This might seem like a lot for seeds, but compare it to buying freeze-dried food:

• $200 in freeze-dried food = Maybe 2 weeks of meals
• $200 in heirloom seeds = Potentially infinite food production

Critical Warning

Learn before you need to. Seeds without knowledge are useless. Start a garden now, even if it’s small. Learn to save seeds. Make mistakes now when mistakes don’t matter.

When economic collapse hits, it’s too late to figure out why your tomatoes aren’t growing.

7. Basic Bicycle Parts and Repair Supplies

Transportation collapses in economic depressions and crises. Always.

Gas becomes unaffordable or unavailable. Cars break and parts can’t be obtained. Public transportation fails or becomes unreliable.

But people still need to move around.

Enter the bicycle, humanity’s most efficient form of transportation. And specific bicycle parts and repair supplies become worth a fortune.

Why Bicycles Become Critical

They’re Efficient: A bicycle is roughly 5x more efficient than walking:

• 10 mile walk: 3+ hours
• 10 mile bike ride: 45 minutes

In economic collapse, when you’re traveling for work, barter, food gathering, and daily tasks, this efficiency is life-changing.

They Don’t Need Fuel: No gas, no electricity, no external energy source. Human-powered transportation that works indefinitely.

They’re Already Common: Most households have at least one bicycle sitting unused. When cars become unaffordable, everyone pulls out their old bike.

And that’s when the problem starts.

The Problem: Bikes Break

That bicycle that’s been in your garage for 5 years? The tires are cracked, the chain is rusty, the brakes don’t work, and the tubes are flat.

Suddenly, everyone needs the same bicycle repairs and parts simultaneously. And the supply chain for bicycle parts has collapsed along with everything else.

What Becomes Valuable

Inner Tubes:

• Every size (20″, 24″, 26″, 27.5″, 29″, 700c)
• Every width variation
• These wear out constantly
• Impossible to improvise properly

Patches and Patch Kits:

• When new tubes aren’t available, patches keep things running
• Multiple kits (they get used quickly)
• Rubber cement/adhesive

Tires:

• Various sizes
• Wear out faster than tubes
• Good tires become precious
• Different types (road, mountain, hybrid)

Chains:

• Wear out with use
• Must match bike specifications
• Impossible to repair once worn
• Critical component (bike doesn’t work without it)

Brake Pads:

• Wear out constantly
• Safety-critical component
• Different types (rim brakes, disc brakes, V-brakes)

Cables (Brake and Shifter):

• Fray and break
• Relatively complex to manufacture
• Easy to stock

Basic Tools:

• Tire levers
• Multi-tools with hex keys
• Chain tools
• Spoke wrenches
• Pump

Lubricants:

• Chain oil/lube
• Grease for bearings
• Prevents wear and breakdown

The Service Economy

Here’s where it gets interesting: You don’t need to be an expert bicycle mechanic.

But if you have parts and basic knowledge, you can:

• Trade parts at premium prices
• Offer basic repair services
• Become essential to your community

A simple flat tire repair that takes 10 minutes? Could be worth a day’s food in barter.

Installing a new chain? Could be worth a week’s vegetables.

Historical Precedent

Cuba (Special Period, 1990s): When Soviet oil supplies ended, cars became largely unusable. Bicycles became the primary transportation for millions.

Bicycle mechanics became high-status, well-compensated professionals. Bicycle parts were more valuable than many luxury goods.

China imported over 1 million bicycles to Cuba because demand was so intense. Those who had stockpiled parts became wealthy.

Venezuela (Current): As fuel became scarce and expensive, bicycles surged in use. Bicycle parts are now premium barter items. A simple inner tube can cost a week’s wages.

World War II Europe: In occupied territories, bicycles were primary transportation. Parts were precious because manufacturing had converted to war production. People who hoarded pre-war bicycle parts built substantial wealth.

The Smart Investment Strategy

For Your Family:

• Ensure every family member has a working bicycle
• Stock spare parts for your specific bikes
• Learn basic maintenance and repair
• Keep bikes maintained and ready

For Barter:

• Stock the most common tire sizes (26″ is most universal)
• Multiple inner tubes in common sizes
• Chains (single-speed is most universal)
• Patch kits (dozens of them)
• Brake pads (various types)
• Basic tools

Investment: $300-500 gives you a substantial inventory of bicycle parts that could be worth thousands in trade value during collapse.

The Knowledge Multiplier

Learn basic bicycle mechanics now:

• How to change a tube (15-minute skill)
• How to replace a chain (30-minute skill)
• How to adjust brakes (20-minute skill)
• Basic maintenance procedures

These skills are simple, but they’re becoming rare. YouTube has unlimited free tutorials. Learn while you can.

The person with parts and knowledge becomes invaluable when transportation is critical.

8. Salt (Lots of It)

“Salt? Really? I can buy a container for $1.”

Yes. And that’s exactly why you should be stockpiling it now.

Salt is one of the most underrated prep items for economic collapse, and it’s one of the cheapest to acquire.

Why Salt Becomes Precious

Throughout human history, salt has literally been currency. Roman soldiers were paid in salt (hence “salary”). Trade routes were built around salt. Wars were fought over salt sources.

In modern times, we take salt for granted because it’s cheap and abundant. But in economic collapse, salt becomes critical again.

The Multiple Critical Uses

Food Preservation: This is the big one. Without reliable refrigeration or electricity:

• Meat must be salted/cured to prevent spoilage
• Vegetables can be preserved in salt brine
• Fish must be salted for storage
• Eggs can be preserved in salt solution

When refrigeration fails, salt is the primary food preservation method humanity has relied on for thousands of years.

Nutritional Necessity: Humans need sodium to survive. It’s not optional. While most modern diets have too much, in collapse scenarios where you’re eating basic foods, salt deficiency becomes real and dangerous.

Symptoms of sodium deficiency:

• Muscle cramps
• Weakness
• Confusion
• Seizures
• Death (in extreme cases)

Medicine and Hygiene:

• Saline solutions for wound cleaning
• Gargling for sore throats
• Dental hygiene (salt water rinses)
• Nasal irrigation
• Treating infections

Barter Value: Salt is:

• Universally needed
• Easy to divide into portions
• Doesn’t expire
• Compact and stackable
• Instantly recognizable value

Historical Precedent

Medieval Europe: Salt was literally worth its weight in silver in some regions. Control of salt sources meant wealth and power.

American Colonial Era: Salt shortages during the Revolutionary War and Civil War caused serious hardship. Confederate salt works were major military targets.

Modern Venezuela: Salt, along with other basic goods, has become scarce and expensive. When available, it trades at premium prices.

Post-War Japan: Salt was strictly rationed and became valuable black market commodity.

The Types to Stock

Table Salt (Iodized):

• Prevents iodine deficiency
• Good for consumption
• Fine grain dissolves easily

Canning/Pickling Salt:

• Pure salt without additives
• Essential for food preservation
• Doesn’t cloud brines

Kosher Salt:

• Coarse grain good for curing meats
• No additives
• Versatile uses

Sea Salt:

• Contains trace minerals
• Various grades and textures
• Premium option for barter

Rock Salt:

• Cheapest option
• Good for bulk storage
• Can be ground when needed

Storage is Simple

Salt doesn’t expire. It’s literally a mineral. But proper storage ensures it stays usable:

Keep it dry: Moisture makes it clump (doesn’t ruin it, just makes it inconvenient) Airtight containers: Prevents moisture absorption Original packaging is fine: Most salt comes in moisture-resistant packaging

Salt stored properly will outlast you, your children, and your grandchildren.

The Investment

This is one of the cheapest preps possible:

• 25-pound bag of salt: $5-10
• 50 pounds of various salt types: $20-30
• 100 pounds: $40-60

For less than $100, you can stockpile enough salt to:

• Keep your family supplied for years
• Preserve substantial quantities of food
• Have serious barter supplies

And salt takes up minimal space, 100 pounds is only about 1.5 cubic feet.

The Barter Strategy

In economic collapse, salt packaged in small quantities trades better than bulk:

• 1-pound bags or containers (easy to trade)
• Pre-measured portions
• Different types for different uses

Someone who needs salt to preserve a deer they just hunted will trade substantial value for enough salt to cure that meat.

Real-World Usage

Start using salt for preservation now:

• Make sauerkraut
• Cure eggs
• Salt-cure bacon
• Make pickles
• Preserve vegetables

Learning these skills while times are good means you’re ready when times are bad.

9. Quality Hand Tools (Not Power Tools)

Everyone thinks about stockpiling tools. But most people are stocking the wrong ones.

Power tools are useless when electricity is scarce or unavailable. And most modern hand tools are cheap garbage that breaks under real use.

What becomes valuable are quality, traditional hand tools that last generations.

Why Hand Tools Become Precious

Power Infrastructure Fails:

• No reliable electricity
• Fuel for generators becomes unaffordable
• Battery-powered tools run out of charge
• Replacement batteries unavailable

Suddenly, that expensive Milwaukee impact driver is a paperweight. But a hand drill? Works forever.

Quality Tools Are Rare: Most tools sold today are designed to fail. They’re cheap imports that break after light use. Quality tools, the kind that last 50+ years, are expensive and increasingly rare.

In economic collapse, these quality tools become heirlooms worth fortunes.

Skills Require Tools: You can have all the knowledge in the world, but without tools, you can’t:

• Build shelter
• Make repairs
• Process materials
• Create goods for barter

Tools enable productivity, and productivity equals survival.

The Specific Tools That Become Invaluable

Hand Saws (Quality Ones):

• Crosscut saws for cutting across grain
• Rip saws for cutting with the grain
• Bow saws for rough cutting
• Japanese pull saws (incredibly effective)

Modern power saws are ubiquitous. Quality hand saws are becoming rare. Those who have them can do carpentry and construction when power is unavailable.

**Hand Drills and Bit Braces:**